This is a question I often get when I represent buyers on new construction homes. While most builders will not (at least outwardly) discourage home inspections, they will make sure to have their sales force let the buyer know that the home has been inspected throughout the process. They will tell them about the 10-2-1 warranty...and many will talk about keeping a record of anything that is wrong and call them before the one year anniversary to fix all the 'little issues".
I represent many new construction homes, and I always require my buyers to get an inspection. The fact is many issues will not show up in the first 12 months of ownership. I just represented a buyer on a home that was two years old and quite a few issues showed up that would have been caught had the owner had an inspection:
1. the a/c breaker was undersized, as was the wire that fed the a/c unit (it was a 10 gauge instead of an 8 gauge). The agent for the seller tried calling the builder to get them to cover the cost. It was just over two years so the builder refused.
2. insulation in the walls was "missed" by the builder. The builder denied this, but my inspector uses inferred technology and we were able to show photos of the missing insulation. To this point, the builder has not given an answer as to whether they will cover it. If not, it will cost the seller a couple of thousand dollars.
3. The refrigerator plug was GFCI...this is a huge no-no. GFCI plugs can kick off at any point. Refrigerators (or garage freezers) should never be on a GFCI. You will never know they tripped until all your food is ruined.
A few other issues also required attention, but these were the biggest.
Advice, get a new construction home inspection. The best thing you can hear is the home was built perfectly (I have yet to have that happen on the hundreds of new construction homes I have sold).
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