According to June 2010 data form the U.S. Census Bureau, new home sales are on the rise again.  Thanks to the current state of the housing market, there are plenty of new homes on the market.  New homes have some distinct advantages.

Customization - What often attracts buyers to a brand-new home is the option to customize it.  If you start from scratch, you can be involved in the planning and design and nearly every element of your new home.  With EBI by your side we will make sure those customizations are to your liking.

Warranty - Builders often provide a warranty on brand-new homes to cover any defects in the home's construction.  In fact, many states have mandatory provisions for home warranties, some of which last up to 10 years.  However, relying on the warranty, and not getting a home inspection, may cost you more in the end if you misread the warranty or the builder goes out of business.

Safety / Building Codes - By law, brand-new homes must conform to the most up-to-date local building codes; electrical. plumbing, fire, heating and cooling, and so on.  Do you know what building codes the local municipality enforces?  It's 2010, some municipalities are still in 1996.

Are you still sure your new home doesn't need an inspection by a licensed professional?

Just because a home is new, does not mean it is in perfect condition.  The general contractor oversees the construction of the home, will have 5 to 25 sub-contractors providing most of the labor and building materials.  The general contractor does not go behind the sub-contractors and inspect their work.  Most general contractors are in the carpentry trade.  Therefore they are not trained to evaluate the quality of the electrical, plumbing, and heating and cooling installations.  However, the average person , even those in the construction industry, is not trained to inspect.  The general contractor leaves the inspection process to the local municipal building and code inspectors.

I know what you're thinking.  The municipal building and code inspectors will catch and find the problems.  Yes, in a perfect world.  Did you know, most municipalities do not require any training to be an local building and code inspector.  If you have knowledge of the building code, and have the right contact reference, you can be a building and code inspector.  Notice I said knowledge of the code and not capable of correctly interpreting the code.

The local municipality may be enforcing an older version of the cold.  An EBI home inspector performed an inspection, and explained to the buyer the new electrical installations should have been up-dated to the new electrical requirements.  The seller, installer on the up-dates, explained it was up to code, and passed the electrical inspection.  It's 2010, the local municipality was still enforcing the 1996 National Electrical Code, (NEC). 

The local municipality and their building and code inspectors can not be held liable for inspector misinterpretations and uninspected items.  However, most states have educational and licensing requirements to become a home inspector.

Most state require home inspectors to:
     pass a state recognized home inspection course
     pass a state home inspector license exam
     acquire a license
     adhere to state and or adopted inspector organizational Standards of Practice and Code of Ethics
     provide proof continued education (CEUs) in the home inspection industry
     carry Errors and Omission insurance

Don't leave the inspection of you new home in the hands of the untrained.  Contact EBI and have your new inspected by a licensed, trained home inspector.