Why You Should Still Get an Inspection on Brand New Homes

Guest article from home-inspector-san-diego.com

A lot of people don’t realize that getting a new construction inspection is important, since the house is brand new, and is often one that the buyer planned & built themselves. 

 

However, a new construction inspection might even be more important than getting a regular home inspection on an older house! 

 

Don’t believe us? Here are a few reasons why you should get a new construction inspection. 

What is a New Construction Inspection? 

A new construction inspection is only done on brand new homes, meaning homes that are less than a year old or have never been lived in before. 

 

They are used by buyers to make sure that the house was built correctly. 

 

Many people think that a brand new home means that there are no problems, because the home has never been used by someone else. 

 

Sometimes, this is true, as some defects that home inspectors find can be caused by errors made by the homeowner or from lack of maintenance. 

However, Consider This Analogy – 

• Buying a brand new car is a big investment, but many people choose to buy new rather than used because it has zero miles, zero wear and tear, and is in pristine condition. 
• Since the car is new, there are no known problems, the builder of the car has deemed it ready to sell and that is how you got it. 
• However, one month into having the car, you notice that your driveway has an oil puddle in it, and that everywhere you park, the car drips oil onto the ground. 
• You take it into the mechanic, and they tell you that there are many different problems with the car, and it will cost half the value of the car to fix it. 
• This is a surprise, because the car is new! You can’t sell it to make back the money you spent, because the car is already worth $5,000 less because it is no longer “new,” and it is now considered a “lemon” and is therefore undesirable to other buyers. 

 

This is exactly the same thing that happens with new houses. Since there is no previous owner, there is no way to know if there are problems that will pop up, because no one has “tested it out.” 

 

The only way to find out if there are problems are to live there and wait and see whether they occur or not. 

The Alternative, of Course, is to Get a New Construction Inspection. 

A new construction inspection will go over the house and catch any problems or mistakes made by the builder that could cost you thousands of dollars in repairs, and potentially make the house worth very little to other buyers. 

 

This is similar to taking a brand new car to a mechanic – before you buy it – and have the mechanic do an in-depth analysis and testing of the car and check for possible problems. 

 

At the very least – an inspection will find little to no issues, and you can purchase the brand new house knowing that it will be safe and enjoyable for you and your family for years to come. 

There are Different Kinds of New Construction Inspections

If you purchased a plot of land, hired an architect & building company and are building a custom house, there are different steps than if you are buying a move in ready, brand new home that is for sale by the builder.   

Ground-Up Custom Builds

There are two steps for new construction inspections when you are building a home from the ground-up. 

 

The first is a pre-drywall inspection, and the second is a final inspection. 

 

1. Pre-Drywall: 

 

• A pre-drywall inspection is simple – it is an inspection done before the drywall has been installed in the house –  while the frame is still exposed. 
• The inspector can look at the components of the home without the barrier of drywall covering up the internal systems. This includes – 

• • Foundation components
  • Plumbing 
  • Flooring 
  • Walls 
  • Roof structure 
  • Windows 
  • Exterior doors 
  • Support beams 
  • Electrical systems

 

2. The Final Inspection: 

 

• This is only for homes that have had a pre-drywall inspection, because much of the work has already been done and approved. 
• The final inspection is essentially the same as a regular home inspection, because the other builder-affected aspects have been checked off. 
• They do a final inspection to ensure that the house is functional and will not have connection issues or other problems. 
• Typically added appliances, connectivity, insulation, and other added parts of the home will be assessed. 

Move-in-Ready Brand New Homes

This is for buyers who were not a part of the build process, and are simply purchasing a home that was built and listed for sale. 

 

This is a typical new-construction inspection, which is more intensive than a regular home inspection. 

 

The home inspector will look at all of the things that would normally be included in a regular home inspection, but they will also inspect aspects that are specific to a new build. 

 

This means that they will be checking that the foundation was laid properly, that the soil is not going to give way and cause the house to become off balance, that the framework of the house is sturdy, etc.  

Why Do I Need to Get a New Construction Inspection? 

If you are purchasing a new build, getting an inspection might be even more important than getting an inspection on an older home. This is because when new homes are built, they are often built as quickly as possible, which leaves room for error. 

 

Sometimes, builders neglect certain aspects and cut corners on the home-building process so that they can save money & finish quickly. 

 

However, there are builders who have every intention of building the home correctly, but builders are humans and they can make mistakes. 

 

Ultimately, if you buy a new home that hasn’t been built properly – you could be buying a money pit and not even know it. Unfortunately, no one wants to buy a new home that already has a lot of problems, so you will likely be stuck with pocketing the repair costs – or giving up on the house entirely.

 

Either way, having to make repairs on a brand new home will cost a lot more money than expected, and will likely be an obstacle that is hard to overcome. 

This is why getting a new construction inspection is important!!!