This morning I attended a walk-through in Southern Maryland (Waldorf, to be exact) on new construction for a first time home-buyer of mine that is due to settle this week. Typically, people do not feel a need to pay for an inspection when they're buying a new home. The thought is that if the home is "new", then there shouldn't be a need for the extra expense.
My buyer wanted the assurance that comes with having a professional home inspector go through the property, and it turned into a very wise investment.
So what made it worth hiring a home inspector?
You would think that builders would be a bit more mindful, but the bottom line is that if you as a buyer are paying for new construction, you should not be willing to accept anything less than perfect.
There were issues at the inspection that needed to be addressed, and the builder is perfectly willing to correct them, but without an inspector, there was no way to catch all of the issues at the walk-through. It's proof that it really pays to have a Realtor and Inspector on your side when buying new construction!
~Jonathan Benya- Realtor
Century 21 New Millennium
9405-A Chesapeake St
La Plata, MD 20646
301-609-9000 - office
301-653-8116 - cell
Charles County Real Estate Blog
SOMD Home Search
Southern Maryland Custom Homes & Land
 |
|
|
I work as part of Team Benya At Century 21 New Millennium in Southern Maryland. We make it our primary goal to work hard and provide the most honest information available in today's changing market.
Bush Signs Foreclosure Bill; Who's Getting Short-Changed?
What Does "As-Is" Really Mean in Real Estate?
Is Good News Afoot? Charles County, MD Real Estate Market Report July, 2008
Is Charles County Robbing Peter to Pay Paul with Rosewick Road?
Got Mold? Know Your Options (And protect your health) When Buying a Home!
Another One Bites the Dust: Caruso Homes Files for Bankruptcy
ActiveRain Corp. is not responsible for the accuracy of the site's content (which is written by members of the ActiveRain Real Estate Network) and does not endorse the views of the real estate agents, mortgage brokers, and others listed here.
Powered by the ActiveRain Real Estate Network
© 2009 ActiveRain Corp. All Rights Reserved
It does give new meaning to the term man made. When I had a house built for myself in 2005, my inspector had two rooms where the lights didn't work. Seems that the sheet rock people went over the ac outlets, and the holes were not cut out. Also, in the last 4 years I have sold over 500 new properties to out of state investors, and we have them do inspections on all of them or sign a waiver saying that we strongly recommended an inspection and they declined. I wish I could add the words, you are an idiot if you don't.
Hi Jonathan -- Great post. I lived in Waldorf eons ago for a short time. You are so correct. I have sold entry level to luxury homes and all home inspections of new construction have found thousands of dollars of repairs the builder agreed to. Since bond money with the county may be in play, and their reputation as well, a good builder will fix these things.
Adding an addendum disclosing recommendation of inspection is mandatory in New Construction in MD, but it's often glossed over by the builder reps as an "Optional Expense". To me, there is nothing "optional" about checking the quality of work. With an investment this big, an inspector is a small price to pay for piece of mind and assurance.
Chris- Thanks for commenting, When did you live in Waldorf? I grew up in this county, perhaps we have met before?
As one of my employees once said, "The Trojan Horse was brand new construction, but someone should have inspected it."
I love that Trojan Horse comment. i play to use that in the future.
Jonathon, This article is well deserving of a feature. Years ago I sold a new home by a builder who only built about 2-3 homes per year and my buyer had it inspected and there was a lot wrong with the house. The builder did correct everything.
Russel- The Trojan Horse Comment is brilliant!
Barb- Thank you so much for the kind comment! Builders are required to build to a certain standard. The buyer should hold them to it!
A great article to remind us that just because it's new, doesn't mean an inspection won't save you money and troubles in the future.
