Survey of Homeowner Experience with New Residential Housing Construction

摘要

A national survey of new home buyers was conducted to determine their experience regarding the incidence and repair of problems in their new homes. Data were derived from (1) a telephone survey of 1,812 households that purchased new homes during 1977-78, from 12 to 30 months prior to the survey; and (2) onsite inspections of 299 of the homes whose owners completed the survey. The study focused on all builder-resolved problems and those nonbuilder-resolved problems (i.e. all unresolved and owner-resolved problems) estimated to cost $100 or more to repair. The principal findings can be summarized in terms of three areas of concern: problem incidence, problem cost per household, and owner-builder relations. A total of 62 percent of the households reported having at least one nonbuilder-resolved problem in the 30-month period following closing, with an average repair cost estimated at $1,411, about 8 percent of all homeowners reported repair costs of $2,000 or more for the period. In addition, 22 percent reported having a 'serious disagreement' with the builder with respect to one or more problems; about 7 percent of all homeowners consulted a lawyer in an attempt to resolve the disagreement. Footnotes and tabular data are supplied; data collection and field inspection methodologies are appended along with details on the construction of variables.