Phoenix-area inspector reveals some newly built homes have obvious defects

PHOENIX (3TV/CBS 5) — Edward Aguirre says he should be pretty excited about his brand-new home that was recently built. But Edward says he’s more frustrated than excited. “I’m wondering if my house is the only one like this on my block or is every other house like this and nobody has said or done anything about it,” he told On Your Side.

The home builder claims the house is ready to move in, Edward says, but this new homebuyer says for the money he paid, there are too many things that need to be fixed before moving in. For example, he says his front window was installed crooked making it almost impossible to be opened or closed. On Your Side’s Gary Harper tried to open the window and realized what Edward was talking about. “Yea, this is really tough,” Harper said as he tried to open and close the window. “That should not be that way.

Cy Porter is a home inspector who owns a company called CyFy Home Inspections. He tells On Your Side that he finds more red flags in newly built homes than in older homes that are for sale. “In about 2021, we started to see the market had a huge decrease in workmanship,” Cy said. One reason, he says, is that new homes are being built at lightning speed across the Valley, and he believes attention to small details diminishes greatly.

Cy is so surprised at what he was finding that he started posting his inspections on TikTok warning new homebuyers that just because a home is new, that doesn’t mean there are no problems. “Look here,” Cy posted on TikTok as he showed a water leak in the attic of a new home. “That water is coming from here.” Cy says it’s a major reason why he suggests a home inspection is still a must-do for new homes.

On Your Side asked Cy to inspect Edward’s house and it didn’t take long to find defects like a closet door that wouldn’t close properly. In the kitchen, paint appeared to be smudged in areas. And in a bedroom, the carpeting wasn’t nailed down correctly. “So, what happened here?” Harper asked as the inspector pulled up carpet from the edge of a room. Cy replied, “What happened here is that it looks like the baseboard was installed at a different time. They haven’t even puttied the nails yet. So, they ripped the carpet back and put it in.

But apparently, someone forgot to nail the carpet back down. Edward believes new homes like his are going up too fast without proper manpower and supervision. “How are they going to keep up with every single thing in every single house for all these houses,” Edward said. “There’s no way they can.”

For now, Edward says he just wants his new home to be like, well, new. But he claims he keeps hearing the same old line from his builder. “Your house is livable they claim?” Harper asked. “Yea, you’re absolutely right. It is livable. But it’s not ready. It’s not finished!” Edward says he tells the builder.

If you want to see more TikTok home inspection videos uploaded by Cy Porter, go to @cyfyhomeinspections .

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