Great post, Jonathan. I used to "sit" new construction and was amazed at some of the issues. It has been my experience that buyers will decline a professional home inspection on new construction because they relate repairs to old homes- not new ones. I get them to sign a waiver. The expense of the inspection pales in comparision to the potential headaches of trying to get something fixed after the closing. P.S. Not trying to be super negative, but we have had a fair share of builders go belly-up around here which adds to the problems of trying to get repairs taken care of even under the "builder's warranty".
I agree that a home inspection is alwaysa good idea, regardless of the home's age.
When I bought my own home as new construction in the eighties, it never occurred to me (before I was in real estate) to get it inspected. My mistake! It turned out the hot and cold water lines were crossed, only to be discovered by my girlfriend who used the bathroom (in March) only to come out and say, it feels very nice to have the toilet flush with hot water but it's probably not practical. :-) They had to cut into the nicely painted kitchen wall to access the plumbing from the bathroom and fix it. There were also other issues, including holes around all the baseboard heat and washer hoses, allowing easy access for the field mice that found their way into my home in significant numbers that first year.
Needless to say, I always recommend an inspection on new construction as well as everything else.
As a former home builder, I always recommended that my purchasers get an inspection; it protected both of us. Many buyers believe the local building inspector is responsible for catching all omissions or mistakes, but most of them do only a cursory inspection, looking for major issues. A second pair of trained eyes is always best.
John- It's great to hear a builder back this up!
Geri- OMG, That is crazy!!!! I would be livid if that happened to me!
When I work with buyers who buy new construction that is what I suggest too... that they choose a home inspector. It's better to err on the side of caution.
Hi Jonathan,
Great post. Had I hired an inspector when I bought my new home 10 years ago, I have no doubt I would have saved myself a lot of time and grief dealing with things I missed in the walk-through. Or, things I didn't discover until after the builder 'warranty' ran out. In fact, over the years I have bought 3 new homes, every one of which had issues that would have been caught by an inspector. Thanks for sharing.
Hi Jonathan - That's a great post and just good common sense! Every sale warrants a good and thorough home inspection!
Mary
Thanks for the information Jonathan. To think, most Buyers of new homes are paying MORE to avoid the maintenance that comes with "old" homes. Thanks for the warning Jonathan.
Great post. Are the pictures are from the new home?...wow..
I had urged one of my new home buyers to have a home inspection on their new build home and during the inspection the home inspector fell through one of the upper floors due to the builder having used the incorrect material for the area.
Bettina
And how many times has the inspector found the hot and cold water switched? You'd think the plumbers would know by now which is which!
Bettina- Yup, that's what the builder meant by "New Construction". I'd never send another client to a builder with shoddy floors like you mentioned!
Paul & Diane- Unfortunately, I've seen the hot and cold switched on more than one occassion as well.... One builder tried to just reverse the handles rather than fix the lines!
I've never had a buyer get a home inspection on new construction, but next time it comes up for disucssion I'll refer them to this post.
Jonathon, I agree that EVERY home should be inspected by a qualified licensed home inspector; however, as long as humans build them - there will never be a "perfect" house.
Jonathon, You are so right, I wish I had done this on my first home purchase which was a new home. Regards,
It is always a good idea to recommend a home inspection on ALL homes... Even a new home can have issues..
"I don't need the home inspected. It's brand new. I have a one-year builder's warranty."
That is a common quote, of sorts, that I hear from home buyers AND real estate agents in this area. The attitude is that new homes don't need to be inspected. Hmmm....
I have a lot to say about that, but not here.
Jonathan, thank you for your post. I want to print it, frame it, and put it in every agent's box!
I have ALWAYS advised my new home buyer clients to get an inspection...WHY??? I sold my pastor a brand new home some years ago and he said, "but it's new, why do I need an inspection?" I said, "it is just the prudent thing to do!" Good thing he took my advice, we had a punch list of 22 MAJOR issues that needed to be dealt with prior to closing! NEW does NOT mean PERFECT!!!
Jonathan,
It's a small investment that often pays for itself in a jiffy. Even the good builders sometimes miss obvious flaws.