You are excited about your new home and cannot wait to move in. It has been recently built and is therefore the result of the latest in design, planning, and engineering in house-building. Before such a structure can be put on the market it must go through an inspection. You may think another one is unnecessary. You would be incorrect.
The pre-market inspection that every home must go through is carried out to ensure that the house is safe to live in. It is a code inspection. All passing the latter tells you is that the house meets with the local rules and regulations for safety. It says nothing about the functionality and suitability of the various systems in the house. To assess that you must bring in a professional house inspector.
The fact is new homes do need an inspection. The infrastructure, plumbing, sewage, heating, electrical, and insulation systems and features of the house must be carefully examined. Even the newest homes can contain an infestation of termites or may have been built with materials that are unhealthy or outright hazardous. You must also ensure that the various flow systems in your house work properly. Errors may have been made in sewage and plumbing alignment systems. And you do not want to move into your home only to discover that the electrical system is not fit for purpose or may present a danger.
It is also important to inspect your gutters. This is one of the most important and overlooked features of a home. Gutters collect the rainwater that falls off roofs and deposits them into a ground-based disposal system. Most people pay little attention to them. They do not look up for even a brief inspection when they enter their homes. Nor do they make a point of going to an upper level floor, opening a window, crawling out on the roof, and giving them a more thorough examination, as this is both impractical and unsafe.
However, a poor, degraded, or non-functioning gutter system can lead to real problems. Without a gutter the water will poor into the ground, causing the area around your home to become oversaturated with water. This can lead to soil erosion and the impossibility of planting anything. It can also produce leakage to your basement or the build-up of dampness. With the latter will come mold and a range of new problems.
It is better to prevent such a thing from happening by having your new home properly inspected. Indeed, you may want to insist on an inspection and a report before you close. This is a reasonable demand. It will give you some re-assurance that the home you are buying is not defective in any way.
You should ensure that the home inspector who carries out the job is well-qualified and has expertise and experience needed to provide an in-depth assessment.
You should spend the first years in your home planning and implementing improvements, not dealing with problems, errors, and shortcomings you inherited with your purchase.
