[DangeloInspections]

An inspection BEFORE closing is very rare....and in all probability not needed. It is difficult to even have done, since the property is officially the Villages property and home until closing. It is not the same as a pre-owned home.

What IS done however is the following;

You close on your home. You have a "walk through". This could be with the builder or a Villages representative. It could vary in time and degree of thoroughness. Any issues pointed out during that walkthrough should be documented and initialed.

You typically have 30 days to submit a "checklist" of anything reasonable you find that needs repair, replacement, etc. This typically needs to be turned into The Villages within the first month. Sadly, many new owners neglect to do this, only to find out down the road that something is not covered because it was turned in after those 30 days.

Here is a list of many of the things that are "typically" covered for only the first thirty days.

Scratches, dents, blemishes or damage on Appliances, windows, sliding glass doors, shower doors, kitchen sinks, all bathroom and kitchen fixtures, bathtubs, sinks, mirrors, toilet seats, Countertops, light fixtures, etc., etc. All landscaping, plantings, sod, etc. Also most of your irrigation system, underground piping, etc.

Rips, cuts, damage to screens, including all window screens and lanai screens. Dents in doors, molding, garage doors, etc.

This makes sense, as for example a big scratch in your kitchen sink should be covered right after closing, but after that the scratch could have been caused by your pots and pans, diamond ring, etc. A dent in your garage door reported a year later could have been made anytime by the homeowner.

You must do a detailed inspection of all these items within the first 30 days to have them repaired or replaced. No offense, but The Villages will not typically accept the excuse, "We were up North for months, we are not here much yet".

We sometimes do this inspection for folks. We call it a punchlist inspection. It takes some time, and it is different than the 10-11 month (one year) inspection because while we ARE looking at the whole house, roof, attic, mechanicals, etc, we are also focusing on these items that they WILL NOT fix after 30 days.

Our "one year" inspection is different because there are many items we find during the one year inspection, like settling cracks, cracked grout, etc., that simply WILL NOT EXIST during the first 30 days because the home is too new and settling has not yet occurred.

Most of our business is doing the one year inspection, because typically the 30 day stuff could easily be done by the homeowner if they are willing to make the time and effort to do so. Some folks will have us do both inspections.

I hope this helps!

Frank D'Angelo ACI