Closing on my new house next month

[FreshPrince]

I'm so excited!

I know you're supposed to flip every light switch, flush every toilet, open/close every door/window, turn on/off every water source to check for leaks.

What else should I check for?

thanks for any suggestions.

 

[MercenaryForHire]

Professional home inspector?

- M4H

 

[BigJ]

Why are you doing that instead of having somebody inspect the house?

 

[HomeBrewerDude]

is this new construction?

 

[waggy]

Originally posted by: MercenaryForHire
Professional home inspector?

- M4H

yeap! spend the $600 for one! they will know things you most likely don't

 

[minendo]

Originally posted by: waggy

Originally posted by: MercenaryForHire
Professional home inspector?

- M4H

yeap! spend the $600 for one! they will know things you most likely don't

$600? The guy I used charged $250 and it was the most thorough inspection I had ever been through.

 

[iroast]

Check all pipes for leaks.
Make sure central air works
Check for water stain on ceilings/walls
Check for mold (bathrooms, kitchen sink, walls, etc)
Late advice: avoid homes with wallpapers (they can conceal mold, stains and physical damage)

 

[waggy]

Originally posted by: minendo

Originally posted by: waggy

Originally posted by: MercenaryForHire
Professional home inspector?

- M4H

yeap! spend the $600 for one! they will know things you most likely don't

$600? The guy I used charged $250 and it was the most thorough inspection I had ever been through.

actually i can't remember what we paid. I know it was under 1k. we spent so much on inspections, water inspections, land surveys etc

most likely i am off by a few hundred.

 

[AbsolutDealage]

Originally posted by: FreshPrince
I know you're supposed to flip every light switch, flush every toilet, open/close every door/window, turn on/off every water source to check for leaks.

Yea, I would probably pop the $$ for an inspector.

Anyways, I would also let the faucets run for a while on full blast to check the drains. Look under all the sinks for water damage on surrounding wood.

Open/close all the windows. Make sure the screens/storm windows operate properly (if applicable).

If there's a basement, check around for obvious signs of water damage, particularily on the outer walls near the baseboard. Does it look/smell like they replaced/repainted drywall down there?

Check the furnace. Check the A/C. Turn it on both ways and walk around the house to check the flow from each vent. Go look at the furnace filter, how dirty is it? (That's really more of an indicator of how much they stayed on top of maintainance items, really).

Go outside. Check the outdoor water connection(s) / irrigation systems. Make sure everything works as expected.

If there's a garage, check the door / door opener. Inspect the walls / cieling for signs of leaks / water damage.

Make sure that you verify that the appliances you expect to stay are actually staying with the house (go over the contract). Make sure you are covered for damages between the inspection and taking ownership of the house.

That's about all I can think of for now.

 

[FreshPrince]

Originally posted by: HomeBrewerDude
is this new construction?

yes it is and with that, is it still recommended to hire a pro. inspector?

 

[IGBT]

..get a roofer to inspect the roof. Leaks suck.

 

[BigJ]

Originally posted by: FreshPrince

Originally posted by: HomeBrewerDude
is this new construction?

yes it is and with that, is it still recommended to hire a pro. inspector?

Yes. They'll look for things you wouldn't even think of. You'll also have more backing to bargain if things pop up with a professional conducting it.

 

[waggy]

Originally posted by: FreshPrince

Originally posted by: HomeBrewerDude
is this new construction?

yes it is and with that, is it still recommended to hire a pro. inspector?

yes. just becasue it is a new build does not mean it is a quality build.

 

[FreshPrince]

what are the things to think about when hiring a pro. inspector?

the only things I can think of are certifications and how much bond they have in case they screw something else while inspecting my house.

how do I go about validating this?

 

[ebaycj]

drugs stashed in the attic.

 

[MercenaryForHire]

Originally posted by: FreshPrince

Originally posted by: HomeBrewerDude
is this new construction?

yes it is and with that, is it still recommended to hire a pro. inspector?

You're about to spend $100,000 on a house and you're going to eschew $500 for a professional inspection?

- M4H

 

[DrVos]

I'd also suggest keeping an eye out for issues with finish work like gaps in crown/base molding, stray nails inside built in cabinets, obvious seams in flooring, stuff like that. It's all relatively minor, but its stuff that can get on your nerves after a couple of years looking at it.

 

[TheCanuck]

1) Make sure they've completed everything in your contract before you close. You don't want them coming back in the house or doing exterior work after you've signed. If they try to make you sign a punch list then tell them you'll close after all the work is finished.

2) Check the floors and walls with a level (look for squeaks too) and make sure that they conform to performance standards (probably 1/4" for every 32"). You don't want them to have to come back in and tear up floors to level them out.

3)Look for sloppy painting -- patches, rough spots etc and have them fix it.

4) Check countertops, sinks, tiles etc for scratches & chips. After you close it's very difficult to get them to fix these thing afterwards. Make sure carpet was installed properly / isn't loose.

5) Make sure appliances aren't damaged

6) Check for poor grading around the house / standing water . You don't want to have a swamp in your backyard / water seeping into the house.

7) The obvious -- doors, windows (make sure there aren't any cracks), everything turns on, check every faucet and make sure hot / cold wasn't reversed. Check Heat & AC all run, run dishwasher for a cycle or two to make sure there are no leaks.

Also, when you're checking for squeaks don't just walk around. You need to walk all over every room and apply a little pressure to the floor. You'd be surprised what can be missed during a final walk through.

Home inspectors are good, but they always miss something and you may not get a good one either. Often they are experienced at looking for code violations, not things that will bother the hell out of you like squeaks, sloppy construction etc.

 

[FreshPrince]

thanks Canuk, I will lookout for those things.

also, there appears that a county inspector will inspect the house, so will I need to hire one? the builder says I will be wasting my money on another inspector because this person will overlap the county inspector's work. not sure if I believe him or not, but I always try to believe the best in people.

that being said, I will check into local home inspectors tomorrow.

 

[TheCanuck]

County inspectors check to make sure things are safe. Home Inspectors will help look for "shoddy construction" -- like squeaks, sloppy framing, poor grading, etc. They can build everything to code but still have a house that has enough issues to make the buyer regret ever purchasing it.

 

[AgaBoogaBoo]

Turn showers on at hottest setting, there is a little thing inside that adjusts how much how water there is - it's often overlooked and is very easy to fix, but if you're doing a walk through, you might as well point it out. It's better to have it fixed now rather than noticing it the first time you go for a shower and all you get is cold water.