From the porch · August 2026
What good looks like on a new plat
You don’t need 25 years in the trades. You need a few things you can see from the driveway.
Fence: posts plumb, set in concrete, not sitting in dirt. Rails on the inside if the HOA asked. Gate that doesn’t drag in August.
Grade: water leaves the foundation. It doesn’t sit at the property line and become your neighbor’s problem.
HVAC: permit pulled, condensate where it belongs, they didn’t leave the old unit in the garage.
If you can’t judge flashing, don’t. Judge whether they showed up, whether the number held, and whether they came back. That’s the Marketplace version of a trade review — and it’s enough to hire from.