There are three types of inspections associated with new construction homes: pre-drywall, pre-closing, and one-year warranty. If you’re having a new home built, get a pre-drywall inspection and a pre-closing inspection. If you’re buying a new home that has already been built, get a home inspection. If you’ve already purchased a new home but you skipped the inspection, schedule a one-year warranty inspection before your warranty expires. (Dont skip the inspections.)
PHASE one: PRE-DRYWALL
Don’t skip an inspection simply because the home is brand new! You have a unique advantage in having an inspection performed in stages as the home is being built to ensure any problems aren’t being covered up drywall and finishes. Defects in the inner workings of the home can take time to appear, and your 1-year warranty on the home may have expired.
PHASE two: PRE-CLOSING
The phase one inspection took an in depth look at the inner workings of your home while being built. This final inspection will address the rest as well as review what was already inspected in phase 1 (if visible). This phase 2 inspection is identical to any other inspection we would do on an existing home. However because it is a new home we are also going to be more picky and specify cosmetic issues as well. When you move into a brand new home, it is expected that it is just that – brand new. You waited a long time for the house to be built and in turn your home should reflect the perks of being the first occupant.
PHASE three: ONE YEAR WARRANTY
Most home builders provide a one year warranty with their homes ensuring the home will be free of defects or they will come and make repairs. We highly suggest that before that one year is up you obtain a home inspection to uncover all of the issues that should be brought to your builders attention. Once that year passes, anything that was wrong with the home will now become you financial burden. Even if you performed an inspection prior to moving in, a lot can happen in a years time and some problems will only become apparent as the homes components begin to be used regularly.
