You might think, “the house is brand new, why do I need it inspected? The builder should be responsible for inspecting it before we move in”.

Yea, in a perfect world, which this isn’t.

I do two or there new home inspections every year in both Orange County and Los Angeles and I have experience working for developers of new homes and I can tell you first hand that they don’t inspect them very thoroughly. Sure, they will fix whatever you find deficient after you move in, when they get around to it and if you find it. A lot of things you don’t even notice until after you’ve been in there awhile. Also, there are standards in finish-work like carpentry, flooring, drywall, and cabinetry. Not everybody has the same standards and your standards may be higher than theirs or even lower than theirs. So who sets the standards? Should all of the doors have an even gap around the jamb? Should there be wood putty where the crown molding goes into the corner at the miter joint? Are the pipes in the attic strapped to the framing? People often worry about the water pressure being too low but what I often find is that it is too high because the plumber did not adjust the pressure at the regulator after he installed it. This may cause premature leaks down the line.

I inspected an new home recently and I found that after looking at the top roof from the upper deck, that the satellite dish installer broke several clay roof tiles when walking up there to install the dish on the chimney. The builder got the dish guy to pay for the fix. Would you or the builder have found those broken tiles?

Some of the other things I’ve found on new home inspections in Orange County: leaking dishwasher, dishwasher missing the air-gap device, broken window panes, damaged cabinets from some sub-contractor who was carrying a ladder upstairs, a combination microwave/hood vent with no duct connection, and paint overspray on windows and cabinetry, among other things.

When the builder gets a list from you and you are still in escrow – he fixes things right away because he wants the deal to close a.s.a.p.

So get your new home inspected!