A new home is a thing of beauty. In many cases, you can work with the builder to tweak your design and get exactly what you want. You can select your appliances, your finishes or maybe even make some architectural changes. Because a new home has never been lived in, it’s easy to think that a new home wouldn’t need an inspection. Unfortunately, a new home is just like any other home – it must have a professional inspection before you buy and move in. Even the best contractors can make a mistake, and sub-par contractors can turn your new dream home into a nightmare. 

Government Inspectors Sometimes Fail to Do Their Jobs

Many people believe that because new homes go through several inspections during the building process, nothing could possibly be wrong with them. The requirements vary by locale, but many areas require homes to undergo inspections at various stages, from laying the foundation to installing the plumbing and electricity, and the final inspection walkthrough.

Unfortunately, these permit inspections aren’t everything. Some areas simply have a lax enforcement policy on building codes, and scandals have come been widely published based on inspectors and political officials accepting bribes to overlook building code issues. Don’t assume that a government inspection can and will uncover everything that’s wrong with your new home before you move in.

Reputation Isn’t Everything

Many home buyers who build a new home do a lot of research into the builders’ reputations. With trouble arising over new home construction problems, it’s easy to see why homeowners would want a professional company with a good reputation. Unfortunately, reputation isn’t everything.

Many builders use sub-contractors for various stages of the work, and sometimes the sub-contractors simply aren’t up the builders’ typical standards. In other cases, builders may change hands and the new owners may want to cut costs by switching to sub-par materials and constructions. Don’t assume that just because a builder has a good reputation, you’re getting a rock-solid home. Get a professional inspection, even on your new home.

Friends and family members can provide a wealth of information during your home-buying experience. You may be able to get great tips, advice and support from your knowledgeable friends and family. Even better – you may have family or friends who have worked in construction or carpentry, or have done electrical or plumbing work and are extremely knowledgeable about homes. Enlisting these people as an additional safeguard gives you a great opportunity to have an extra set of eyes review a property before you buy. However, don’t make the mistake of substituting family members or friends for a professional inspection.  

Professional Inspectors Take Financial Liability

One benefit that you get when you use a professional inspector is someone who will take financial liability for any structural problems or serious issues that he or she fails to uncover during an inspection. With a professional inspector, you have someone who may cover the costs of repairs for items that don’t come out during the inspection and later cause serious problems with the home. When you use a friend or family member for an inspection, you’ll be left footing the bill if he or she misses anything during the inspection. This can cost you thousands or tens of thousands of dollars, all for the sake of avoiding paying an inspector several hundred dollars for an inspection.

Avoid Putting Stress on Relationships

If problems crop up after you’ve had a friend or family member perform an inspection, it’s not just the money you’re out for repairs – it’s also stress on a relationship. If a family member doesn’t spot a problem and you have to pay for repairs, it can cause strain between you and the family member, your spouse and the family member or you can alienate an entire portion of the family. It isn’t worth putting this extra strain on your family just to save a little money on getting a professional home inspection.

Recent remodeling or repairs can be a very tempting thing when you’re looking for a home. It’s easy to think that a home that has been recently repaired is kept well up-to-date, or that a home with a new remodeling project is a well-loved home with great amenities. Unfortunately, in many cases, this might not be true. Recent repairs, redecorating or remodeling can actually be a sign that the home you’re considering has serious problems. Remodeling or redecorating can hide things like a leaky roof, mold or mildew or other serious structural problems.  

Closely Inspect any Redecorating, Repairs or Remodeling

When you’re looking at a home that has had recent redecorating or repairs, closely inspect them before you buy. Ask the homeowners about the condition of the property before the repairs, and why they made any repairs or remodeling. Beware of things like water damage, cracks that could indicate structural damage or anything else that could be covering up a flaw in the home. In many cases, homeowners may simply be trying to make the home more attractive before selling. In some cases, though, these improvements and repairs could mask a more serious problem.

Get Disclosures Regarding the State of the Property

Most areas require homeowners to disclose serious problems with a property. However, if you want a little extra security, you could ask the sellers to sign a disclosure about the condition of the property before improvements were made. For example, if homeowners tell you that the property was in perfect shape before the repairs or redecorating, and sign a disclosure to that effect, you can later use this disclosure to take action against the homeowners if it turns out they’ve misled you. If the homeowners won’t sign a disclosure, it could be a sign that they’re hiding something about the condition of the property and trying to cover it up with improvements or redecorating.

Some sellers have an appraisal performed on their property before they put it up for sale to determine the value of the property. A seller then uses the appraisal as a selling tool; a cornerstone for determining the home’s value and validation for the buyer that the home is worth what the seller is charging. As a buyer, you should take these appraisals with a grain of salt. They can be helpful in setting a ballpark figure for cost, but you should do your own footwork before you agree on price.  

