New home orientation checklist for builders

What the orientation is for

The orientation (some builders call it the new home demonstration or the pre-closing walk) does two jobs. It shows the buyer how the house works, and it records the condition of the house on the day they take it, so a scratch found in month three can be told apart from one that was there at handover. Both jobs cut warranty calls later, and both work better from a checklist than from memory.

Plan on it taking a while: a buyer who is rushed through the mechanical room is a buyer who calls the first time the furnace shows an error light.

Before the buyer arrives

• Clean house, everything onUtilities live, filters in, every appliance plugged in and working, so you can demonstrate rather than describe.
• The paperwork readyThe homeowner manual, the warranty document, appliance manuals and the list of items still to finish.
• Labels ready to photographKnow where each serial label is so you can photograph them in one pass during the walk.

The orientation walk, in order

1. 1. Start at the shutoffs and panelShow the main water shutoff, the gas shutoff and the electrical panel, and have the buyer turn the water off and on themselves. Ready.gov tells every household to know how to shut off utilities, but says not to actually turn off the gas when practicing.
2. 2. Heating, cooling and the filterShow the thermostat, the filter slot and its size, and how to change it. Point out the condensate drain and the outdoor unit's clearance.
3. 3. Water heater and plumbingThe water heater's controls and shutoff, fixture shutoffs under sinks and toilets, outdoor faucets, and the sump pump if there is one.
4. 4. AlarmsPress the test button on a smoke alarm and a CO alarm. The U.S. Fire Administration says to test smoke alarms every month.
5. 5. Each applianceRun each one briefly, show its controls, and photograph its model and serial label for the record.
6. 6. Finishes, room by roomWalk every room with the buyer and note any scratch, chip or gap on the open-items list now.
7. 7. The warranty and the follow-up visitsExplain the coverage periods, the exclusions, how to request service in writing, and the dates of any scheduled visits.
8. 8. Sign the open itemsBoth of you sign the list, with a date for each item. Give the buyer a copy.

What to say about the warranty

Explain the periods in your warranty document and what it excludes. The FTC describes the common pattern as one year for workmanship and materials, generally two for heating, cooling, plumbing and electrical systems, and up to ten for major structural defects from some builders, and notes they typically don't cover household appliances. Where a state sets the terms, say so: New Jersey's warranty starts at first occupancy or settlement, whichever is sooner.

Then explain how to ask for service. The FTC advises homeowners to put requests in writing even when a hotline exists for urgent ones. Tell the buyer where to write, what counts as an emergency, and when your scheduled visits are, if you offer them: some builders book one a couple of months in and another before the first year ends, so non-urgent items can wait for a single visit instead of coming in one call at a time.

What to leave behind

The signed list of open items with a date for each, the homeowner manual, the appliance manuals, and the registration deadlines. Trane says registering within 60 days of installation lengthens its warranty term; Rheem's air conditioner warranty asks for registration within 60 days of installation or closing. A buyer who learns this at orientation registers on time. A buyer who finds it in month four does not.

Questions people ask