Why You Really Should Get an Inspection on a Newly Built Home

If you’re building a new home in southern Delaware or Maryland’s eastern shore, an impartial inspection by a licensed home inspector is a smart move for several reasons.

Sussex County Delaware is experiencing an unprecedented building boom and there are not enough skilled tradespeople to meet the demand. This competition for labor—particularly by the national builders in the area—is being addressed through subcontracting of virtually anyone who will show up—resulting in great variance in construction quality. Moreover, the lower in price point, the worse it gets (businesses charging less, pay less for labor and the quality suffers). So, if you’re getting a track home in a subdivision with a national builder, you’re almost guaranteed to have defects—some of which could be serious and remain undetected for years or until the house is listed for resale. Ask yourself, why is the warranty period so limited and so heavily caveated? That’s because there are certainly flaws in the construction—how could there not be when using the cheapest available materials and labor in the fastest ways imaginable—and the builder wants to be released from liability as soon as possible.

A professional punch list inspection identifies items that need to be revisited in newly constructed homes, but only if the inspector has bonafide trades experience. Hiring a realtor-referred inspection franchise is only marginally effective, yet it typically costs more due to this lack of inspector experience and the higher overhead these firms must cover to indirectly compensate their referral partners. Worse yet, the software generated checklist format reports are voluminous, have way too much CYA wordage, and hence, are rarely read by builder site leads.

Tokori is a dually licensed home inspection and home improvement contractor with years of building experience. We show up ready to work in a real work truck—ladders and all. We are New Residential Structure (NRS) certified and licensed in DE, MD, & VA. Arthur has been an INACHI Certified Master Inspector for years and teaches home inspection and carpentry classes in area community colleges.

Our reports are simple, get to the point, and clearly identify any discovered problems—they usually get read and acted upon immediately. Let us help you obtain the peace of mind that comes from learning more about your home and knowing you have your own trades professional giving it a once over for major defects. Call us to schedule your new construction punch list inspection today!