maintenance cost for newly built homes

[Felix Andrei]

Greetings folks,

Just wondering how you would recommend analyzing a purchase of a newly built home with regards to the maintenance costs.  I've read some threads where people were of the opinion that we should look at actual costs for replacement and repair of major items rather than the "lazy" way of using just a percentage of gross rent.  Using a percentage of the gross rent would definitely be ultra conservative considering the home is new and has some warranty.  Any thoughts?