Within the real estate industry, there is some ongoing debate about whether new homes should have home inspections or not. This debate goes on in the minds of many buyers who want to save any cash they can. And the new home builder is, obviously, all for waiving a home inspection. So, often, the decision as to whether the house is inspected or not, comes down to what is recommended by the buyer’s realtor. As a realtor, who has found myself in that position more than once, I am going to give you my opinion on this matter.
It is my experience that, almost never, are issues found at new homes that are -deal killers.- However, that does not mean that numerous problems have not been found. Usually, the problems at newer homes are of the punch list variety — where the home inspector’s list is given to the builder and the crew or sub contractors complete their project. Here are examples of common new construction issues found by home inspectors in my market: significant standing water in the crawl space because drainage concerns were not addressed; crawl space vents that are below grade; concrete poured up over the wood trim on the home; furnace ducts that are not hooked into the system; condensate drains from the furnace and TPR drains from the water heater that are routed under the home; missing flashing or loose and improperly nailed shingles; the pressure test cap left on the main sewer vent; sinks or toilets with drains that are not plumbed into the system; gutters with inadequate slope; doors and windows that do not operate; missing or unsafe handrails at steps and guardrails on high decks; appliances not wired or plumbed in; propane appliances not converted to gas, so they operate like flame throwers; gas fireplaces not hooked to the gas; whirlpool tubs not wired into the system; dryer ducts that empty under the home; missing or failed GFCI outlets, grounding problems and other electrical issues; missing door stops and out of adjustment interior doors, cupboards or closet doors.