Should We Get a One (1) Year Warranty Home Inspection

By Tony on November 30th, 2010

It’s been almost one year since you moved into your new home. Happy Anniversary! We want to remind you that the one-year warranty on your new home will soon expire. This may be your last opportunity to inform your builder of items that need repair or improvement, or were not constructed and /or installed properly the first time. These items should be corrected before your builder is relieved of his/ her responsibility under the one-year warranty. You should not have to pay for things that were not done right the first time.

Make an appointment for an inspection of your new home and have an inspector provide you with a detailed report. It will outline items that may be covered within the builder’s warranty and which may need to be fixed before it’s too late. This service may be especially important if an independent inspector did not evaluate your home when you purchased it (also called the Final Walk Through).

Have you checked the roof construction in the attic? Is your insulation placed correctly? Is your attic ventilation working? Are all of your receptacles wired correctly? Is your electrical system grounded properly? Are cracks developing in the structure? These are some of the common warranty issues revealed in a typical home inspection. A good inspector will check over 600 items & include a rooftop inspection (where possible). Most one- year inspections take approximately three hours. You should be provided with a detailed report on site along with a copy for the builder, if you desire.

Time is running out! Don’t sign off your home warranty without an independent inspection conducted by a trained professional inspector. We recommend that you schedule a time when you may accompany the inspector throughout the inspection (except for on the roof and in the attic.) We have found that many aspects of the inspection is an interactive process between inspector and client that educates the client and provides important information.

Your Inspector should:

investigate any particular aspect of a property (if qualified & can be safely accessed), upon your request
be a Licensed professional (if required in your state)
be a member in good standing with a national organization like BBB or other similar agency
have professional liability insurance, as well as insurance for property damage
not be related to, friends with or employed for the builder, developer, seller or in any other way have a conflict in serving the client’s best interest. Ask before hiring
not offer to make repairs or sell any other type of service while in the process of performing the inspection.

Important: Cosmetic (blemishes in drywall finish, paint finish, stains etc) issues are not usually part of our report. Discuss the limitations of the inspection prior to hiring your inspector.

Take a look at our Home Inspector Training Manual.

Don’t forget to test for Radon Gas. It is the #2 cause of Lung Cancer. InspectUSA do it yourself test kits are $10 which includes the lab processing fees.

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