Fast forward to today, when we’re deep into a buyer’s market, some might call it “buyer’s revenge”:) When the home has been on the market an average of 144 days, it’s probably had a few price reductions, and showings have slowed to a crawl with one every 2 weeks, this is the time for a buyer not to be shy. A home inspection is your right, and is almost always a good idea, even in new construction. Let me relay a couple of stories to illustrate:
A. The buyer’s had ratified an offer on a newly constructed townhouse, with the help of a buyer’s agent. Fortunately the buyer’s listened to the agent’s advice and had a home inspection contingency written in the offer. The afternoon of the inspection, the buyers were sitting in the living room with the inspector as he was finishing up with the last details of the report. They were jolted out of their metal folding chairs with the sound of a series of loud crashes and clangs from the garage. They all rushed out the kitchen door into the garage to see the jacuzzi tub from the master bath sitting amongst the wet drywall rubble. In unison, with mouths gaping open, they raised their wondering gaze to the huge hole in the ceiling.
As it turned out, the plumber had negected to attach the drainage pipe from the tub to the main in the wall. When the inspector filled the tub, then unplugged it, all that water drained into the floor and drywall. One hour later, the floor gave way. Who would have suspected it in a brand new house?
B. Yesterday, I spent a lovely 2 hours with a first-time buyer and my favorite home inspector. We were at an older home with over $30,000 in renovations, all beautifully done. We discovered, because a series of fixes had been done by different electricians over the years, that the electrical wiring wasn’t even grounded. All the electrical work was done by a licensed contractor. He had just missed the fix of a previous fix which altered what had originally been a grounding line. Who would have suspected a licensed electrician would have missed it?
The cost of a home inspection can be anywhere between $300 and $500 on the average house. It is so worth it when you find something major. If you discover something that you just can’t live with, ie. a cracked foundation, the inspection is the contingency that gets you out of having to buy the home…off the hook, and gets your deposit back. If its a paragraph 21 item, and you still want the house, the inspection is the contingency that is your leverage to get the seller to fix it.
I would also argue that it’s worth it even when you don’t find something major. It is worth the peace of mind. It is worth having a licensed professional going over your future home with a fine-toothed comb, teaching you all about the inward workings of your number 1 investment. Make sure they are certified Home Inspectors, either with ASHI, American Society of Home Inspectors, or NAHI, the National Association of Home Inspectors. In Maryland, State licensing of Home Inspectors is mandatory.
The home inspection is your safety net, buyer. If at all possible, write that contigency in. 
At worst, you’ll give yourself an out. At best, you’ll give yourself peace of mind.
Search the MLS for your new home What’s My Home Worth? The Highland Group - Real Estate Teams
Chris & Karen Highland
Frederick County MD Real Estate Agents
Specializing in Frederick County Real Estate
301-831-9947
Real Estate Teams, LLC
isell4u2@msn.com
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