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New Construction Inspections: The 3 Every Florida Buyer Needs (and When to Get Them)
New doesn't always mean flawless. Here are the three inspections that protect your biggest purchase — and exactly when to get each one.
Yes — even a brand-new home needs inspecting. New construction actually has three key inspection points: the pre-drywall (framing) inspection, the pre-closing walkthrough, and the 11-month warranty inspection. Each one catches different problems at a moment when they're still easy — and usually free — to fix. Skip them, and you can end up paying out of pocket for mistakes the builder would have covered.
Quick Answer
Inspection 1
The Pre-Drywall Inspection — one nobody
told you about
When: after the framing, wiring, plumbing, and HVAC are roughed in — but before insulation and drywall cover it all up.
This is the most important inspection of the three, and the one most buyers never even know they can get. Once the drywall goes up, everything behind it is sealed away — often for the life of the home. In front of drywall, those same problems are a quick fix while the crew is still on site. This is your one and only chance to see the bones of your home.
Inspection 2
The Pre-Closing Walkthrough — the "blue tape" inspection
When: when the builder says the home is "complete," right before your final walkthrough and closing.
By now the home looks finished. But "looks finished" and "is finished correctly" are two different things. Builders are racing to close, and the last ten percent of a house is where rushed work hides — an outlet that doesn't work, a range that was never connected, cracked tile, ground that slopes toward the foundation. We go through the entire home and document every item so it lands on the builder's punch list. Your leverage is never higher than it is before you sign.
Inspection 3
The 11-Month Warranty Inspection — the one people forget, and the one that costs them
When: about one month before your builder's one-year warranty expires.
Most new homes come with a one-year builder warranty. Most buyers forget it exists until it's gone. That first year is when a house "settles in" — drywall cracks, nail pops, sticking doors, an HVAC that can't keep up, drainage that only shows after a rainy season. An 11-month inspection catches it all while the builder still has to fix it for free. Wait until month thirteen, and every repair comes out of your pocket.
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The Four Corners Take
With new construction, the question was never "will there be issues?" It's "will they be caught while they're still someone else's problem to fix?" We inspect new homes all across Clermont and Central Florida at every one of these three stages — and we've seen the difference it makes: the buyer who catches a framing problem before drywall pays nothing; the one who finds it three years later pays for everything. The 11-month inspection is the one we most hate to see people miss, so we help you keep track of that warranty deadline — so you never lose free repairs to a date on a calendar. That's not a gimmick. That's just what looking out for you looks like.