Appraisers aren’t Inspectors

First and foremost, it’s important to remember that an appraiser isn’t an inspector. A good residential appraiser who has years of experience and has inspected many homes can learn to spot some of the most serious home problems, but it isn’t an appraiser’s job to conduct a home inspection. Appraisals assume that the underlying structure and foundation of a home is in good shape and price the home accordingly.

You should always have an inspector in to review the property before you close negotiations on price. An inspector may find issues with the property that will drastically affect its price; from $10,000 repairs to $40,000 structural issues. You would then want to negotiate that much off the appraisal to arrive at the home’s true value.

Not All Appraisers Agree

Another thing to note is that not all appraisers agree. A property appraisal can be subjective. You may have two appraisers in to appraise your home and get appraisals $5,000 apart, $10,000 apart or get even more drastic disagreements on price. It’s important to remember when you’re dealing with a seller who has an appraisal that the appraisal is only a ballpark figure. If a seller gets an appraisal listing the home’s value at $160,000 and is unwilling to budge a penny below that number, you might want to walk away.

Home Inspections Forewarn You of Major Problems

The purpose of a home inspection is to forewarn you of potentially major problems. Ideally, a home inspection can spot a roof that is degrading and will need to be replaced soon, a heating system that needs drastic maintenance, or an electrical system that needs to be ripped out and started again. Home inspections are designed to check your home and its systems for detectable, out-of-the-ordinary problems – not the run-of-the-mill, day-to-day minutia of owning a house.

Home Inspections Can’t Prevent Routine Maintenance

What home inspections can’t prevent is routine maintenance. Dishwashers break. Garbage disposals get jammed. The roof will leak eventually; doors may jam or stick; windows may leak. Owning a home means you’re buying everything that goes along with the home, and that means routine maintenance.

Everything that can break or go wrong in a home will, eventually. The roof will eventually need to be replaced, even if it looks fine now. The appliances will need to be replaced, too. Buying a home means accepting that these financial obligations will occur, sooner or later, and a home inspection can’t prevent that. It can only alert you if one of those things is measurably on the verge of happening now, when the responsibility for it may belong to the seller and not you. Once you close on your new home, you buy all of those potential problems, and a home inspection doesn’t change that.

Getting a home inspection is integral to the process of buying a home. A good inspection will tell you about your home’s potential flaws, or confirm that your home is in good condition. Not all inspections are created equal, however, but with a few savvy techniques, you can maximize your home inspection to get the most from your investment.  

Make a Home Offer Subject to the Inspection

For the inspection to give you leverage and provide value, you must make your home offer contingent upon the results of the inspection. Getting inspection results gives you an opportunity to go back to the seller and request concessions or re-negotiate your home deal if you uncover property defects. If you don’t make your offer contingent on your home inspection, you won’t have the ability to leverage the inspection to re-negotiate.

Inspect Presale Inspection Reports and Property Permits

Some homeowners conduct presale inspections in order to provide potential buyers a copy of the report. These presale inspection reports typically list a property as having no defects, or only very minor defects that are easily corrected. Never rely on a homeowner’s presale inspection report. You should always conduct your own home inspection with your own inspector to avoid a conflict of interests and ensure you have the full details about a property.

Likewise, have your agent order a permit search on the property. A permit search can uncover whether the seller has filed electrical, plumbing, or other home repairs and improvements. If you find a permit detailing a potentially serious problem, repairs or system issues, you should approach the seller to determine the extent of the damage and how it was addressed. You’ll want your inspector to pay particular attention to anything covered by a permit, especially one filed shortly before the home was listed for sale.

A good home inspector will give you a detailed report. You can then take that report to the seller and discuss any outstanding items or issues that need to be resolved. Since you’re getting a report anyway, you don’t have to be present at the inspection, right? Wrong. Being present at the home inspection is one of the most important parts of closing on your property.  

See and Discuss the Defects

It’s absolutely vital that you attend a home inspection because you need to see and discuss the defects as your inspector presents them. If you have questions about a particular issue, ask them. If you don’t understand whether a problem is minor or major, your inspector can explain it and help you understand why something may cost only a few hundred dollars to repair, or why you could be looking at a repair running thousands of dollars.

Home inspectors may be able to give you an idea of how much repairs will cost to fix, and recommend contractors who provide good rates and do good work. You can also ask the inspector to show you important parts of the property, such as the furnace, circuit breakers and water heater. Having the inspector present to answer your questions about these systems is probably your best opportunity to find out more about your house before you buy.

