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First year of ownership

Step 10 of 10Ownership Confidence

Use the warranty window while you still have it.

You are living in the home and settling issues are appearing.

What matters right now

Your warranty windows close on a calendar, not on a conversation — document items as you notice them.

Three things to focus on

Three questions to ask

“What is covered in year one versus the structural warranty?”
“How do I submit warranty items so they are documented and tracked?”
“What maintenance is my responsibility to keep coverage valid?”

Three things to check

Drywall, grout, and trim settlement cracks photographed and logged.
HVAC performance room by room in both heating and cooling season.
Grading, drainage, and irrigation performing after heavy rain.

One common mistake

Missing the 11-month warranty windowThe one-year window closes quietly, and most items expire with it.

Recommended next step

The seven that cost owners the most, and the questions that prevent them.

Review common mistakes

Ask New Construction Intelligence™Guided answers for the decision in front of you

Finished with this stage?

Checklist

Warranty window checklist

Use the 30-day, 11-month, and one-year windows while you still have them — in writing.

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First 30 days

Have you submitted your first written list of settling and adjustment items?
Have you run heating and cooling through a full season change and noted comfort problems?Why this matters

Month 10 to 11

Have you walked the whole home and submitted the 11-month list before the deadline?Most builder coverage steps down hard at one year.
Is every request submitted in writing with photos and dates?

Ongoing care

Do you have a maintenance routine for filters, grading, gutters, and caulking?
Are all service requests and responses saved in one place?

6 items left before you can mark this reviewed.

Decisions that matter now

Put the warranty deadlines on a calendar
Most builder coverage steps down at 30 days, 11 months, and one year.

Mistakes to avoid

Waiting past the 11-month window to report items
Reporting issues verbally instead of in writing

Million Dollar Mistakes™ here

Missing the 11-month warranty window

Your broadest coverage quietly expires around month twelve.

Cost if ignored · $2k–$20k in repairs that were covered a month earlier

Learn for this stage

Site drainage & grading

Where water goes on your lot decides whether the foundation and yard stay sound.

IMPImportance: 4 of 5
DIFConsumer difficulty: 3 of 5
COSTCost impact: 4 of 5
COMFComfort impact: 2 of 5
INSPInspection priority: 4 of 5

This one matters most

Warranty terms

Coverage steps down on a schedule most buyers only read after a deadline has passed.

IMPImportance: 5 of 5
DIFConsumer difficulty: 3 of 5
COSTCost impact: 4 of 5
COMFComfort impact: 2 of 5
INSPInspection priority: 3 of 5

What’s next

Routine maintenance beyond the warranty period.