Why You Need An Inspection When Buying A New Home Why should I get an inspection if the house is new? I hear you ask. The plans have been approved, the engineers designed the structural parts, the works have been inspected at each stage and you have the final certificate of approval from the building surveyor. Isn't that enough?

The short answer is NO. It's not enough, although it might appear self serving for a property inspector to say you need the services of a professional property inspector when you buy a new home. I can only say that my 30 years of experience have repeatedly justified that advice.

Even new homes need an inspection before you sign off and hand over your hard earned cash (or the banks money) the dreaded Mortgage. By the way did you know that a rough translation of the word mortgage is "agreement till death?" Agreement till death! Then you best make sure it's built right!

Not all contractors, sub-contractors and suppliers working for builders are the same, there work or there materials are not always supervised or checked for quality. Not all the inspections by the authorities and the local councils etc are carried out with the proper due diligence. I've seen building surveyors sign off on foundation inspections, concrete slab pre-inspections, framing inspections and lockup inspections without even getting out of the car. Because it was raining and the inspector didn't want to get his shoes muddy, or they were late for their lunch break.

The fact is, unless you know and trust everybody personally, then you can't be sure what your buying is in fact what you agreed to. I've seen $20,000 kitchens installed in the wrong home, I've seen many examples of houses not complete and leaking because no one checked to see if the roof flashing's have been installed. I've seen homes with no window flashing's installed, ventilation openings completely rendered over, construction joints missed out completely, painting not finished, plumbing leaks, electrical problems, I could go on and on and trust me this list is long.

Unless you are a building professional you can't know everything you need to look for, and I know it is an exciting time for you and everything looks and smells new, and you can't wait to move in. I also know from experience that you may still have your "Rose Coloured Glasses" on.

You should be very suspicious of a builder who resists or flatly refuses to give you permission to have your own inspector run his eye over it or to do a final walk-through inspection with you before you pay him the final payment. A builder who has something to hide may prevent you from performing an inspection of your new home

Another reason why you should hire your own inspector is because most of the building works are subcontracted to lowest quote to maximise the builder's profits. This means that speed and not quality is the only consideration of the home builder. With all my years of experience, I've never found a new home that didn't need some items either completed or repaired before settlement, some worse than others. Having an independent professional inspector can also help your and your builder decide what is a defect that must be completed before settlement? And what is a maintenance item that can easily be repaired after settlement? It is always an advantage to have a copy of the approved plans, the building contract and specifications, and the purchase agreement available at the inspection.

Hiring an independent inspector for your new home may mean additional costs for you, but it will give you peace of mind and ensure you're getting what you signed up for. Builders are notoriously difficult to get back once they have your money in their pocket.