Home inspection for new builds?

Question

how thorough should an Orlando home inspector be? An investor I know took a recommendation from the realtor and got a shallow report. What can buyers do to ensure that the number of defects identified is lengthy

Chase Busick · Answer

@James McGovern

I highly recommend @Shawn McCormick's reply & agree with what he mentioned.

All home inspectors & home inspecting companies are different. You should also try & see the history of the inspectors too, whether they have worked in construction or not. Surprisingly, most home inspectors have little to no actual experience in construction outside of the home inspecting course they did. But equally, most home inspectors have had to be licensed in order to perform work within the business.

There is a very popular inspector in Arizona that posts a tonnnn of content online about multiple new construction builds, that most of the time they builders/construction company had a ton of issues with cutting corners, not checking over their contractors work & delivering a "new quality product." We are in an age of planned obsolescence  & over consumerism, where a decent amount of contractors will charge a high price, then leaving certain jobs not completely done or not done the right way leaving the end consumer to suffer the consequences because they are trying to make the most money.

Most home inspectors should have example reports for you to look at, some will even go over the report & findings at the end of the home inspections. This is a great time to ask about their findings & how serious they may be if you are confused at all. You can always call & ask them to about things later on.

Shawn McCormick · Answer

Most home inspectors have websites that you can evaluate what is included in their reports and what services they provide as standard and/or ala carte. I will always provide 3 home inspectors to my customers that I have personally used and am familar with how thorough they are. Some of the ones I use cause headaches for the sellers agent as they know how detailed the reports are and sometimes will scare off the buyer and the deal falls apart.

If your goal is only to go back to the seller and try and get more concessions or for them to lower the price, keep in mind that the overwhelming number of contracts written are on the Florida "As-Is" contract, so the seller does not even have to respond to your requests for repairs or concessions. That doesn' mean you can't try and negotiate, but it may lead to nothing, especially if you are in a 'sellers market' and they have choices. The number of defects will likely be proportionate to the age of the home and how well it was cared for, along with location, builder etc. You should be looking for obvious defects during your initial tour of the home and using the inspector to find the things that aren't obvious or known. Your due diligence is important in the process too.

Ed O. · Answer

Don't use good ol boys affiliated with the seller. Find your own inspector after researching them in the market.

Everyone on the other side gets paid when the deal closes. The buyer's best interests may not be aligned with the referred inspector, or the house could have been built quite well.

James McGovern · Answer

@Ed O. Telling people to do their research is not helpful as most are clueless as to how to effectively research a home inspector

Home inspection for new builds?

Most Popular Reply