Town inspectors aren't going to check the quality of the workmanship as a rule. Their concern is that codes are met and the build is safe.

One avenue is to find a reputable but retired builder who will be unbiased and do a quality control check of the various trades workmanship. You can get referalls from suppliers, realtors, sub contractors who have done business with a builder who has an excellent reputation in and around the area and they know his works from the past.

another avenue is a reputable home inspector.

Follow sierraeast's advice -- you really should have at least one non-partisan and knowledgeable outsider looking closely at what's been done. Town inspectors are looking only for compliance with local/state code, and most codes are safety-oriented and not at all concerned with quality! i.e. if the chimney is properly tiled, they couldn't care less if the hearth is missing a brick or two.

And don't close out/pay off the builder until everything on the checklist (aka punch list) has been completed. Once he's paid off, anything remaining to be done goes to the basement beneath the bottom of his to-do list. The broker is not your pal in this matter -- he wants everything done and over; being sure that things are done right does not speed the checks to the bank.

Don't be surprised that there will be things to be done... it's simply a fact of life that nothing is perfect, and a new pair of eyes will notice what the crew has overlooked. Hopefully and in the best of cases, the corrections will be mostly cosmetic such as touching up chipped paint or attaching a lost screen.

I would be concerned about the quality of work done by someone with a reputation for cutting corners. (The floors may look lovely, but are the joists correctly spaced and fastened?) The best corners to cut are the ones most people don't see: sufficient insulation; properly sealed ductwork; correct wiring and enough of it; windows installed to manufacturer's specifications [most aren't]; flashing properly installed; underlayment properly screwed/glued; cabinets leveled and sufficiently anchored; everything caulked with the appropriate caulk, and so on. The second best corner to cut is to install a lesser quality than what the contract called for -- and that can range from stud grades to thin tiles to substandard underlayments. Truthfully, almost no one is going to be able to see that sort of issue -- which is why the builder's reputation is so important: you are depending upon him installing what is supposed to be installed and doing it right. Let's face it, it sounds as though the build is too near complete to be able to see many possible problems, but it's for sure that if an inspector finds one major structure impropriety, there will be others.

I can only wish you luck, and hope that no major problems are discovered.

Thanks for the great advice.

About paying the builder ... besides problems may that come up on inspection, a few things that won't be completed because of weather (landscaping, lawn & sprinkler system). The attorney has recommended that at closing we insist that money be left in escro until completion.

That's one solution if you need to close before everything is done to satisfaction.

Escrow usually works very well, providing the amount in the account is more than the cost+profit of the items remaining to be done.

Keep in mind that the final payout really depends on how the contract is written, and who is dispersing the money.

I've heard of [imo, horror] contracts where the final payoff was due within a short period of time after the builder deemed the project complete. I've also heard of [imo, horror on the other foot] buyers who didn't pay off the builder for months after completion. What you want is a happy medium where the builder gets paid in a prompt and timely manner for his completed work.

I've had money held in escrow for unfinished landscaping and that's a very good idea. Builders hate to come back and finish or fix anything once they have all your money.

Definitely get your own inspector. Code inspections are not sufficient even if performed adequately, and often they are NOT done adequately or at all. Reliance on enforcement of building codes is a bad idea. Many new homes have defects and some are code violations that were never inspected or reported.

Once you close and he has your money, you will not have a lot of leverage or recourse if he renegs on warranty issues, punch list, unfinished items, etc. As many homeowners find out, promises to take care of things after closing are rarely kept. And assumptions that you have legal recourse after the fact are as dangerous as assuming codes are followed and enforced. Those of us who've been thru a construction defect case could tell you horror stories about these things. Protect yourself because no one else is, including the broker who wrongly advised you to skip your own inspection. Everone in this deal is in it to make a sale. All they're interested in is making sure the deal closes so everyone gets their money. No one but you is in this for YOU.

Yes - codes are minimums only. You should be checking for quality workmanship and prpoper materials as well.

I agree with Sierreeast on finding a retired builder or a good 3rd party inspector. In fact, our builder hired a retired builder to completely inspect our home just before we moved in. She said the Town inspector did not look at much and she wanted to make sure things were done right. Thank goodness she did that. The retired builder found about 10 things that needed fixing. Small things but it doesn't matter. And my builder had all the subs back the next day to fix these and sign off on them.

The Town inspector did do inspections along the way so maybe he did not feel the need to re-inspect??? I think he should have done more but at least we had this other inspector (retired builder) to find some things.

Good luck.

Just to follow up, I did have a highly recommended inspector in to look. Found a few minor things, but just the piece of mind was worth the price. The builder should have then done in the next few days ... well before closing. Inspector also gave some good maintenance tips and things to keep an eye on.

I only wish I had the inspector involved from the beginning. For not a whole lot more money he would have stopped in during the build to check things.