New Construction :

"Inspecting your largest investment while treating you like family."

Here are some Questions & Answers  anyone interested in a new home should consider.  If you have already purchased your new home, but are still under your first-year warranty… PAY CLOSE ATTENTION.  You can still have a Better Built Home by Inspection... Guaranteed!

The New Home Industry:  The market is moving so fast skilled labor in the housing industry can name it’s own price, can work whenever it wants and can not show up when your are counting on it the most… without any worries at all.  Because production builders* have to keep their homes moving, many times they are not hiring the skilled laborer, but rather hiring a “sometimes” more dependable (to be at) work force.  My first hand experience in building custom homes was so frustrating it forced me to pay over budget to get the skilled worker, and to have to wait on him sometimes three, four, maybe even five weeks while the house sat.  National builders will not do this.  They have specific timelines that have to be met .  Do you think they include this in their Contracts?  They sure do.  Its called:  no promises, no guarantees… but when we say it is finished, you have to jump through hoops and close with only a day or two notice.

What have Realtors done to help their clients?  A LOT!!!  Residential home inspectors in Texas fall under the jurisdiction of the Texas Real Estate Commission, (TREC).  TREC (Realtors) has established the necessary standards that  inspectors must meet in both their qualifications and their reporting of findings.  The "Professional" level Inspector in Texas has the highest qualifications, experience, education and knowledge out of all fifty states.  In many cases the Professional Inspector has previously constructed homes or been in the homebuilding industry gaining a tremendous insight into the how’s and why’s things are supposed to be done.  Several "National builders" will not hire construction superintendents with experience.  In fact, they require in most cases that the superintendent or construction supervisor have NO previous experience.  These managers are counting on the sub-contractor to supervise his own work, or the city inspector to write a defects/punch list of errors.   Hire your own Inspector!  And, a Realtor.

Where does this leave the homebuyer?  If he/she does not have an Inspector he better be looking over the shoulder of the laborers as often as he can, or hope the supervisor has been doing so.  It is an astounding fact that most construction supervisors depend on the city inspector to find the mistakes and leave him a punch list of corrections.  What if the home is being built outside the city… oops!  City inspectors are one of the most overloaded pieces of the construction puzzle with no help insight because of budget constraints.  Usually city inspectors have 10-15 plus inspections daily and are known to have walked in, turn around a couple of times and walk out.  It is a fact that sometimes they have issued “green tags” on homes they did not inspect.  So, where does this leave the new home buyer?  Hire your own inspector.  And, a Realtor.

Without a Realtor:  Wife to husband: “why did you recommend this builder?”  Here we go into the “but you said, he said, she said, they said” battle.   The home inspector is the difference many times in whether or not everyone comes away from the experience without saying, “ I will never build another house again!!!!”  Instead, because there was a home inspector involved through all phases of the construction process, the result was getting the very dream house they envisioned from the start.  In fact, there are a some builders who now hire inspectors to phase inspect their product in an attempt to improve their customer satisfaction after the close and to reduce the warranty call-backs which are very troublesome and expensive to builders.  Hire a Realtor, they should know the builder's reputation beyond the hype of the marketing pros. 

Kick a dead horse?   This one needs kicking!  In 2003 the Texas legislature enacted a new law specifically directed protecting the homebuyer  Now, all builders in Texas have to register with the Texas Residential Construction Commission, (TRCC).  They have to register every house they build.  And, when there is a dispute who does the state call?  TRCC calls a code certified inspector.  Should one of the two sides still not be satisfied, who does the state call?  TRCC calls three code certified inspectors to inspect the grievance and to render one opinion and the matter is settled.  This new law was to counter an effort by a group gaining a lot of attention called, “Sick of Bad Builders”.  A Professional Inspector will make the difference when given the opportunity.  The earlier an inspector gets involved in the construction process, the smoother and happier everyone will be and the Better Built your home will be.  (Even the builder in the end, from having fewer call-backs/service calls.) 

* Production builders… they build under many different names, but rest assured they build under one objective:  profit.  They may be “National” or Texas-sized, but regardless of their slogan the one common thread that runs through them all is… “Get it finished”, “Get it closed”, “Get the next ten started.”  These guys will tell you that you don’t need an inspector, because they will take care of you and besides, you have a whole year warranty to find everything! (See "War Stories")  Why do they find it necessary to give away cars, trips, vacations, watches, etc…   Why not just build it right and price it right from the beginning?  (Without all of the hype)  Better Built Homes by Inspection... Guaranteed.

Remember:  You can only EXPECT - what you Inspect!

Better Built Homes by Inspection... "Inspecting your Largest Investment while treating you like family."