| So, you're thinking about inspecting your new home.
It would be a pleasure to work with you for several reasons.
 | Many of the defects I encounter in older homes have been present ever since the home was brand new. By inspecting this new home before you move in, I will have the opportunity to identify problems before they get worse.
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| Identifying problems now by performing one of our new construction
phase inspections can also help reduce the likelihood that contractors will need to disrupt your home after you move in.
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| By uncovering defects while the subcontractors are still willing to correct these problems at no charge, I routinely save buyers (and builders) several times my inspection fee. This is a VERY rewarding career!
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"Why do new homes have defects?"
There are 2 primary reasons:
| First, homes have defects because people build them and no one is perfect. Honest mistakes happen.
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| Second, homes have undisclosed defects because the City of Austin allows builders to hire and pay their own third-party inspectors at crucial stages of construction, & because homes built outside of a city are exempt from building code enforcement.
I often find defects that are due to a combination of inferior workmanship, lack of supervision, and inadequate inspection.
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"The builder warranty will cover the home for 10 years, right? Why should I hire an inspector for my new home?"
| Read the builder's sales contract before signing it. It will likely have an "arbitration clause", meaning that if you have a warranty complaint, you can not sue the builder. (Now ask yourself, why would this be?)
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| Most builder warranties have little substantial significance. If your slab slides into a lava pit & the home is uninhabitable, you're probably covered. The "10-year warranty" is generally limited to matters affecting habitability.
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Back to top"Why inspect a New Home during construction?
Doesn’t the city do that?" Unfortunately, the City of Austin allows the builder to hire and pay a third-party inspector at the crucial
predrywall inspection stage; this is like letting students grade their own exams. An over-worked city inspector later double-checks random jobs with only a quick glance. The Austin American Statesman reports that city inspectors must sign off an average of 22 jobs a day; that’s less than 20 minutes a house, ignoring office & travel time.
An informed buyer should hire a Professional Real Estate Inspector who is also "IRC/ICC 2006 Code Certified" to conduct a
Pre-Drywall inspection. This structural inspection is conducted after the Framing is completed and before the home is insulated, preferably before exterior masonry is put in place. The Plumbing, Electrical, and Heating & Air Conditioning rough installations are also inspected at this time.
This is the best opportunity to spot defects that might otherwise go unseen and to suggest improvements that could prevent major headaches later.
Please note: All work must be complete and Blueprints, engineered component drawings and truss manufacturer layout sheets must be on site at time of inspection or a re-inspection fee will apply. I need this information to do my job. "When should I call you to schedule a pre-drywall (framing) phase inspection?" The builder's superintendent will know when the builder's framing inspector should be called; you should schedule me to come the same day so we don't cause delays in the building schedule. The supt. will know about 3 days ahead of this time; get the supt. to update you as this time nears, & then please call to update me as well. Hint: The builder pays this "inspector", who is instructed to write up only defects that cost the builder nothing. Follow the money... he'll generally write up a half-dozen inconsequential items in 20 minutes; I'll be there 3 hours, & I could care less what the defects cost the builder to fix because you pay me to keep his problems from becoming your problems.
UPDATE:
Some builders do not want buyers to have a
frame job inspected by an independent new
construction inspector, especially one who knows what to look for. This costs time & money.
These builders will pleasantly agree to let the buyer have the frame inspected, but will insulate the house first. Once the walls are insulated, the home can not be inspected. (Besides, any repairs would require removal of insulation, so this is just a clever way to deprive the buyer of the right of inspection.)
The buyer's only protection is to say the following (practice saying it with me now):
"I will not close unless you let me have the frame inspected by my own inspector. If you insulate the house first, you will remove the insulation or I will not close."
The second method builders currently use to thwart your inspector is to refuse to leave the "set of plans and engineered materials layout / specifications package" onsite. This plan set is provided to the builder's third-party inspector and the city inspector, and it should be provided to your inspector.
