Quick move-in home inspection prior to final walk-through

[eomly]

Do builders typically allow home inspectors to examine the property before the final walkthrough?

I am currently in the process of buying a quick move-in home, and I've requested to have an inspector examine the house prior to closing. However, the sales manager informed me that it is the builder's standard practice to only let inspectors attend after the walk through is completed.

The builder provided a list of potential issues (primarily damaged surfaces) that if not identified during the walkthrough, they will not accept responsibility for. I want to avoid overlooking anything during the walk-through that would later be deemed as not covered by the warranty.

 

[sleepy5136]

It's quite normal for them to have the inspector come after the walk through. It should be fine. Make sure the inspector gives you the report ASAP and send it over to the builder. If they have 1 week prior to closing date they should be able to address most if not all the items.

 

[Raymond]

It's really important to have a home, regardless of if it's new or a resale, professionally inspected by home and roofing Inspectors and any other type of inspection you'd like to get, well in advance of the final walkthrough. Why would the Builder recommend getting it inspected after the walk though? That's right before Escrow closes and there won't be time to fix the stuff the Inspector will find. The Builder knows the Inspector is going to find problems and doesn't want to have to deal with it ... so they're looking out for themselves, not you.

 

[sleepy5136]

It's really important to have a home, regardless of if it's new or a resale, professionally inspected by home and roofing Inspectors and any other type of inspection you'd like to get, well in advance of the final walkthrough. Why would the Builder recommend getting it inspected after the walk though? That's right before Escrow closes and there won't be time to fix the stuff the Inspector will find. The Builder knows the Inspector is going to find problems and doesn't want to have to deal with it ... so they're looking out for themselves, not you.

The inspector will always find something. I have never had an issue with new home construction where they do not address the items. They may push back on items like paint touch ups or some finishes but they generally do not or quite frankly are not allowed to postpone items that are not up to code.

 

[Raymond]

The inspector will always find something. I have never had an issue with new home construction where they do not address the items. They may push back on items like paint touch ups or some finishes but they generally do not or quite frankly are not allowed to postpone items that are not up to code.

Anything related to Code, Health and Safety will be taken care of prior to Escrow closing, but everything else falls under the builders warranty, which is usually a year. I learned a valuable lesson when I purchased my brand new home ... my wife and I did the final walk through and created our list of stuff that wasn't up to par and the builder didn't push back on anything, and most of my neighbors did the same. My neighbors and I learned we were just a number after Escrow closed and it was painful trying to get the stuff on the list fixed during the warranty period - there were only two guys working for the Builder that handled warranty items and they were spread too thin. Another neighbor treated their purchase like a resale purchase and wouldn't allow Escrow to close until everything on their list was completed. That meant the house was still in the Builder's name and they weren't receiving their money for that lot, so that homeowner received expedited attention so Escrow could close and everything on their list was taken care of without having to deal with it for a year. I didn't know about Professional Inspections or the repair process at the time because I didn't have a Realtor representing me - the Builder's Sales Staff handled the transaction. They represented the Builder, not me, so everything was done to make the Builder happy. Treat a new home purchase like a resale purchase ... follow the same steps and go through the same process and you'll avoid the frustration me and my neighbors experienced, and you'll also confirm the property adheres to Code.

 

[emmie]

I 100 percent agree with the above poster. We didn’t get an inspection and I am beginning to regret it. While Irvine Pacific has overall been ok with the cosmetic stuff, we are discovering some major issues post closing that are really big deals. Heating/cooling units in particular seem to be a major issue in a number of homes (including ours) from talking to neighbors. Some other major issues we are discovering this week as well. We also had a cosmetic issue with a surface that it took almost a year to get reimbursed for when they realized they couldn’t fix it. Feel free to DM for more info.