Love ‘em or hate ‘em, a home inspection is one of the most important steps you, as a buyer or real estate agent, can take to make sure the property you or your clients purchase is a sound investment and a safe place in which to live and raise your/their family. Sadly, many folks, including real estate agents, don't fully understand what happens in the inspection process or what needs to be done to get the most out of it. There are 5 major mistakes both real estate agents and home buyers make. This will be a series of posts and today I will address the first mistake.
Mistake No. 1: Not having new construction inspected
First of all, houses were built by men, and, as every woman knows, men aren’t perfect. Today, houses are engineered to maximize profits by reducing construction time, as well as, material and labor costs. New home construction is big business and home builders are all about the bottom line. Yes, the new construction industry is a well oiled machine.
New home buyers often buy into the lie that the builder and the onsite agent tout, “This has been inspected by the ‘Codes’ department . . .” This line is thrown out to hopefully dissuade the purchaser from spending the money on an inspection; which, could cost the builder additional money in repairs and bite into their profits. Many home buyers, opt to forego the inspection and the advice of their agent, if they have one, and they lived happily ever after.
That is, until they go to sell their home and the laundry list of items the builder neglected to address or the sub’s failed to do are found out. Structural issues, improper building techniques and/or materials and a host of other items that should have been caught by the local building department or the final CO (Certificate of Occupancy) are discovered. The sellers are distraught as now these items can cost thousands and the sale of this and the purchase of their new property are now in jeopardy.
Based on the municipality, codes inspectors only have so much time, 10-15 minutes at most, to inspect and write their report. How much can be caught in this amount of time? The average home inspection is about 3 hours. Also, if the 'codes' inspector is ‘heavy handed’. . . well, I have heard tales from others that phone calls were made . . . just rumors . . . CO’s are another story. I have inspected properties where obvious safety violations were overlooked and my findings were scrutinized. Angry builders and agents often say, "The 'Codes' inspector said . . ." I understand. Home inspectors are doing what they are hired to do and they are just the 'codes wise' messenger.
In short, don’t assume your builder, their subs or even the local ‘codes’ inspectors did their job or did everything right. Benjamin Franklin said, “Haste makes waste.” In the haste to get properties ready to market, everyone is working at a fast pace. Mistakes happen. A home inspector is your last line of defense against major defects that could quite literally ruin your financial future.
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It is a GREAT day at Complete Home Inspections!
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