Get your new home inspected! All new homes have unapparent defects, regardless of the quality of construction or the integrity of the builder. Simply stated: No one can build something as large and complex as a house without committing a few errors at various stages of the process. To assume that all such errors will be readily apparent is a recipe for financial loss. Some problems may reside in the attic, in the electric service panel, or high atop the roof. They may involve safety violations with a chimney installation or the grounding of electrical outlets. There might be a defect in the roof framing, the gas connection to the heater, or the site drainage on the property. A home inspector who is able to discover such conditions will enable you to take full advantage of your builders' warranty.

Professional inspection of a brand-new home is always beneficial, if performed by a truly qualified individual. Just be sure to find an inspector with many years of experience and a reputation for thoroughness. Homebuyers of newly constructed homes may not be aware they may have an inspection clause included with their new home contract. Fact is, a new homebuyer can greatly benefit from using a professional home inspector during the construction and completion of their new home. PCI will conduct a comprehensive evaluation of all visible and accessible portions of the premises, including the plumbing, heating, and electrical systems, the roof, built-in appliances, fireplace, etc, and will consider safety compliance, general quality of materials and workmanship, and much more.  Our inspector's will definitely reveal problems that would not become known during a buyer’s walk-thru review. Many people ask; "Why does a newly constructed home need an inspection?" "Isn't a newly constructed home perfect and safe?" Some people assume that the builder and contractors are overseen by state or local government officials and that the local town or city building inspector checks the house out. Often the builder/developer will state the home has been built to “code” and that it was inspected at different stages and signed off by the local jurisdiction. However, building codes are frequently “minimum in nature” — that is, the primary intent of building regulations (codes) is to provide reasonable controls for the construction, use and occupancy of buildings. The builder is responsible to meet minimal standards at best — you may want higher standards applied to your dream house. Also, it is an unfortunate fact of the hectic pace of construction, that local building department inspectors are often overbooked with inspections, which results in their spending a minimal amount of time at the construction job site and important details may be overlooked. Finally, jurisdictional inspectors are not concerned with workmanship as long as all the systems and components in a new home meet minimum code requirements.  Further, there could be problems with the home that are not necessarily code violations, yet have serious consequences for the new home owner. Ask any home inspector about the deficiencies and safety issues discovered in newly constructed homes.

There are three phased inspections that are done in new homes:

1) Exterior wall and roof frame inspection

2) Pre-drywall / inspection  -this can be with or without insulation

3) Final walk through inspection.- This occurs as close to closing as possible and is best done when all the work is complete.

Beware that some builders have prevented  home inspectors from inspecting newly built houses. If you are in the process of buying a new home and the builder does not allow you to bring a  home inspector on site, this poses a couple of questions; "Why won't the builder allow the home inspector on site?" What does the builder have to hide? Refusal to allow a home  inspector on the property is legally questionable and ethically reprehensible. Any builder who does business in this manner is not likely to provide responsive service if problems develop after the close of escrow. You might view this circumstance as a welcome warning and reconsider the wisdom of doing business with these people. At this point you should be thinking hard about proceeding with the purchase and pondering "is this the kind of contractor you want to be spending hundreds of thousands of dollars with"?

If a home buyer has missed the opportunity to have an inspection during the construction phase and final walk through, there may be time to come in afterwards. Most new builders offer a warranty period for the new homeowner, however, there are usually many items not covered by the warranty as well as limitations on those that are. Potential leverage is also gone as builders make there money "building" home not fixing problems

Even if the contractor you choose for building your house is known for quality work, the one following fact should motivate every new homebuyer to have a home inspection clause written into their contract to purchase.

Warranty Inspections (prior to 1st anniversary)

Why have an inspection prior to the anniversary? Most builders only offer a comprehensive warranty for the first 12 months, thereafter warranty structural only. Having PCI conduct a comprehensive evaluation of all visible and accessible portions of the premises, including the plumbing, heating, and electrical systems, the roof, built-in appliances, fireplace, general quality of materials and workmanship will help you document any issues that are covered under the builders warranty. Our inspector's will definitely reveal problems that you may not know about. Call today!

Many of the resale home inspections performed by Pacific Crest Inspections on properties that are less than five years old reveal the flaws that the new home builder could have corrected had the new home buyer discovered such flaws at the time prior to taking possession of their new home or during the warranty period.

By the time some of these flaws are detected the repairs are already extensive. Had the flaws been earlier detected, no matter how cosmetic they may seem, a lot of unexpected expenses could have been avoided. When these flaws are detected in the beginning or during the warranty period, the new home builder incurs the cost and burden of repair whereas when these flaws are discovered beyond the warranty period, the cost and burden of repair and correction now become solely the owners’ responsibility.

This is where the role of your Pacific Crest Inspections  Professional becomes priceless. The cost to hire a Pacific Crest Inspections professional versus the cost of repairs when you resell your home is insignificant. Your Pacific Crest Inspections professional charges a modest amount but the cost of repairs could be several thousands of dollars. The price comparison between your Pacific Crest Inspections  Professional and the possible cost and burden for unforeseen repairs makes very good economical sense to every new home investor.

We Inspect new homes from:  Portalis LLC  Centex Homes Quadrant Home Polygon Northwest Wildwood Community Mietzner Group Cambria Homes LLC Forsaker Real Estate The Burnsteads Mosiac Landed Gentry Development Chaffey Homes DB Johnson Construction

Pacific Crest Inspections is a locally owned and certified home inspection company providing home inspections, commercial inspection and pest inspections in the Mt. Vernon, Wa. area. Pacific Crest inspections is licensed by Washington State and carries the highest certification “Certified Real Estate Inspection” offered by the National Association of Home Inspectors (NAHI)  Pacific Crest Inspections conducts their Washington State home inspections according to the National Association of Home Inspectors Standards of Practice & Code of Ethics. These professional home inspection standards provide a minimum guideline for conducting a Mt. Vernon, Washington home inspection. Our home inspection standards are available for viewing under the "Consumer Information" section of our website or ask your  Washington home inspector for a copy of the NAHI Standards of Practice & Code of Ethics prior to your Mt. Vernon home inspection.