For many of us buying a home is the biggest investment of our lives. It is natural to be excited and happy with your purchase. However, for your peace of mind it is wise that before you take possession of your new property, to perform the final inspection through the house, together with your builder. This final inspection or “walk through” the house is an excellent opportunity for you:
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a) To find if there are any items that needs to be adjusted or corrected;
b) To find if it is necessary to make small last changes;
c) To learn the way your new house works.
In fact, it is the responsibility and duty of every professional builder to take advantage of the “walk through” to educate and teach buyers about:
a) How operate all the components of the house;
b) What are the buyer’s responsibilities in terms of maintenance;
c) Home warranty coverage – What is covered and when?
d) How is the community where your new house is located and perhaps some tips to help you acclimate;
The operation of your new home components
We are living in a modern world surrounded by mechanical and electronic systems. Any system, appliance or electronic device comes with a bunch of instructions. Of course, you should read these instructions to understand their characteristics, and their proper and safe use.
Imagine when you are dealing with a brand new and modern house, full of appliances and equipment. It is natural that you will get a pile of brochures with instructions for their use and maintenance. It will take time and it will be quite difficult for you to understand their proper and safe use.
Therefore, it really helps if your builder will teach you how to handle all these features in your home such as the cooling and heating systems, the kitchen appliances or the instant water heater. It will be useful for you considering that you will be too busy, when you are moving in, to be able to find time for reading instruction booklets.
Buyer’s responsibilities and warranty coverage
It is extremely important to learn about your upkeep and maintenance responsibilities, considering that all new homes generally come with a detailed and comprehensive warranty on materials and workmanship. However, these warranties could not cover damages and problems caused by poor maintenance. Therefore, a professional builder will give you a booklet with reference to your responsibilities and the ways to perform these responsibilities.
Usually, the warranty procedures are specified in writing. It is a good way to understand your responsibilities, the specific services throughout the warranty, and how they will be performed. The only exception is made only for emergencies. Home warranty is a very important issue and it is critical that everyone must clearly understand which services are included.
The larger community where your home is located
If your new home is in the neighborhood maybe, you will not have any problem regarding the new location; you are already familiar with the area.
However, if your new home is located in another area, a builder can be very helpful, providing you a material packet that can help you to become familiar with the area.
“Walk Through” checklist
Checklist can be an effective and practical way to deal with this final inspection of your new home. The list must be comprehensive and done carefully including all the issues that need to be remedied. You should reach an agreement with your builder regarding the timetable for all the repairs to be performed.
You might like everything to be completed before you move in. However, any builder prefers to remedy all the issues before you move in. It is much easier for builders to perform all the repairs in an empty house. Anyway, several issues may have to be fixed after you move in, such a landscaping (if it is not yet the right season for landscaping).
It is critical that you be observant and thorough during this last inspection. Check everything very carefully. Examine fixtures, countertops, floors, walls, etc. If you are not very carefully, it will be hard for you to prove otherwise later. Do not be afraid to put many questions. Only in this way you can learn a lot about your new home.
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