New Home Inspection / Warranty - Calgarypuck Forums - The Unofficial Calgary Flames Fan Community

Rathji · 06-21-2008, 04:17 PM

Edit: Title should read " New Home Warranty "

I am looking at buying a new house that has never been lived in, that someone built on spec and still has a new home warranty.

There are some issues with the home that need correcting, most notably a few of the hardwood boards are either dipping, or slightly raised. Carpet that is improperly kicked in, and minor paint and drywall issues.

Being a first time home owner, I have no experience dealing with this kinda thing and was wondering if anyone had any advice or experiences in dealing with new home warranty. I am pretty sure the home was built by Heartland and it is located in Mackenzie Town

McMack · 06-21-2008, 05:23 PM

The main warranty on the home is provided by the builder, and lasts for 12 months (24 months for some items) after the original owner purchased the home. The Alberta New Home Warranty Program, the one that last 5 years, is only for major structural defects, and they rarely pay out a claim. It is really the builder's warranty that counts the most.

Make it a condition of the sale that the seller has to get the builder to fix the defects. If they can't get the builder to do it, then it is unlikely that you will either.

ken0042 · 06-21-2008, 06:52 PM

I don't see this as being a problem. Right now it is a buyer's market, and a seller would much rather spend a few bucks on fixups than turn down a solid offer.

Like McMack said, put those as conditions on the offer. The worst they can do is say no.

Rathji · 06-21-2008, 08:24 PM

The offer is conditional on a home inspection, and I have contacted Flames_Gimp to arrange a professional examination of the floor to be certain what needs to be done. Once we figure out what needs to be done, we can work that into the offer.

90% of the stuff is super minor, but the hardwood floors are what concern me the most. If it comes down to it, I would like to use the fact that I will deal with the home warranty as extra leverage to drive the price down since it is pretty much on the upper edge of what we can afford as it stands. To do this I am weighing the factors, including if it would be covered in new home warranty and how much of a pain it would be to deal with the builder.