home inspection

[mechanic]

We signed a contract to have a house built contingent on ours selling. That has happened. The builder does not seem to think we need an inspection. He says he will take care of things for 1 year. Also the lot has not been mowed since completing the house. I have been insisting on him mowing before we close. He also is suppose to gravel our driveway. The house on 5 acreas and the drive is a long one. What are your experience on this subject. I also want to note we saw the house go up. But did not see every single detail on it.

 

[Double Orange]

Definateltly get ANY home inspected before settlement. Any defects should be noted and either repaired or $$money set into ESCROW. Also any promises he's made ie; stone and grade driveway etc. should be completed prior to money changing hands. What would happen if that builder closes up shop or files bankrupcy! Just my $00.02 Frank

 

[Bird]

I would think it might depend on who the builder is. In years past, we've bought two new houses that were built by one of the biggest builders in the area, and we had the warranty in writing.; not just a promise to take care of everything. So we didn't have an independent inspection. The other consideration is how competent do you feel in doing your own inspection. If you're not confident in your own capability to do it, then it's probably worth the price to hire an independent inspector. When we bought this place, I decided to do the inspection myself except . . . I paid for a termite inspection even though I was pretty confident in my own inspection, and I paid for a professional to inspect and check out the HVAC system since I'd had no prior experience with a heat pump.

I can understand the builder saying you don't need one, but the peace of mind might be worth a few dollars to you, and if the builder actually objected to having someone else do an inspection, then you probably need one.

 

[Kendall69]

Inspection is cheap insurance. Should run about 350-500.00, but will put everything in writing what is right and what is wrong with the house. I bought a new house and still had the inspector go through it, he found some things I never would have,and they were fixed BEFORE I signed.
Sometimes getting things done after you sign is a nightmare.

 

[RonMar]

A competent and professional builder should have no problem whatsoever with you wanting an inspection. Kinda like a doctor and a second opinion on your health care. If he gets bent on you suggesting it, that should throw up a red flag...

 

[dmccarty]

You need an inspection. Period.

Hopefully the contract allows you to get escape if there are issues with the house. There should be a set dollar limit to what need to be fixed or you can get out of the contract or renegotiate the price. We watched our house carefully when it was built. We picked the builder. I designed the house. Even with all of that prep there where issues. Our build is a friend. Not many can say that but we still had issues. Its just part of the process.

We did not get an inspection but then we knew what was wrong. When we have bought/or sold a house an inspection should be done. The results of the inspection can be negotiated. But it allows you, the buyer, to get another opinion on the condition of the house.

If the builder does not want an inspection be very, very suspicious. If you think you are locked into a contract talk to a real estate agent and/or a real estate lawyer.

Later,
Dan

 

[gordon21]

A THOROUGH home inspection will cost you less than $550. If there are only a couple things to be done to meet code or to finish the property correctly, then what could those costs be???? At an average of $30-40 per hour for a skilled tradesman (labor only) almost any deficiency will run several hundred dollars. You might spend the $550 out of pocket and it will hurt, but you might force the GC to go do $2000 worth of things to finish ALL the little details. It's your choice to roll the dice. I just hate to see someone spend hundreds or thousands of dollars unneccessarily after a closing. Building inspectors try to do a good job, but they may still miss items or worse yet, have a cozy relationship with builders and let things slide. An independant home inspector will find those things.

One thing is certain; when you sell the house, the buyer will have a thorough inspection done. Do you want 5 things popping up then that you will have to pay for??? Assume a minimum of $200 per dinky defect.

 

[kenmac]

These home inspections that cost $300.00 -$500.00 ain't worth the money spent because you are asking this person that (in most cases) has no HVAC- plumbing- electrical - building- mechanical code etc,experence & won't know what to look for. I'm in the hvac - plumbing- gas business & you should see what I've come across in the way of code violations that these home inspectors have signed off on . In most cases the home inspector's contract state that they can't be held responsible for what they miss. If you are going to have a home inspection, call a state certified plumber/ gas fitter,hvac, electrician to inspect these items . If needed a engineer to inspect the foundation.You can't expect to pay a person $300-$500.00 & that person have the knowledge to inspect a home from the foundation up period !

 

[Bird]

Ken, I don't know what it's like in other states, but I assume (yep, may be wrong) that in Texas the home inspectors still have to be licensed, have to take some tests to get that license, etc. As to how good they are; I really don't know, so I'm sure not disagreeing with you, but I wonder how much it varies from one state to another.

 

[kenmac]

Here they also take some type of test & are licensed. But, how much can you expect a single person to know about all of those things ? That person would have to have a vast amount of knowledge & experence to be able to know if there are problems in all the fields that I listed & for only $300- $500.00 !! Do they use a camera to check the sewer lines to make sure that the line goes all the way to the sewer ? Tree roots in the sewage system ? Does the sewer line just go out in the yard & just stop ? ARE the hot water & cold water lines crossed somewhere ? What kind of pressures is the a/c running? Is the evap coil dirty ? what are the amps of the a/c compressor when the unit is running ? Are all the electrical outlets grounded ? These are just some of what I've come across after a home inspector signed off people bought & now have problems.

 

[Bird]

Good points, Ken.

 

[rosietheriviter]

Hi Mechanic,

Your question is extremely valid.

I personally disagree that each and every sub-system needs to be inspected by a speciality contractor.

The primary reason I disagree is that the costs to hire an electrician, plumber, engineer, hvac specialist, roofing specialist, and so on and on is NOT a reasonable price to pay for an insurance policy, if you will.

MOST reliable LICENSED inspectors have the training and experience to perform a "more than generic" inspection. Major problems such as improperly designed or installed subsystems would be addressable well into the future and can be protected against by "home owners repair insurance" as well as the contractor's license board in most states.

