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Home Inspections are a critical part of any real estate transaction, but especially with new construction. This is because with resale homes you often times have what I would "Proof In The Pudding" as the saying goes. The home has stood structurally sound, but that isn't the case with new homes.
Although your home will often times come with a series of various warranty's in reality accessing those warranty's when you need them isn't always timely, and in cases of structural concerns especially, they rarely are. To address this concern in advance and ensure you close with a home that is in good shape, we turn inspections.
Now, there are many different opinions on home inspections, when they should be conducted and how often, but from my experience I find 3 separate inspections conducted at 3 different stages of your home build to be the best route for protecting your interest.
1. Pre-Drywall
This Inspection should be conducted around the time you will be coming in for your Pre-Drywall Walkthrough. At this point your home's "skeleton" or structural elements have been completed and having a licensed professional review those elements can be a great way to save yourself from a painful experience. Should they find something concerning, at that point, it may also be worthwhile to consult a structural engineer as the inspector would like recommend as well.
2. Blue Tape
This Inspection should be conducted around the time of your Blue Tape Walkthrough. At this stage, your home is nearly completed or is completed, and the builder's only really touching up the various cosmetic features of the home, like paint issues, gouges from work related accidents and other similar issues. Sending your inspector in at this time will help you review the home in it's completed state and point out flaws to be fixed ahead of your final walkthrough and closing, which is usually only a week to 2 weeks away.
3. Post Closing
This inspection should be conducted somewhere around 9-12 months after closing on your home. The reason for this is that your 1 year, essentially bumper to bumper warranty, will be expiring soon and this inspection will identify issues that can be settled by the builder before your 1 year warranty expires. The cost is well worth it at this point as anything even remotely significant that is caught by the inspector, could easily have costed more than the inspection to do on your own later.
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