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Some builders will say
that you can not have your home inspected, unless your inspector
purchases a million dollar insurance policy that includes the builder as
a "named insured" (to cover any damage the inspector might cause to the
structure). Exactly how an inspector could cause significant damage to a
building escapes me... a pen & clip board are hardly lethal weapons, to
my knowledge. This is just another attempt to deprive the buyer of the
right of inspection. Don't fall for it.
PROTECT YOURSELF. (See 3. above.)
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"Why inspect a recently completed home ?" Defects exist in all homes, including
new construction. Homes are built by people, & since people are not perfect, their handiwork is not perfect either.
Therefore, it is very important for a buyer’s home inspector to examine a newly completed home, while the builder and subcontractors are still willing to honor the warranty. Most of the problems I find in 5-year old homes are due to latent construction defects that have simply gotten bad enough over time to become readily apparent. A small leak, over time, causes a lot of damage. Obviously, it is better to find it BEFORE the damage occurs.
However, finding a small leak before subsequent damage occurs is HARDER than finding it AFTER the damage occurs. There is less visible evidence.
How do you improve your chances of finding it in time?
Hire an inspector, but not just ANY inspector. (As the ASHI tag line says, hire a home inspector who "speaks house".) You need an inspector who knows:
what problems to look for,
where to look for them, and
how to find them. Anyone can find obvious problems, but recognizing where hidden problems tend to lurk comes only from experience. Inspectors who are recent community-college graduates, with no field experience and no construction experience, charge less than Brent does. There is a reason for this; they can't charge for what they don't do, & they can't do what they don't know.
Fact is, they simply haven't been around long enough to see the same problems happen over & over, so they don't know where to look. Nor do they know what to look for.
Unfortunately, if they miss even one leaking flashing, a small cost-savings now will be offset by repair costs later (usually by a factor of ten) when the damage becomes bad enough to be apparent.
Back to top "Why does the Builder require me to attend a Buyer's Acceptance Inspection?" Most local builders will conduct a Buyer's Acceptance Inspection with the buyer, then immediately require the buyer to sign an agreement stating that the home is accepted in its present condition, with the sole exception of the items on the walk-through list.
The following clause is excerpted from a Builder Sales Contract as an example:
"B. ACCEPTANCE OF PROPERTY CONDITION: Buyer accepts the Property in its present condition; provided Seller, at Seller’s expense, shall complete the following specific repairs and treatments; and make the following improvements: _"
Once you sign this statement, the builder doesn't have to allow any additions to the list. Too late is too late.
Back to top "When should I call you to schedule a New Home
Final Inspection?" An informed buyer should hire an independent Professional Real Estate Inspector to prepare a
new construction Phase Inspection Report 48 hours before the "buyer's acceptance inspection", and should attach the predrywall Inspection Report as an addendum to the acceptance list.
This inspection should occur after: The heating & air conditioning contractor completes the "heat & air startup" (furnace gas line is purged of air & unit is operational) AND the thermostat "temperature range lockouts" have been removed All appliances are installed Gas water heater pilot is lit and water in the heater tank is hot
Remember, this
final inspection should occur no less 48 hours before the "buyer's acceptance inspection".
Call me to schedule this inspection about 3 to 5 business days ahead of time if possible. Call me to discuss your options at any time.
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"Where do I go from here?"
| Please review the curriculum vitae.
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| My fee is competitive with that charged by others who posses a similar level of education & experience.
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| I gladly accept personal checks at the time of inspection.
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| You can reach me at 512-914-1907 to schedule this inspection. I look forward to hearing from you!
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|  "Is construction experience required?"
No. Fresh out of a diploma mill, newbies are turned loose to "learn" on YOUR house, with no experience in either construction or inspection. They even have the nerve to charge YOU for their unsupervised learning experience! "Does Brent have construction experience?" Yes. Over a 20 year career as a carpenter in Austin, Brent & his crews drove more than 2 million nails! "Well, then, most local inspectors are code-certified, right?" Nope. Less than 10% are code-certified; less than 3% have both construction experience & code-certification.
It is lonely at the top.
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