One of the most common questions new home buyers ask is, “Do I need a home inspection when buying a new construction?” The underlying assumption is that because everything in a brand new home is new and presumably built to code — and probably covered by a warranty — there’s no need to spend the extra money on an inspection because the chances of finding problems during an inspection walk-through are slim.
However, this assumption is ill-informed and unwise. For reasons we’ll discuss in a moment, inspections on new constructions are just as likely to reveal problems as those performed on existing structures — and even if the odds were slimmer, the last thing you want is to discover a major problem once the house is officially yours. Anytime you purchase a home, new or old, a thorough home inspection should be part of the home buying process in order to protect the huge investment you’re about to make.
Why is a Home Inspection Recommended for New Homes?
There are a number of important reasons to schedule a certified home inspector to inspect your new house. Here are just a few:
Problems found in homes aren’t just due to age and wear.
A house is a complex structure, and the construction process involves a lot of different people doing work on your home, including a number of contractors and subcontractors. While a good homebuilder will always double and triple-check the work, there may still be common issues in workmanship that can only be discovered by an experienced home inspector.
A city inspection is not detailed enough.
Your local jurisdiction may send an inspector to make sure your new home is built to minimum local codes, but the operative word here is minimum. The city inspector isn’t there to protect your investment, but simply to enforce minimum standards and building codes. Most local inspections of this sort don’t reveal deeper issues that may exist.
A home inspection isn’t just about looking for problems.
It’s also a chance for you to learn more about your new home, how it is constructed and configured, and how best to maintain it. From the drywall to the crawl space, from the HVAC system and ductwork to the water heater, an inspection will help you understand the infrastructure of your home so you can take better care of it.
You may be on the hook for any existing problems when you sell.
If you skip your new home inspection, you can bet the next buyer won’t skip the inspection. Any problems that existed when you bought the home will be revealed, and you’ll inherit the responsibility for fixing them.
At Lowder New Homes, we strive for the highest quality of materials in workmanship in every house we build, but we still always recommend our homeowners get a final inspection done by a certified building inspector in order to ensure their investment is protected. Contact us today to learn more about our new construction homes.