A new built house that looks so good - but is not!
I found a new built house in Cleveland, TN. It was beautifully designed with custom features and fixtures. Very impressive. It was not a custom house, but built this way by the builders.
We hired an inspector. Never judge anything by what it looks like on the outside. I went to HammondBros.com (Chattanooga, TN) and found the two brothers who own the business and built the house. They appeared to be wholesome and concerned from the pictures and their story. My Realtor also gave me reviews from other Realtors that had used them to remodel their homes and were satisfied. Should have been enough one would think. It's not.
My inspector found a vertical crack in the cement at the outside right side front of the house, from top to bottom. He was concerned about water damage and could not tell if the crack extended to the inside of the house, because of the wall that was covering it. He found joists that were not put in correctly - many. When joists are not notched correctly eventually the floor will sag in many locations and you will hear creaking noise when walking on it. The house was built in a wooded area and the ground was cleared but there were tall trees close by the house. There were overhanging branches over half of the roof. Because the branches were still there, they put the roof on under the branches! My inspector stated this would have to be monitored & be careful if the branches in a storm or wind situation would come crashing through the roof. The oven was not secured for anti-tipping & gave an example if a child were to pull on the door or place something heavy enough or sit on it, the oven could tip forward.
Other issues were an exhaust vent to the outside was not closed off and finished. An exposed wire was hanging outside the exterior wall under the porch and should have been covered or have a light attached to it. What's strange is they asked for extended time to finish their punch list of things not finished with the house and it appears they didn't do anything. They never mentioned they would extend the time limit they gave me to get an inspector since they had to take away 7 days from this time limit to finish their list. I asked to extend the time limit I had to get an inspector because they were not finished with their list. They agreed.
The crawl space had a dehumidifier installed which my inspector stated would need additional monitoring and cleaning monthly to keep it running 24/7. I can only imagine what the servicing and electric bill for this would be.
What I don't understand is inspectors are suppose to inspect at each stage of building a house and approve at each stage before going on to finish the house. Also, the city inspector needs to investigate and approve if a house is in good condition. How did 2 inspectors approve and get away with this? I had to pay $443.00 to the inspector. I do not have a house and will not get my money back!
Thank God I was able to get out of the contract and get my deposit back. Again, just because a house is new, looks very impressive and it appears the builders are well meaning, doesn't mean anything.
In conclusion, keep looking for reviews before going into a contract and make sure you hire an inspector no matter what the house looks like or the age of the house.