18 Mar What You Ought to Know About New Home Inspections

While many people are aware of the advantages of a home inspection when buying an older property, few understand the benefits that can accrue through the process of new home inspections.

In a small percentage of cases, factory-produced items fail shortly after installation. Typically, these occasional glitches will be covered under either the builder’s general warranty or the manufacturer’s specific guarantee, yet it is never convenient to be replacing major appliances once the home has been occupied. Getting an unbiased professional opinion on such things prior to moving in can save a world of frustration.

Merits of Home Inspections

One of the biggest hurdles in negotiating over who is responsible for fixing various faults or failings in new homes is the issue of initial culpability. The question can arise as to whether some flaw is a result of workmanship or customer abuse after occupying the property. A new home inspection can wipe out virtually all of the uncertainty by making sure that all of the errors are noted and repaired before the customer ever sets foot inside the house. Although most builders are conscientious about standing behind their product, it can nevertheless take time to get a warranty service crew out to do the work.

Developers have an obvious interest in turning around their capital as rapidly as possible. Anything that delays payment on a project is automatically an item that gets their attention. Since most prospective home buyers are, at best, just slightly familiar with the process of construction and often very excited about getting into their new home, they frequently overlook all other practical considerations. Having a competent new home inspection can furnish the buyers with important ammunition that can be used to get issues addressed rapidly, or even obtain significant reductions in the already-agreed-upon price of the home. Here are just a few things that a good home inspector might find.

• Instead of the 30-year shingles specified in the builder’s contract, thinner but cosmetically indistinguishable 20-year shingles are used. The buyer can then either insist on a significant discount or else force the builder to eat the cost of a very expensive roof replacement.
• Rather than solid hardwood cabinetry, less durable hardwood-veneer-over-composite materials get used. In many cases, this is a substitution that might not be noticed for many years and by then it will be far too late.

• A cheaper brand of windows and doors might creep into the supply line. Once the stickers are taken off, there is only a small chance that this will ever be discovered.

Obviously, a conscientious new home inspection will not just save a great deal of cost and trouble, but it might actually end up making the new home buyer a substantial amount of money in certain cases. The prices charged by home inspectors vary depending on local market conditions such as how fast homes are selling and how much their services are in demand, but most inspections should cost between three and six hundred dollars.

Considering the cost of a new home, this is an insignificant amount to spend on what is, in effect, very valuable insurance. It should also be noted that no reputable home builder ever has a problem with their customers making absolutely certain that they are getting a quality product that will last for generations. New home inspections are the difference between being sure and being certain that a new home is the right move to make.