A brand-new home is still built by people, on a deadline, by a rotating set of trades. An independent inspection gives you a second set of eyes that answers only to you.
New construction
Report delivery
Termite + thermal
7am – 7pm
New construction is not the same as flawless construction. A production home passes through dozens of trades working to a schedule, and the last crew often covers up the work of the one before. Most of what an inspection finds on a new build is not dramatic — it is missed fasteners, an unsealed penetration, a register that barely moves air, a fixture that was never adjusted. Small items, but easier to have corrected before you own them.
You are also making the largest purchase of your life on the strength of a walkthrough. An independent inspection is the one point in the process where somebody is looking at the house on your behalf alone.
Both matter, and they are not in competition. They are simply scoped differently.
Performed on behalf of the city or county at defined milestones. The question being answered is whether the work meets the adopted building code — the minimum standard the jurisdiction requires for permitting and occupancy. It is a compliance review at specific stages, not a review of finish quality or day-to-day function.
Performed on behalf of you. The question being answered is how the home's systems and components are installed and whether they operate as intended on the day of the inspection — including workmanship and finish items that are outside the scope of a code review. It is not a code-compliance ruling and does not replace one.
A home can satisfy code requirements and still have a duct disconnected in an attic, a sink trap leaking, or insulation left short in a corner. That gap between minimum standard and finished quality is what an independent inspection is looking at.
Before closing, with finishes complete and systems energized and operating. This is the point where function can actually be tested and where finish and workmanship items are documented while you still have leverage.
Ahead of your builder warranty deadline, after the home has been through a full summer and monsoon season. Terms vary by builder, so check your warranty documents. See the 11-month builder warranty inspection for timing details.
A new home in the Valley meets conditions that expose installation quality quickly. Summer heat puts sustained load on a cooling system, so airflow balance and duct connections matter more here than in milder climates. Monsoon storms drive wind and rain at roof penetrations and wall intersections, which is where sealant and flashing work gets tested.
Soil movement and settlement around a newly graded lot can change how water drains away from the foundation within the first year. And new landscaping usually arrives with an irrigation system that has never run a full season — automatic systems are included in a Truss inspection, though manual solenoids and valves are excluded.
New construction inspections are priced from the standard square-footage schedule, starting at $300, with a $25 new construction discount applied. The full rate table is on the home inspection pricing page.
Termite inspection and thermal imaging are included at no additional charge. If the home has a pool or spa, that is a $50 pool and spa inspection add-on.
Many builders accommodate independent inspections, though policies and site access rules vary. Ask your builder directly about their process and how much notice they need, then schedule with enough margin before your closing date.
If you can only do one, the final or near-completion inspection before closing is the most commonly chosen, because systems can be operated and items can be addressed before you take ownership. Many buyers pair it with the 11-month warranty inspection later in the first year.
The inspection itself is scheduled around your existing timeline, and the report is delivered the same day. Whether any items need to be addressed before closing is between you and your builder.
Builder quality control and municipal inspections both serve real purposes. Neither is engaged by you or reporting to you. An independent inspection is the one review in the process where the inspector's only obligation is to the buyer.
Open 7 days a week, 7am to 7pm. Same-day digital reports, with a $25 new construction discount.