Central Ohio Real Estate Market News

Buyers … think you don’t need a home inspection on a new build?

I know my buyers often ask that question when they’re in-contract on a new build home. After all, they think since it’s new, it must be PERFECT!

Wrong!!!

I’ve found – and inspectors usually agree – that often there are more things wrong with a new build than with an existing home. Here’s what happens … Buyers who chose to not use an agent … shame on you … don’t bother to have a professional home inspector examine their home prior to closing. Instead, they erroneously believe that their walk-thru with the superintendent will suffice. The super always tells them that “if anything goes wrong” they’ll fix it within the year, and of course, there’s all those warranties the builder has told them about. All that is true, but what about those items that the buyer isn’t trained to watch out for?

The worst repair that one of my buyers learned about via the home inspection was that a couple of the roof trusses were split. Most likely this occurred when the trusses were off-loaded from the delivery truck. Even so, the contractors installed them. Without the home inspector climbing into the attic, the buyer would never have known about this flaw. That is until the buyer sells and the new buyer has a home inspection. Imagine being faced with making this repair when you’re trying to sell your home and it’s a couple weeks before closing.

I’ve had several sellers in this very situation. They didn’t use a realtor when buying from the builder and therefore, didn’t have a home inspection. But as a result of the home inspection THEIR buyers had, they learned that (1) there had been a small gas leak in the crawl space for the 3 years they owned the home, or (2) a vent pipe was improperly installed affecting the furnace performance, or (3) an AC unit was not achored properly. In all these examples, the seller had lived in the home long enough for all warranties to expire, which meant the repairs were their responsibility.

So if you’re planning to buy a new-build, first use a Realtor® – it won’t cost you extra for that professional representation, and have a professional home inspection, even though the builder will try to talk you out of it. It will be money well spent. Trust me!

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