I had a phone call the other day from my wife’s cousins husband who just happens to be a realtor.  He was showing a new home to some folks and he asked me if they should pay a home inspector to check out the home.

The house in question had the standard 2-5-10 warranty and he thought that it should be OK not to have an inspection because the builder said he would do any repairs after the first year. The builder was probably referring to the standard repair of drywall pops or cracks that appear after the first year and any other minor adjustments required as things wear in. 

I suggested to him that in my opinion and for the low cost involved it is always worthwhile to have a reputable, independent inspector take a look at any home purchase new or used. As a builder of new homes myself, even I recommend to people who are purchasing a new home from me that it would be wise to have an independent home inspection.

A good inspector checks the home out from top to bottom and occasionally, even in a new home, things may have been missed or not completed correctly. Bottom line here is, since for most people a home is the largest investment that they will make in there lifetime, a few hundred dollars invested in a reputable third party to do a proper inspection, is money well spent.