Phoenix-area inspector reveals newly built homes have obvious defects

As a retired Home Inspector, I recommend you hire a Home Inspector that IS NOT recommended by the Realtor.

Asking a real estate agent whether you should buy a home right now is like to asking an alcoholic whether they think you should have a drink lol. Homes in my neighborhood that cost around $450k in sales in 2019 are now going for $800 to $950k. Every seller in my neighborhood is currently making a $350k profit. Simply unreal. In all honesty, deflation is what we require. The only other option is for many people to go bankrupt, which would also be bad for the economy. That is the only way to return to normal.

I purchased my brand new Chino Valley home in October of 2020. My realtor advised a home inspection. She hired an independent inspector who found a few problems...a huge hole on the backyard wall, a laundry room fan that never switched off, a dining room window that was difficult to open and close, a front door with a ½" gap at the bottom and a leaking dishwasher, which necessitated a new unit and new wood flooring in that area. The inspector emailed me his report, then went back after the repairs were completed. Well worth the $350 charge. All were fixed by the builder prior to my moving in

My wife and I hired a home inspector for our new home in Maricopa. The inspector found that they used about $7,000 less of insulation than they were supposed to as well as other smaller issues. Well worth the money.

"your house is livable" yeah and my bank account is not your doormat.

Over the past few years, I've walked through a lot of houses that were under construction. Most construction workers seemed incompetent. I'm guessing most construction workers are just day laborers who were found hanging out on a corner. I wouldn't buy a house built since 2020.

A home inspection is worth EVERY penny.

The chief problem for the lack of quality is the sheer lack of "SKILLED" labor. You have 1 actual licensed trades-person who employs a bunch of TA's (trade assistants) to do most of the work, most likely at minimum wage, to throw stuff up as quickly as possible because the licensed trades-person cannot afford to take on apprentices... you have people in the trade who shouldn't be taking on this work/jobs as a whole.

I complained about the lack of putty on top of nail holes in wood. They gave me a can of putty to do it myself. The inspector found they didn't seal the sinks in. They hid garbage under the house and buried it in the yard. They didn't have the doors shutting properly. The shower head didn't work because there was dirt in it and no water came out. You have to check everything. Had a short in the bathroom switch and it was apparently broken when I had it fixed. They tried to avoid finishing the windows. Just found out the fireplace was broken all this time when I had someone service it, and fortunately they still made the part for the gas fireplace. There is supposed to be a guy called a finisher who goes around to fix all this stuff. Good luck unless the builder actually cares about quality. Is there a website that rates builders? Our inspector knew the builder was going to do crazy stuff like hide garbage under the house. I think the inspectors all need to post things on the internet about builders. Shouldn't the government make this available to the public?

Smudged paint??? Carpeting not “nails down”??? Puh-leeeese!!! Address the real issues like the water heater vent and the window.

A few years ago, my son and his wife were looking to buy a beautiful new house in a really beautiful neighborhood. They were not going to get an inspection, but my late husband (his father) and I insisted they get one. Good thing they did because the drainage under the house was very poor and there was an enormous amount of mold almost completely covering the underside of the house. They decided not to buy it.

When my home was being built I hired an inspector to work for me. In my family room there was one wall shorter then the other which made the outside wall go at an angle. There was other things he found that were wrong. But he dealed with it all and the repairs. He went over my home thoroughly. He made sure I got the upgraded materials i paid for he check everything made sure all repairs were done right. All before I signed the final papers. Best money I ever spent.

That tells me I would not buy a new house in Arizona. Thanks for the heads up.

If they aren't paying attention to things like the carpet and window installations, venting, and the other obvious defects, what other defects might there be that are hidden? Shoddy workmanship.

Working in a trade dealing with new and refurbished homes, I can absolutely attest to this

Just bought a brand new build 1.5 years ago. I agree with this 100% It’s a wonder these homes are passing inspection.

My wife and I bought a house built in 1956. My dad gutted the plaster walls and was impressed with the quality of work. He worked in construction for 35 years. Retired in 2000 due to crappy new homes requiring minor and major fixes. He couldn't be part of it anymore.

$400 is money well spent on the biggest investment of your life. I had a home inspection done on 3 homes in Arizona I was serious about purchasing and each time there were issues that could've cost me thousands later.

Two friends in Phoenix bought new homes lately, one the walls are falling away from the house. Crazy poor quality. The housing crash had the skilled craftsmen retirement without new laborers to learn from them. Now it's just people off the street building homes.

The biggest problems are the ones you can't see. But if there is obvious surface stuff done badly then you can rest assured there are serious problems underneath. The more difficult situation is when the builders screw up the important hidden stuff but do a good job with the finishes. Everything looks fine on the surface NOW, but 5 years from now you may find major failures. Homes should be inspected throughout the construction process, not just at the end.