Always say YES to Home Inspection

Okay. This topic might sound old and boring, but not in my book. On and off, I have buyers who refused to have a home inspection done these days. During the showing, the home seems fine, everything is in working condition, no issues, alright let's make an offer! The buyers are looking forward to bad news down the road owning their uninspected home. 

Years ago, I had this buyer client who thought that since the home was a new built, it should be okay to say NO to a home inspection. The builder seemed okay; he was able to show proof of paychecks to workers and nothing looked shady or out of line. The workers were on site doing their job daily. But again, who truly knew what happened behind the scene while the home was being built. My buyer client falsely believed that there should be no defects or issues in a new built. A year or 2 after the move-in, he started to notice different issues: flooring, plumbing, roof, etc. On his behalf or per his request, I wrote a complaint on Yelp. Noted that I had to help him contact the builder for repairs on numerous occasions. 

Here's what I wrote: 

For those who are currently looking to buy a new home out there in the Spring Branch area, PLEASE DO NOT BUY A HOUSE from Riverway Homes. I have just learned from my client that he is having major issues with the tile floor in the master and guest bathrooms upstairs. Whenever he walks on it, he hears cracking noises. Note that this house was built in December 2009. As of today, it is still a NEW house, considering the fact that it is only 1 year and 4 months old. If Riveryway has done an excellent job, the tile floor shouldn't be making cracking noises. During the first confrontation with Riverway this January (slightly after the warranty was over), they said that my client could hear the cracking noises because the house hasn't been settled yet. OK - Whatever!!! If that was the case, then the entire house would have been cracking, wouldn't it???? My client is no contractor, but he frequently watches DIY and HGTV, like the Vanilla Ice Project, Holmes on Homes, etc. He knows different things about tile flooring. Regardless of where the tile floor is located at, it if it is done appropriately, the cracking noises will NEVER happen!!!! Anyway, Riverway then reluctantly agreed to have their tile guys replaced those tiles that were making cracking noises. Guess what???? In less than a month, those tiles were cracking again!!! So my client called them and they checked them out again, and they then sent their tile guys out. Interestingly speaking, Riverway is always using different tile guys. On behalf of my client, I am at his house watching them removing all the tiles and grout. They told me that sub-floor is messed up!!! They showed me where the problem is: it wasn't nailed down correctly. If my client didn't speak up, Riverway will let the situation slide for sure. Although Riverway offers OK prices on their houses, it doesn't necessary mean they built great quality houses. If I were your realtor, I wouldn't recommend any of you to deal with Riverway Homes if you don't want any hassle in the future to come.

Well, I wasn't arguing with my buyer client about the defects and how the builder was very incompetent. But just think about this situation for a moment, he really should have a home inspection done back then. That way, in case if there were still issues come up anytime after the closing, the builder had no choice but to be totally reliable for all the issues, no exception. Even after the issues had been fixed, my buyer client could sue the builder for damages easily. Noted that there was no way he could sue the builder. No inspection report means no lawsuit for my buyer client. End of discussion. 

My buyer client is about to buy another home. And guess what, He learned from his lesson. He will say YES to a home inspection this time! Saving a couple hundred of bucks doesn't do him any good no matter what. Regardless of whether you are buying a new built or old home, having a home inspection done will save you all the hassles and trouble down the road!