I do not intend this message as a flame, kenmac is right in as much as his trade is concerned but again, how many inspections can you purchase until the price of the home is totally out or reach - especially when you believe the contractor is reputable?

Rose is Rose

 

[kenmac]

.

I do not intend this message as a flame, kenmac is right in as much as his trade is concerned but again, how many inspections can you purchase until the price of the home is totally out or reach - especially when you believe the contractor is reputable?



Good point. Talk to others that this contractor has built houses for .If they had problems & were those problems addressed If he/ she is a reputable builder , He shouldn't mind giving out names of folkes he has built houses for.


I don't mean to sound so against these home inspectors ( we may have some that are members ) I just wish ( the ones that I've encountered) would learn about codes & how stuff should be installed b-4 they sign off that all is ok. So many people that purchase a home put alot of faith into what a home inspector tells them only to find out later that they have some serious problems

 

[VABlue]

GET AN INSPECTION!!!

I closed on my brand new house and wished to he!! I had an inspection done. One bedroom breaker trips, the garage outlets often only supply half the power needed for my 3gal air compressor, the ductwork sweats like a pig (uninsulated)... Things I didn't think would need to be checked.

One thing you will notice immediately after closing is that the builder will stop responding to you. I still have items from the initial walk-through that haven't been completed. DO NOT sign unless the big ticket, expensive items are done (driveway, etc), or they'll never get finished. DO NOT trust the builder to do the work. If the house and drive are not completed (finished), then he is not ready to turn over the house and you should not accept it.

Would you accept the house if the master bedroom floor wasn't installed?

 

[Bird]

ductwork sweats like a pig

That's just what you want it to do; pigs don't sweat. That's the reason they wallow in mud or try to stay wet when it's hot.

Sorry, just couldn't resist since we know now that you've not been a hog farmer. But otherwise, I agree with what you said.

 

[Sigarms]

Hi Mechanic,

Your question is extremely valid.

I personally disagree that each and every sub-system needs to be inspected by a speciality contractor.

The primary reason I disagree is that the costs to hire an electrician, plumber, engineer, hvac specialist, roofing specialist, and so on and on is NOT a reasonable price to pay for an insurance policy, if you will.

MOST reliable LICENSED inspectors have the training and experience to perform a "more than generic" inspection. Major problems such as improperly designed or installed subsystems would be addressable well into the future and can be protected against by "home owners repair insurance" as well as the contractor's license board in most states.

I do not intend this message as a flame, kenmac is right in as much as his trade is concerned but again, how many inspections can you purchase until the price of the home is totally out or reach - especially when you believe the contractor is reputable?

Rose is Rose

I agree with you to a point, but let me give you an example of what did happen to me.

When I bought my first and only house, I did have a home inspector that came out that was highly qualified. HVAC is my business, and I didn't say anything about what I did for work to the inspector. House was unlived in for 6 years prior to us buying it. He did miss a couple of details on two of the HVAC systems (first two floors), however, he did miss the fact that the furnace in the attic had actually been recalled by the manufacturer (stuck out like a sore thumb to me once I saw the model). I called the company who installed that furnace to see if they ran a combustion check on the heat exchanger, and they did not. This could of been a serious issue. The inspector had no clue.

I will admit, it seems that HVAC was his "weakest point". Very detailed in the electrical and plumbing (at least he pointed out a lot more potential issues with those areas that I didn't have a clue about, but again, he missed numerous items that I had noticed on the HVAC).

As mentioned, I wouldn't trust the builder unless you have an ironclad warranty. Even then, I would still at least want it inspected by an "outside source". Then again, I know some HVAC guys that went into home inspections. There was a reason why they got out of their trade.

 

[riptides]

Get a highly qualified inspector, don't sign off on acceptance until YOU are satisfied. Also, don't part with any more cash until the deal is done.

Don't forget to have a hard look at the finished products in various lighting conditions. Low lighting/indirect lighting can reveal horrible imperfections!

Good luck.
-Mike Z.

 

[Chuck52]

The "highly qualified" part of the description of the inspector is important. I've dealt with four different inspectors over the years and none were "highly qualified" enough to find things I chanced upon myself later. There is only one inspector in my area who seems to meet the "highly qualified" criterion, and he's busy all the time. Personally, I'd trust my son in law, who's in HVAC, to do a better job inspecting a house than any of the inspectors I've paid for the job. He has to know more than a bit about both electrical work and plumbing to do his work in HVAC, and he's seen lots of the wrong way to do things over the years. But he would admit he doesn't know the engineering details of foundation and construction work.

Chuck

 

[ToadHill]

The job gets done before any $$ change hands or require an escro account with 10% of the home value in it. The builder gets his money back when the drive is done and after the builder warranty time has elapsed.

 

[AlanB]

So many times we get customers who said "the builder said he was going to fix that, but never came back"

If it were mine, I would probably have an independent inspector if I did not feel comfortable myself. (did not use one on my current house and wonder at times if I should have to help me id the problems)

I had a long list of items on the house I bought before, that the builder was "going to fix" and so on and so forth, when we all sat down at closing, banker, lawyer etc. etc. I walked in and said I did not understand why we were all here, this list that my builder said he would fix is still not done.....................

Lots of folks started stammering and were pissed, the lawyer wrote some lawyerese on the bottom of my list and had the builder sign that it would be complete by the next day to my satisfaction, and I think everyone was a little nervous that I would not give that paper back and the deal would be off the next day.

(He did fix everything that afternoon) which he should have done the month before, but he could get by without doing it and he did, and if I had closed, I am sure it would have just been money and time in his pocket.

I would absolutely not depend on the "warranty" to get things corrected.

And as others have said, if he is afraid of the inspection, it would throw red flags too me.