Should I get an eleven-month warranty inspection on a new home?
Quick answer: Yes. Most new-home builder warranties run one year, so scheduling an inspection around the eleventh month lets you document defects while the builder is still obligated to repair them. After nearly a year of living in a Bloomington home through a full seasonal cycle, including a Minnesota winter, settling, drainage, HVAC, and workmanship issues will have revealed themselves. An eleven-month inspection produces a punch list you can submit before the warranty expires, protecting you from out-of-pocket repairs.
A full year exposes a new home to every season. A Minnesota winter stresses the heating system, reveals ice dam tendencies and drafts, and a spring thaw tests grading and the basement, surfacing problems that were invisible at closing.
Normal settling also shows up in the first year as nail pops, drywall cracks, and door alignment changes, alongside any genuine defects in workmanship. An inspection distinguishes routine settling from issues the builder should correct under warranty.
Timing is everything. Because the warranty has a hard deadline, inspecting at around eleven months gives you a documented list to submit with time to spare. Waiting until the warranty expires means those repairs become your expense instead of the builder's.
