New Home Snagging – How Is It Done?

Getting a snagging survey is included in the best practices for buying new build houses nowadays. Tight deadlines and shortage of craftsmen have resulted in an increase in homes with defects ranging from functional and aesthetic problems to structural issues.

Contractors or builders are required under Irish laws to inspect newly built homes and ensure that the property is defect-free before handing it over to the owners.

Unfortunately, these contractor-commissioned surveys are not very thorough. Snagging specialists hired by buyers still end up finding a lot of issues with the properties they inspect – over 100 snags on the average.

Suffice to say, you cannot simply rely on the contractor, even if it is a reputable one, to deliver a house that’s built according to your standards. You need to be proactive and have the property inspected.

The Basics of New Home Snagging 

Who Should Conduct the Inspection?

This task should be done by a professional snagging specialist. While it is possible to do the survey on your own, it is not the smartest decision because finding some of these snags is not easy. You need to be trained and experienced to know where to look and what to look for.

Remember, missing just one significant defect may lead to huge expenses. In fact, the cost of fixing it can be more than the cost of hiring a professional snagging specialist.

So, to avoid unwanted additional expense later on, it is best to just let pros do the job. After all, finding reputable companies that offer this service isn’t difficult with the help of the Internet.

Just make sure that you hire an independent snagging company, one that isn’t affiliated with any contractor or builder, to avoid conflict of interest.

When Should You Schedule It?

The best time to schedule the snagging survey is after it is completed and before you move in. Make sure the inspection is done before finalising the purchase – prior to exchanging contracts and/or paying the purchase monies.

You may have a snag list drawn up after the deal is sealed. However, this practice has been proven to be stressful for buyers. This is because it can be difficult to get the contractor to repair the problems once the deal is closed.

If the completion of the purchase is dependent on the completion of the snags, then the developer is going to be focused on accomplishing the issues quickly and properly.

Steps in a New Home Snagging Survey

Where do you start to get your property inspected? What are the things you need to do? Below, we list down some of the steps involved in drawing up a snag list.

Hire a Snagging Company

Look for a provider of professional new home snagging services. Ensure that you pick one with an excellent reputation. Ask friends for recommendations and search online for reviews from previous clients.

Scheduling of the Snagging Inspection

Most reputable providers of snagging surveys take care of the scheduling. They coordinate with the contractor or builder as to when they can visit the property and inspect it.

Trusted snagging companies try their best to conduct the inspection as soon as possible. However, the schedule greatly depends on the contractor as they hold the keys to the property.

In some cases, builders refuse access to the house before completion. If this happens, you can intervene with the developer or request your conveyancer to take care of it.

House Inspection

The duration of the survey depends on the size of the property. Inspecting a two-bedroom apartment usually takes around 2 to 3 hours.

There are no hard rules as to how the inspection proceeds. The strategy varies per company; some follow the inside-outside approach while others do the opposite. Whatever their method is what is important is that the inspection is comprehensive.

As mentioned earlier, the inspection is not just meant to uncover cosmetic problems but also functional issues. So, the snagging specialist is not just going to look at these parts but also use or manipulate them.

For example, he is going to check if the windows or doors can be opened and closed with ease. Similarly, he is going to open the faucets to check if there is running water.

Snagging Report

Once the inspection is done, the snagging specialist is going to put together a report. This is an itemised list of the defects and their corresponding photos. Creating this list should not take too long, so you can expect the report a day or two after the survey.

Typically, two copies of the snag list are provided – one for the buyer and the contractor. After getting the report, talk to your contractor about the snags. Discuss what repairs are going to be done and when can you expect things to be finished.

In most cases, the work of the snagging company is done once it has provided its clients with the report. However, some home buyers enlist their services for what’s called a re-snagging survey. This is conducted after the contractor works on the issues on the list. The goal of this inspection is to find out if all defects discovered during the first survey are repaired or corrected.

Are you looking for an independent snagging company in Ireland? Choose New Home Surveys – a reputable company known for its thorough inspections and detailed reports. Call us now on 085 256 3277 or fill out the online enquiry form to learn more about our services!