With the robust Lake Norman market, we are seeing a very strong rise in new construction, which is exciting! Our buyers often ask us if they should get a home inspection, if they are buying new construction. The answer…100% of the time…is YES!
Assumptions are often made that because it is new construction, it is pristine and perfect. This is often not the case. Although there are county inspections going behind each major phase of construction such as foundation, framing, electrical, plumbing, there is always room for error because humans are involved in the building. It is also important to understand that county inspections cover a basic, minimum set of standards.
In our collective 25 years of real estate, we have handled many transactions for new construction where a laundry list of items are produced through a home inspection. Here are some examples of some of the more serious finds:
-Standing water in crawlspace which then pointed to an active leak. As a result, all hardwoods on first floor were cupped and had to be sanded and refinished. Crawl space needed a $2500.00 dehumidifier system which we required the builder to pay for.
-A retaining wall that had to be corrected for 25K.
-A septic system that was not properly draining.
-Complete left side of home had to be redone because hardi-plank had been improperly installed.
In addition to these substantial findings, there have been a myriad of smaller items that have needed to be addressed.
Price point notwithstanding, we have seen these issues on 150K homes as well as 2.4 million dollar homes. According to the National Association of Home Builders , more than 3000 components are involved in building a home and that does not include the fine detail points such as screws, nails, adhesives, etc. In addition, there can be up to 100 different people touching and involved in your new home construction between sub contractors and their crews.
While county inspectors largely do a great job, the sheer number of elements going into your home coupled with the amount of people involved, make an independent home inspection a very prudent idea. It provides you, the buyer, with a third party look at what is one of the biggest investments you’ll make. We look at a home inspection on new construction like an insurance policy. It provides a peace of mind that cannot be obtained just by knowing the home is new construction. Congrats on your new purchase…now go get that home inspected before you close!
