Making the Most of
Inspections and Walk-Throughs
During its construction, a new house will undergo several inspections and walk-throughs to make sure it is progressing properly and complies with building codes. These visits may or may not include our clients; when they are invited or required to be there, it as an opportunity for them to ask questions of us, discuss and refine their expectations and better understand the building process.
Inspections. Virtually every new home is required to get a building permit, which is issued only after the local building department confirms that the plans (or blueprints) meet the current building codes. Building codes regulate such diverse issues as occupant health, safety, and sometimes energy efficiency.
At certain milestones during construction, such as once a home's foundation has been completed, we will call and schedule an inspection with the building department. At each stage, the building inspector will meet with our site superintendent at the house to confirm that the home complies with the building code.
Most often, the work meets the code and the inspector signs the building permit, signifying its compliance to that point. Upon final inspection, when the house is finished, the inspector's approval triggers a Certificate of Occupancy (or CO) that enables our buyer to close escrow and move into their new home.
Internal Inspections. In addition to required inspections by the building department, we often conduct periodic inspections of our own, based on a set of standards and expectations we've established as a company and with our clients.
The most critical of these internal inspections occurs just before the move-in date. At that time, our staff tours the house to check systems, workmanship, and other features and details to create a list of items, often called a punch list. These punch list items are corrected before our client's move into their new home.
We conduct these internal inspections for a few reasons. First, we hate surprises. We want to eliminate any outstanding discrepancies prior to the close of escrow. Next, we want to spend time on a walk-through with our clients. This gives us a chance to demonstrate the home's various systems, point out key features, and educate our new homebuyers about the proper maintenance of their new house. In addition, we want them to be satisfied that we've delivered what we promised and met or exceeded their expectations.
Customer Walk-Throughs. In addition to the final client walk-through before the close of escrow, we also schedule walk-throughs with our homebuyers during construction. These tours provide us with an opportunity to discuss the progress of their home in a very tangible way, allowing them to ask questions about products and systems and feel better connected to their home and confident in our abilities.
We believe that if clients have the chance to experience, rather than simply witness, their home's progress during construction, they'll be better prepared to take care of it, more comfortable relaying any concerns to us, and more confident about their home's performance and value because they have seen what's behind the walls. |