Have the Seller’s Agent Present

Being present at the home inspection yourself is for your understanding. You should also have the seller or the seller’s agent present at your inspection, so they can see anything the inspector uncovers. In some cases, sellers might genuinely not know about potential issues with their home, and may not believe it or understand the extent of an issue you report to them. In other cases, the seller is aware of potential issues, but might deny them to avoid costly negotiations. Either way, having the seller or the seller’s agent present negates these issues, because the seller is much less likely to debate about issues that he has seen with his own eyes.

Learn about the Inspector’s Background

You want a professional, full-time home inspector to inspect your home. You don’t want a part-time inspector who’s moonlighting, as he might miss important items during the inspection. Ask about the company’s size, how long it’s been in business, how many inspections your inspector conducts annually, and whether the inspector regularly conducts inspections in your neighborhood.

You want an inspector who has plenty of experience in your region, and one who conducts anywhere from 150 to 400 inspections per year. Anything less isn’t an active home inspector. Ask for special licenses and certifications; many inspectors have backgrounds in related fields, like construction, architecture, plumbing or other home-related professions.

Ask What the Inspection Entails

You must be clear about the scope of the inspection. You want an inspector who will cover all of the property’s major structural features, including electrical system, the plumbing system, the heating and cooling system, the walls, the floors, the foundation and the roof. An inspector that doesn’t cover any of these areas won’t provide the thorough inspection you need.

Ask what kind of report your inspector will provide. A good inspector will provide a detailed description of your specific property’s structural and mechanical condition. You don’t want a boilerplate checklist, or a verbal report. Ask for sample reports to see the format, and whether the inspector provides a comprehensive, detailed analysis of the home’s structure. If you don’t get this from the inspection, you may as well have not had an inspection completed.

Every home should get a property inspection before you buy it. Smart buyers make offers with inspection contingencies, that enable them to adjust the terms of the sale or back out entirely if the inspection turns up property issues. Depending on where in the country you live, and what you want to do with the property, you may need additional inspections.  

Interior and Exterior Components Inspection

The general property inspection is typically an interior and exterior components inspection. These inspections may take several hours, and the inspector examines roof and gutters, electrical work, structural components and health and safety hazards. These inspections typically cost $300 to $800, depending on the region and the size of the house. If an inspector turns up issues outside of his realm of expertise, he may recommend another inspection by a specialist.

Pest Control Inspections

Sometimes, the interior and exterior components inspection turns up signs of potential pest problems. Even if there are no visible signs of pests, people who are buying in areas that are prone to pest problems – specifically the South and the West – should get a pest control inspection prior to purchase. These inspections generally range from $150 to $400, and focus specifically on finding potential pests in your home. Because these inspections don’t include other elements, a pest control inspection is something you’d do in addition to a interior and exterior components inspection.

General Contractor’s or Architect’s Inspection

If you want to make some modifications to your home, or you’re buying a fixer-upper that needs some special renovation projects, you’ll want to get a general contractor’s or architect’s inspection. The general contractor or architect can tell you how much your planned renovations will cost, and give you an estimate for your project. Don’t assume that renovations will be a specific price until you’ve had a general contractor or architect provide you with an estimate, and make sure you consider the cost of renovations in the overall property price when you buy.

Patent defects are defects that are obvious and apparent when you inspect a home. You don’t have to be a home inspector to notice water stains, a flooded basement or cosmetic damage. In some cases, these patent defects are minor cosmetic inconveniences, but in other cases, they can herald potentially serious problems.  

Beware of Cracks

Cracks may be cosmetic, and some minor cracks may occur when a foundation settles in the years following construction. Major cracks, however, can indicate a serious problem in the foundation or structure of the house. If a crack is big enough for you to stick a pencil inside of it, it’s a major crack. Be particularly careful with vertical cracks on interior walls or horizontal or diagonal cracks on exterior walls.

Look Out for Moisture

Moisture in a house can be a very bad sign. Look out or any spots in the home with standing water, any water damage on ceilings and walls, or any scent of mold in the home. If the basement or garage is equipped with a sump pump, it might indicate that the home has drainage issues. Find out why the sump pump exists, and beware of homes with structural or foundation issues due to moisture.

Tight or Loose Windows and Doors

Windows and doors may be too tight or loose to function properly. Try opening all windows and doors to make sure they don’t stick. If you can see daylight around a door, that’s a problem. Keep in mind that many homes expand in the heat of summer, so doors and windows may stick, and contract in the winter, leading to gaps where daylight, air and breezes can come through.

Check Walls and Floors

Uneven floors can indicate a structural or foundation issue, or simply poor construction. Bulges in the walls can also herald structural issues. Look out for these warning signs when you’re walking through a home.