One of the most important decisions when buying a home is to have a home inspection. Too often, buyers don’t want to spend the extra money for an inspection, particularly in new construction. This three to five hundred dollar (generally) expense, is the best money you can spend when investing in any new home. Sellers are not always aware of any defects, or safety issues in their own home, so by bringing in a third party, you can insure a neutral eye on the property. I just sold a client of mine a condominium that was new construction. It was the second escrow for her as the first property on which she wrote an offer had some defects in the construction. We brought in our inspector who looked over the property and while he deemed it safe, he felt that there were some issues and some shoddy workmanship. My buyer wisely cancelled the deal and we moved on. The next property was also new construction, and although the listing agent thought she was wasting her money bringing in an inspector, my client, knowing the value of that inspector, hired him once again to inspect the second property. That property had superior workmanship and we successfully closed the escrow with peace of mind about her investment.
A good inspector will check all the systems in the home, the roof, the surrounding immediate area of the home, the pool and spa, the attic, the crawlspace (if there is one) and a myriad of other details in the home. They’ll open windows, doors, check plugs, look under sinks, all the little things that none of us think to do in our own homes. They’ll point out not only deficiencies, but also safety items that should be checked once a year, i.e. heating and air filters, smoke detectors, carbon monoxide detectors and more.
Contrary to many agents opinions, they are not there to kill the deal, they are there to protect seller, buyer and the agents with their expertise. As with choosing a real estate agent, you should always interview at least three inspectors, check out their credentials, their experience and references. I have listed four inspectors below that I like and their contact information. But, you can always get in touch with me and I can put them in touch with you if you prefer. In addition, you can check out www.creia.org, which is a professional home inspector association.
Inspectors:
Stuart Glazar – Inspect-Rite – email: glazehouse@aol.com
Jack Gironda – Preferred Home Inspections – email: preferredinspect@aol.com
Joe Nernberg - Amerispec – email: jnernberg@amerispec.net
Greg White – Cal Certified Home Inspection Service – website: www.calcertified.com
There are 5 good reasons to have a professional inspection performed on your new home.
1. There may be defects that have not revealed themselves – yet. There is no such thing as a perfect house. Beyond your own request for repairs, there are components that should be repaired that can only be discovered by a skilled home inspector (improper wiring, attic framing, furnace concerns, etc.).
2. The city/municipal inspector cannot check everything in your home. You might say, “What could possibly be wrong, this is a new house.” With current city and municipal budgets under financial stress it is not unusual for the average city Inspector to have a workload of 25-30 inspections in a single day.
3. When you sell this home, the builder may no longer be liable for construction defects. Building a new home is a tremendously complex endeavor. It involves many people, split up into sub-contractor groups, all having been awarded the contract by being the “LOW BIDDER.” Over 90% of the labor force that builds homes today is not union members or trade apprenticed. It’s no secret that builders are having a difficult time finding skilled construction labor.
4. Even for the best builders, it’s nearly impossible to complete this process without missing something. Maybe it’s a plumbing fixture that didn’t get tested for leaks; maybe it’s an electrical component that isn’t working, or any one of dozens of minor problems that can easily be overlooked in such a major undertaking. Sometimes it is more serious and could compromise the health and safety of your family or subject you to substantial expense to correct when you sell your home. We will look for such problems while it is still early enough for you to bring them up in a reasonable time frame.
5. For the relatively small cost, a professional inspection of your new dream home can pay big dividends in peace of mind and getting any problems identified and corrected by the builder before they become an unpleasant surprise.