Building a House? Here’s Your New Home Inspection Checklist

Everything in a new construction home is fresh, but is it flawless? Make sure you’re getting the best quality with this new home inspection checklist.
Buying a house is always an emotional cocktail of excitement and stress, but doubly so when it’s a new-construction home. Sure, you’ll be the first to move in, and everything will be fresh and unused — but this also means that no one has lived there long enough to discover the quirks and possible oversights that may have occurred during the long process of construction.
Since it’s tough to know exactly what to look for before taking the keys to your new home — especially if this is your first time building a house — we’re here to help. Along with Cassie Scramlin, a top agent and new construction expert in Battle Creek, Michigan, we’re taking you through a comprehensive new home inspection checklist and offering a few bonus tips on what to keep an eye out for during your final walkthrough.
Home inspections vs. walkthroughs
If you’ve bought a house before, you probably ordered a home inspection shortly after your purchase offer was accepted. This is standard practice, and it’s always a good idea as there’s no better way to find out what you’re getting yourself into with an unfamiliar home. Plus, the inspection process can be a great negotiation tool!
Depending on the repairs that you and the seller may have agreed to move forward with following your review of the inspection report, you may have also completed a final walkthrough. Walkthroughs serve as one last check before closing. They are a way to see for yourself that a repair has been completed as promised and to otherwise confirm that the home is still in the same condition as when you agreed to buy.
With a newly constructed home, the core elements of both exercises are the same, but there will be multiple inspections along the way, and even greater anticipation surrounding the final walkthrough.