Plan the inspection before the calendar fills up.
Ask the builder when your inspector can visit, what credentials or insurance it requires, and how findings must be submitted. For a home still under construction, ask your inspector whether a visit before walls are closed would be useful and whether the builder permits it. Access and contract rights need to be confirmed for your purchase.
- Request access rules and notice requirements in writing.
- Ask about inspections during construction and before closing.
- Leave time for the report, specialist follow-up and a response from the builder.
Understand what your inspection covers.
HUD distinguishes an inspection of physical condition from an appraisal of value. Hire an inspector accountable to you, review their scope and exclusions, and ask when a specialist is needed. An appraisal, builder walkthrough or document summary does not perform that independent inspection.
- Check the inspector’s qualifications, references and sample report.
- Ask what will be inaccessible or outside the inspection scope.
- Attend if possible and ask the inspector to explain significant findings.
Bring the specification list to the walkthrough.
Use the appointment to compare delivered features with your selections and learn how to operate the home. Keep a separate record of visible concerns and unanswered questions. Ask the builder to demonstrate equipment rather than treating an explanation as confirmation that everything operates correctly.
- Bring the signed options list, inspection report and any prior repair commitments.
- Record each concern with its room or location, description and date.
- Ask for demonstrations of controls, shutoffs and maintenance requirements.
Turn the punch list into written commitments.
For each unresolved item, request the builder’s proposed action, responsible contact and completion date. Inspection results do not automatically give every buyer the same cancellation or repair rights; the agreement matters. Ask a local attorney about unresolved serious defects or terms you are asked to waive.
- Separate completed repairs, promised work and disputed items.
- Ask how repaired items can be rechecked before you accept them as complete.
- Confirm any post-closing work in writing before signing a completion acknowledgment.
Know how to use the warranty before you need it.
The FTC explains that new-home warranties have coverage periods, exclusions and claim procedures that vary by component. Collect the builder and manufacturer documents, then record how and when to report a problem. Keep dated copies of reports, requests and replies.
- Identify warranty contacts, coverage start dates and notice instructions.
- Record maintenance duties and any registration requirements.
- Review unresolved items before their applicable reporting deadlines.
Review your documents in Settle.
Beau can help organize supplied findings and prepare walkthrough questions. It cannot inspect the home, diagnose hidden defects, verify a repair or certify code compliance. Use an on-site professional for the physical assessment.
- Inspection access policy and construction schedule
- Signed specifications and options list
- Inspection reports, punch list and written repair responses
- Builder and manufacturer warranty documents
Use these specifications, inspection findings and builder responses to prepare my walkthrough questions. Separate documented repairs, unresolved findings and missing commitments. Cite the pages and do not infer that a repair has been completed.Get started
Sources checked September 6, 2026. Your contract, location and circumstances determine what applies. Builder examples are illustrations, not terms of your purchase. About these guides