Warranty Inspections

[resqman]

Another topic strayed into Warranty Inspections. Some indicated they don't normally perform them, some perform a limited inspection, some charge differently, etc. I was suprised at the range of responses.

I activitly seek out warranty inspections. I send out direct mail marketing letters to every house that sold 10.5 months ago. I send out as many as 100 letters a week. I book about 2%-3% of the letters I send out.

I perform the same inspection as I would for a buyer. Write the same report and charge the same fee.

If you don't do warranty inspections, why not?

Do you do the same inspection or something limited/extended?

Why do you change your inspection?

[Marc]

I've not received a single request for a warranty inspection in 8 years. Must be a regional thing.

Marc

[Scottpat]

I love warranty inspections! I average about 1 a month now but before the building crash I was averaging about 2+ a week. It helps to be in an area with a good amount of new construction going on.

I do almost the same inspection as I would do for a pre-purchase inspection, the only difference is that I ask the owner for a list of problems that they know of and I also add in more cosmetic items that the builder needs to address. My experience has been that the owners love to give you a list of problems. They have been in the home for 10 or so months and you are only spending a few hours in the home, they have been staring at that spot on the ceiling that you might not see!

My fee is the same as a normal a pre-purchase inspection.

I use to send out letters but then my website started to do better than the letters. I did not use a direct mail service, I actually drove down streets getting the address of new homes that had folks living in them. It is not easy in my area to get a list of homes; the county implemented privacy rules for tax records due to the many music industry folks that live in it.

[Marc]

I love warranty inspections! I average about 1 a month now but before the building crash I was averaging about 2+ a week. It helps to be in an area with a good amount of new construction going on.

I do almost the same inspection as I would do for a pre-purchase inspection, the only difference is that I ask the owner for a list of problems that they know of and I also add in more cosmetic items that the builder needs to address. My experience has been that the owners love to give you a list of problems. They have been in the home for 10 or so months and you are only spending a few hours in the home, they have been staring at that spot on the ceiling that you might not see!

My fee is the same as a normal a pre-purchase inspection.

I use to send out letters but then my website started to do better than the letters. I did not use a direct mail service, I actually drove down streets getting the address of new homes that had folks living in them. It is not easy in my area to get a list of homes; the county implemented privacy rules for tax records due to the many music industry folks that live in it.

If that's what a 1 year warranty inspection is then I do several every year, mostly on upscale homes. No one ever called it a warranty inspection.

Marc

[Tom Raymond]

Thanks for the idea Bruce. Direct mail is cheap. I'll see if any of the production builders here are still in business.

[Ben H]

I'll see if any of the production builders here are still in business.

That's funny. And the direct mail thing is a good idea.

[resqman]

I love warranty inspections! I average about 1 a month now but before the building crash I was averaging about 2+ a week. It helps to be in an area with a good amount of new construction going on.

I do almost the same inspection as I would do for a pre-purchase inspection, the only difference is that I ask the owner for a list of problems that they know of and I also add in more cosmetic items that the builder needs to address. My experience has been that the owners love to give you a list of problems. They have been in the home for 10 or so months and you are only spending a few hours in the home, they have been staring at that spot on the ceiling that you might not see!

My fee is the same as a normal a pre-purchase inspection.

I use to send out letters but then my website started to do better than the letters. I did not use a direct mail service, I actually drove down streets getting the address of new homes that had folks living in them. It is not easy in my area to get a list of homes; the county implemented privacy rules for tax records due to the many music industry folks that live in it.

If that's what a 1 year warranty inspection is then I do several every year, mostly on upscale homes. No one ever called it a warranty inspection.

Marc

Marc,

What would do you call inspections performed for a home owner that purchased a home from a builder about 1 year ago?

The builder is required to offer a 1 yr warranty. I perform an inspection and the homeowner submits a repair list to the builder before the 1 yr warranty expires.

Similar to Scott, most of my clients have a list of concerns that they want a 3rd party to document and prove to the builder they are problems.

Most houses have similar issues: cracked grout between stone countertop and tile backsplash, cracks between stair molding and drywall, nail pops in closets, HVAC condensation drains on foundation, lack of weather stripping around pull down attic stairs, damaged shingles on porch roofs leftover from trades during building, multiple or different size ground wires under single set screw, garage motion sensors too high, improperly installed manufactured stone veneer, lack of access panel for jetted tub in master, improperly secured/flashed/supported deck, missing screws in the top hinges of exterior doors, exterior HVAC systems with inadquate clearance, and expansion tank not adequately supported/secured.

Most of the homeowners complain about the floor squeak in the master bedroom between the bed and the bathroom. One gets up to pee and the floor squeaks. If they have a two story foyer, the sun shines on the crappy drywall job and they can see all the joints. About 1 in 7 complain about gaps in the hardwood floor. The bonus room over the garage never is cooled/heated adquately compared to the rest of the house.

[John Kogel]

That's a good list, Bruce. Sounds like you could print it out as a summary page and include it in every report. []

I can't say that the builders here are that consistently bad, but shrinkage cracks are popular complaints. Bumps in the floor that were there from day one, but not noticed till they moved in. Warped doors are common, sometimes just poorly installed.

I see things that should have been picked up before they bought, but they will often skip the new home inspection, it's all new, right?

So I find GFCI's wired backwards, subpanels with the bonding screw left in, missing insulation, plumbing vents not connected in the attic, etc.

I have a list of tolerances that I can use to back up the complaints, but those are from the Canadian rule book.

[Marc]

Marc,

What would do you call inspections performed for a home owner that purchased a home from a builder about 1 year ago?

The builder is required to offer a 1 yr warranty. I perform an inspection and the homeowner submits a repair list to the builder before the 1 yr warranty expires.

Similar to Scott, most of my clients have a list of concerns that they want a 3rd party to document and prove to the builder they are problems.

Most houses have similar issues: cracked grout between stone countertop and tile backsplash, cracks between stair molding and drywall, nail pops in closets, HVAC condensation drains on foundation, lack of weather stripping around pull down attic stairs, damaged shingles on porch roofs leftover from trades during building, multiple or different size ground wires under single set screw, garage motion sensors too high, improperly installed manufactured stone veneer, lack of access panel for jetted tub in master, improperly secured/flashed/supported deck, missing screws in the top hinges of exterior doors, exterior HVAC systems with inadquate clearance, and expansion tank not adequately supported/secured.

Most of the homeowners complain about the floor squeak in the master bedroom between the bed and the bathroom. One gets up to pee and the floor squeaks. If they have a two story foyer, the sun shines on the crappy drywall job and they can see all the joints. About 1 in 7 complain about gaps in the hardwood floor. The bonus room over the garage never is cooled/heated adquately compared to the rest of the house.

I've been calling it what the clients did...a home inspection. And yes, there's always something to find. This one was a month ago.

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Builder made the same mistake on nearly all of the 'top plate to rafter' hardware. That's a big mistake in hurricane country.

From now on, it's a 'warranty inspection'.

Marc

[John Kogel]

Marc,

What would do you call inspections performed for a home owner that purchased a home from a builder about 1 year ago?

The builder is required to offer a 1 yr warranty. I perform an inspection and the homeowner submits a repair list to the builder before the 1 yr warranty expires.

I've been calling it what the clients did...a home inspection.

From now on, it's a 'warranty inspection'.

Marc

From the last few posts on that other thread, it looks like you'd be safer to just stick with "home inspection". Why add all that warranty baggage to it if it isn't requested?

And since when do we predict the future of somebody's new house? It sounds like people have high expectations in some parts of your country.