Whether you are buying a resale or building a new home, I urge you to use the services of a home inspector, even if you haven’t noticed any problem with the home.
When you are purchasing an existing home, make sure the contract states: “purchase is contingent upon home inspection.” Also make sure the contract specifies enough time after the contract is executed, to engage the services of a professional home inspector.
Talk to your real estate agent about how to handle this, but under-no-circumstances should you purchase a home without an home inspection.
In the case of new home sales, builders sometimes tell buyers they don’t need an inspection because the place has been inspected by them and, oh-by-the-way, you have a warranty if anything goes wrong.
No home is built flawlessly. It is a complex task, which is completed with contractors of varying skill and quality-control levels.
First of all, warranties are limited in time and scope. Also, you may be in trouble if the builder or warranty company goes under. Closely check your warranty contract to see what's covered and your reporting obligations.
You will want to get your inspection done soon, but not too soon. You want to give the home a little time to “settle” before you have the inspection because not all problems will show up immediately. Also, keep in mind to check all the systems because depending on the time of year, you may not have had the opportunity to use some of the amenities like heat or air conditioning. A home warranty should certainly never be good for less than a year, so consider having the inspection eight-to-ten months after you close.
Problems such as bad venting, inadequate grounding of electrical outlets, roof defects, drainage problems and construction-code violations are often undetectable to the untrained eye, yet they can come back to bite you when it's time to sell.
I work with reputable home inspectors and I have never heard of any new home or resale not having at least a few issues. Even if your inspector finds nothing, you will have peace of mind, which is priceless.
If you purchased a new home, make sure you request a builder-warranty inspection because that may dictate who is best suited for your particular job. Inspectors can usually offer suggestions on the best ways to get warranty problems resolved.
Whether you are buying a new home, a fairly new home or a turn-of-the-century home, spend the money for an home inspection. You will be glad you did.