quote:

Originally posted by Excam_Man:
Most inspectors are simply clueless to real problems and actual code violations.

Hiring already trusted contractors to look over the house is the smart way to locating major problems.

HVAC Contractor
Plumbing Contractor
Electrical Contractor
Construction Contractor

Another waste of money is a home warranty.

I agree that most home inspectors are clueless. They use a formatted form, take some pictures and fill in the blanks.

I just bought a 3 year old home in NC and as a licensed Class A contractor I did my own inspection and found nothing wrong on our initial look at the house. As mentioned above, verify that the house is under a termite warranty and that it is transferable (ours was).

quote:

Originally posted by frayedends:
I’d skip it for such a new house. But I know enough to do my own inspection and find any major issues. I’m surprised you already have a purchase contract and didn’t put inspection or no inspection in the offer. I’d you don’t plan on inspection then an offer stating that is always a bit stronger and can get you a deal easier than people wanting an inspection.

The purchase agreement provides 10 days for inspection/due diligence. I wouldn’t spend this money without the chance to check it out. I want the A/C, roof, and pool inspected. The question is whether to pay for a general inspection.

It is currently under a termite contract and I would continue that.

Just curious Lou , what part of town is it in ?

I didn't pay for a home inspection when I bought my brand new house last year.

However, I did have a friend who's a retired home builder/contractor go through the house with me to look it over and check all the various systems. Between the two of us, we very likely did a better and more thorough job than a hired home inspector would.

In Arkansas, the bar for getting licensed as a home inspector is pretty low. Basically a 2 week class, a written test, and then you're up and running. But it's my understanding that some states may have more stringent criteria.

talk with your relators or other realtors. My realtor knew two retired home builders/contractors that would do inspections. The inspected my house at various stages. They actually discovered a significant design flaw (same blue prints used on a number of homes that had already been built).

I'm not much for the general home inspections - I'm not convinced they are people that really have the necessary ability. But if you can find a retired contractor that really knows the code, then it may be money well spent.

But I think the inspections should be during the building process - the inspectors found the problem during an inspection when the builder said they were done with framing.

P.S. This city has pretty good building inspectors - but they missed the design flaw.

I know it was a design flaw because the builder reached out to the architect and the architect's response (a letter) ended up in the inspection box and I read it. The letter detailed the necessary correction.

i would not pass on getting an inspection done

even one 'minor' issue for the seller to correct would more than pay for the fee ($700...)

pay EXTREMELY close attention to potential WATER / leak issues : faucets, showers, etc

caveat : get a good one though (inspector)

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It was brought up previously, but one of the most important things you can look for on new(er) construction is foundation issues.

I'm in homes regularly, and I see far more epoxy work in newer homes than older. I was also in a home a few months ago that had a footing settle beneath a portion of a wall. 6 inches! House was only a few months old. Luckily it didn't take much with it as they had steel run nearby that was holding everything in place. They had to tear out a large section of floor, pier and jack the wall back up, and then repour the floor.

If you don’t do an inspection then take that $700.00 and buy yourself a 1 year home warranty. Yes they are a PIA to deal with and don’t move quickly but they can save you a ton of money on big ticket items.
We took out a home warranty about 6 months ago and our built in microwave quit working and they can’t find a part to fix it so they are replacing the entire unit microwave/oven……sitting in the garage now and retail on the unit is $3,200.00. I know several people that have had their entire HVAC systems replaced

When I bought my new house 22 years ago, we had an inspection done. The bank had suggested an inspector, so we used him. The guy was very good: brought ladders, went on the roof, into the "attic", and looked at our deck.

He had identified problems with the bathroom fan venting in the attic vs. outside and the joint of the deck where it was attached to the house wasn't waterproofed. These two items paid for the price of the inspection.

I'd go with an inspection with a qualified inspector!

When hiring an inspector ... hire one who is independent and thus working for you, do not hire an inspector that the real estate agent recommends.

quote:

Originally posted by Excam_Man:
Most inspectors are simply clueless to real problems and actual code violations.

Hiring already trusted contractors to look over the house is the smart way to locating major problems.

HVAC Contractor
Plumbing Contractor
Electrical Contractor
Construction Contractor

Another waste of money is a home warranty.

I agree 100%, except on the home warranty, in this case waste of money, but for a 60 year old house it'd be worth it for the first year, especially if you can make sellers pay for it.

Tradesman will find deficiencies for sure, way better than some dude that took a 24 hour class. The inspectors usually only find things related to their trade assuming they were previously tradesman. Otherwise they are just going by what their ipad says.

quote:

Originally posted by selogic:
Just curious Lou , what part of town is it in ?

What I call the middle of town, near Towne Center. If you want to drop off a housewarming gift, email me!

In case anyone cares, I've decided to go with a qualified inspector. He has high recommendations and I vetted him a little by discussing drip edges, kick outs and such, which really are my biggest concerns.

And beyond what my normal A/C guy would check, this inspector checks temperature variant at every register in the house.

And of course all the basic stuff as well.

Good luck with the process. Hopefully the inspector won’t find a whole lot. I guess there could be another school of thought with that.

quote:

Originally posted by honestlou:
In case anyone cares, I've decided to go with a qualified inspector. He has high recommendations and I vetted him a little by discussing drip edges, kick outs and such, which really are my biggest concerns.

And beyond what my normal A/C guy would check, this inspector checks temperature variant at every register in the house.

And of course all the basic stuff as well.

Good call. Also WDI?

Finding a legitimate, good inspector can be difficult these days depending on the market.

If $700 seems like too much to you, I think you've already answered your question.

The primary reason for an inspector is the inclusion of a third party who, without bias, does not benefit from indicating potential problems with he property. Engaging contractors is not the same, they benefit from pointing out things they don't like as you may pay them to fix the problems.

Housing inspections vary widely by market. Some states, and some cities have extensive inspections and adhere to appropriate and extensive building codes. Other areas just trust that people will do things right without anyone checking on them. Even the same builder who does great work in one market, might not do the same level of quality in another market where no one is watching. We've got a bunch of those guys up here in Alaska.

$700 sounds like the cheapest insurance a potential buyer could possibly buy. Probably the cheapest part of the entire transaction.

Those who penny-pinch on real estate transactions, typically pay for it later.

quote:

Originally posted by old dino:
When hiring an inspector ... hire one who is independent and thus working for you, do not hire an inspector that the real estate agent recommends.

This point cannot be stressed enough.

There are inspectors who will say anything to keep deals moving. A lot of them. Of course a biased party will recommend the one who never seems to find anything that kills a deal... Don't hire that guy.

Friend of ours didn’t want to pay the $500 for an inspection when she bought a house last year. So far she has had to put about $30K into repairs.

quote:

Originally posted by old dino:
When hiring an inspector ... hire one who is independent and thus working for you, do not hire an inspector that the real estate agent recommends.

If you think your real estate agent is going to recommend a shoddy inspector to get your deal closed for his/her sake, you should probably be using a different agent.