Nolo's Essential Guide to Buying Your First Home (61 page)

Problems With Newly Built Homes

 

Here are some all-too-common defects:

•
improper weather detailing
around windows, doors, chimneys, and decks, and improperly installed siding (causing leaks)

•
poorly graded land or faulty sewer and water main connections
(causing flooding, sewer and drain backups)

•
roof problems,
such as improperly installed shingles and poor design

•
ventilation problems,
most often in the attic, roof, kitchen, and bathrooms, such as blocked or improperly installed vents (leading to mold and moisture problems)

•
building code violations,
such as improper rail heights on stairs, ungrounded electrical outlets, loose wiring, flues too close to wood, and pipes that don’t extend to the drain.

 

 

TIP

 

“I inspect a couple of new homes every week, and I always find problems,”
says Texas inspector Paul MacLean. “The worst was in a two-story house, where the master bedroom upstairs had a whirlpool. I filled up the tub and turned on the jets. Next thing I know, a subcontractor who happens to be downstairs is yelling, ‘Hey, do you know you’ve got water coming through the ceiling?’ The plumber hadn’t hooked things up correctly.”

 

CHECK IT OUT

 

Still not convinced of the need for new home inspections?
Find out about real complaints or class-action lawsuits against specific builders, at:

•
www.hadd.com
, by Homeowners Against Deficient Dwellings, and

•
www.hobb.org
, by HomeOwners for Better Building.

 

What’s Next?

 

Completing the inspection, and negotiating over repairs and removing the inspection contingency, is a major step toward buying your first house. Now take steps to protect its future physical condition by learning how to select the best homeowners’ insurance policy.

 

Meet Your Adviser

 

Mary I. Husk
, Director of Faculty Development for The National Alliance for Insurance Education & Research in Austin, Texas (
www.scic.com
). The mission of The National Alliance is to provide insurance and risk management professionals of every experience level with integrated, practical continuing education, timely research, and designation opportunities—advancing the profession through education. This organization offers over 2,500 insurance and risk management programs and courses a year in all 50 states, Puerto Rico, and Mexico. Maryʹs professional designations include being a Certified Insurance Counselor (CIC), a Certified Risk Manager (CRM), and a Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter (CPCU).

What she does

In addition to developing course curricula for The National Alliance, Mary teaches courses to insurance agents, agency representatives, and insurance company personnel. In addition, she manages the CRM Mexico Program. Mary also writes articles for magazines and trade journals on personal insurance coverage, trends, and issues. When she’s not helping people understand insurance requirements, Mary enjoys ice skating, tennis, coaching a Miracle League baseball team, and growing African violets for show.

 

First house

“It’s the house my family and I still live in, 23 years later! At the time, it was in the outskirts of Austin, Texas, but the city has grown to where it’s now the area many homebuyers look at first, because of its convenience to schools, downtown, and more. The house was brand-new when we bought it, a two-story place with high ceilings and a very open design. One of its best features turned out to be the large game room. We bought a pool table, which made our house a favorite gathering spot for my son and his friends. We could get to know who he was spending time with, and always had a house full of kids.”

 

Fantasy house

“Just a one-story place, somewhere near the beach, where it’s calm and peaceful. It doesn’t matter what style. I’d choose practical furnishings, nothing fancy. The idea would be to find a place that’s easy to maintain, so I could spend my time walking on the beach and relaxing.”

 

Likes best about her work

“All the people I get to work with, not only within the office but around the United States and other countries. Recently I’ve been traveling to Mexico on work-related projects, where I can practice using the Spanish I spoke with my parents and grandparents growing up.”

 

Top tip for first-time homebuyers

“Do your research—check the location, and make sure the style of the house is something you’ll be comfortable with over the long term. We didn’t expect to be in our house for this long, but it worked out that way, and mostly for the best. Realize also that your needs may change over the years. For example, the open design of our house was great when my son was a baby and I needed to hear what he was up to, but not so great when he became a teenager and wanted privacy!”

 

 

CD-ROM

 

For further help on insurance terminology:
See the “Homeowners’ Insurance Terminology” list in the Homebuyer’s Toolkit on the CD-ROM.