The Answer is Yes!
FOR A BRAND-NEW HOME or an older resale, home inspections are equally important to protect agents and their clients.
“It’s better to fix problems before [buyers] get into the house,” Joey Donofrio of Donofrio & Associates said. “Your home is not being built by the builder; it’s subcontractors that are building it, and we don’t necessarily know where they are coming from.”
On March 22, the NVAR Realtor® Builder Series hosted an event, “New Home Construction: How to Protect Your Clients,” at its Fairfax headquarters – presented by guest speaker Donofrio and moderated by Pauline Dent, 2019 chair of the NVAR Realtor® Builder Series and a Realtor® with Long & Foster Real Estate.
Donofrio explained four types of new construction inspections:
- Footers and Foundation Inspection – takes place before the slab is poured and inspects the main structural components.
- Pre-Drywall Inspection – takes place right before insulation and drywall are installed and inspects exterior structures and indoor structural, plumbing and electrical systems.
- Final Walk-Through Inspection – takes place right before the builder does the final walk-through.
- Eleventh-Month Warranty Inspection – occurs right before the builder’s one-year home warranty expires.
Although Donofrio recommended that clients get all four inspections, he emphasized the importance of the Pre-Drywall Inspection because this is when issues such as mold are discovered or prevented. Dent said that builder contracts will often only include a Pre-Drywall Inspection, but clients can still request to have all four. If a client decides not to have an inspection, Realtors® should follow-up in an email to verify the client’s decision in writing.
Dent noted that it’s important to do the inspections in alignment with the builder’s schedule, because builders will continue to the next phase regardless if the inspection has been completed.
If any issues are discovered during the inspection, the builder will fix the problem.
“They [builders] really care about customer service and their ratings. They typically do a good job,” Donofrio said.
Donofrio said Realtors® should be there for the inspection, but they should not help the inspector or interfere with the inspector’s work. Donofrio said Realtors® should be familiar with issues that might arise in an inspection and use their skills to look for anything that might indicate a potential problem, such as a smell that could signify the presence of mold.
“As agents and professionals, we have to look for those red flag areas,” Donofrio said.
Even in the case of a million-dollar home, Donofrio said Final Walk- Through Inspections can save clients in the long run.
“It pays to have an extra set of eyes come in,” Donofrio said. “It protects you as the agent and the client, and it helps them have a better experience, even after they have moved into the property.”