Do you think that because you are buying a newly built home you can safely skip the Los Angeles home inspection? What a waste of money that would be, I mean, it’s a new house, right? What can go wrong? Oh let me count the ways.
Reason 1. The job is simply not complete. Here’s the best reason for a new construction home inspection I’ve ever heard. Contractors in Los Angeles often work on several projects at once, dividing their attention. Imagine your new home was built and the builder forgot to complete the connection to the sewer or septic system. It’s happened more than once and talk about expensive to fix! Imagine all that deliciousness piling up under the house! The house must also meet all new Los Angeles seismic building codes established after 1994, where there were more than 1,300 gas line leaks and breaks.
Reason 2. Hidden errors. Everyone involved in the construction of their new home was energetic perfectionists who thrive on leaving a job beautifully finished and would never lose anything or see a mistake or imperfection and stop fixing it because “it’s good enough and it won’t cause a problem.” for at least a couple of years.”
Many of the problems found in old houses were built into them when they were new. Weather in Malibu or San Dimas, everyone makes mistakes, but you shouldn’t have to pay for the ones your builder makes just because you decided to save a few hundred by skipping a home inspection by an independent third party.
Reason 3. Los Angeles County Government will protect me! “Yes, Los Angeles County and bank codes (found at http://dpw.lacounty.gov/bsd/index.cfm?p=csg) their inspectors and requirements will surely find and correct any problems during the building”. Well, the bank is only there to verify that the different phases of the construction are completed, not that they were done correctly. As for the county guys, they’re very uptight and won’t be there to spot everything that can go wrong before the problems hide in plain sight. They are affected by local budget cuts just like everyone else. The City of Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety’s implementation of the BUILDING AND INSPECTION PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM has attempted to address this issue, but this level of coordination is not used on all projects and is voluntary. Having your own independent Los Angeles County registered inspector visiting regularly during construction is the best and most cost effective answer.
That is. Three reasons to make sure you’re covered. We all make mistakes. Steps get missed, equipment can get damaged, and the simple truth is that the only person who has nothing to lose by finding mistakes and flaws in the construction of your new home is an independent home inspector. The best security is to have your home inspected in Los Angeles during construction. If the house is already complete, make sure you have one done before you close on escrow.