BUYERS’ AGENTS AND THE NEW HOME WALK-THROUGH INSPECTIONS IN LOUDOUN COUNTY VIRGINIA
ABOUT THINGS BEING ON THE LEVEL. . . . NEW HOME WALK-THROUGH INSPECTIONS.
ABOUT THINGS BEING ON THE LEVEL. . . . 
Don’t tell anyone but I have an “eye” for the un-level. It’s almost like a “seventh sense”. I can spot the un-level a room away. So, I carry a level in my vehicle to new home inspections and walk-throughs.
If I spot something that appears to be un-level, I politely “mention” it to the builder. often the building superintendent, that a window, range, etc. appears to be a tad “off-level”.
If the builder is confident, they’ll get a level and confirm or reject my opinion. No 
problem. I’ve been wrong before. However, if they just want to “pooh-pooh” my request, I just get my own level and then, if a feature is off-level, well, they have to fix it, of course. I have no desire to make an issue of the dang thing.
I know the level of contempt that many builders hold for agents. That doesn’t bother me a bit. My motivation is to get a new home as close to “perfect” as possible before settlement. Imagine the angst experienced by a new home buyer when the range is off-level and the cake is higher on one side than the other?? Many buyers are not able to “level” a range or frig or built-in feature following settlement. So, this part of a walk-through is very important.
One thing that I discovered years ago is that building a house is not a simple process. I have a tremendous respect for folks who ‘BUILD THINGS”. That is especially true for building anything as complicated a a house. That said, the builder has his job and I have mine and I have been engaged to give the home buyer the benefit of my experience.
I really don’t want to make an issue of defects and often try to verify un-level features while the buyer is on another level with the builder, but I’m relentless and when a thing is off-level, well, it has to be fixed.
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Things I’ve found to be off-level include
- transoms
- window frames
- door frames
- trim (caulk doesn’t fix everything)
- ranges
- refrigerators
- cabinet doors (major problem)
- knee-walls
That’s all I can remember now, but next week. . . . . .
Courtesy, Lenn Harley, Broker, Homefinders.com, 800-711-7988. Serving new home buyers in Maryland and Northern Virginia.
FOUND! FUTURE HOME OF A LOVELY GRASSY HILL IN LEESBURG, LOUDOUN COUNTY, VIRGINIA.
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