Hence, Salas argued that Commonwealth was obligated to cover him for his loss under this title “defect.”Commonwealth, however, took refuge in Standard Exclusion 3(a), which excludes from coverage “Defects, liens, encumbrances, adverse claims or other matters created, suffered, assumed or agreed to by the insured claimant.”

For those looking to sell a house in need of repairs, don't defects hurt their house's appraisal value? 

But if those properties sell for $300k more than yours, assuming no other defect where you live (ie they have a view of the harbor and you have a view of the sewer plant), you will have a big value bump. 

why do you care if these issues/defects are common or typical whether in KC or on the moon?  

It’s a defect and you know it.

That being said, it all comes back to the individual appraiser and actual defects of the house, as observed by the appraiser.

I essentially told them I can't really help because it doesn't sound like it is due to a defect or that the toilet needs a repair.I know this might sound like a trivial question, but I am always curious how others respond to tenant requests.I want to be polite, but also clear about what is my role as a landlord and what is their role as a tenant.

Yes, you need title insurance for the market value of the property even though it is being gifted to you unless you want to me self insured for any possible title defects.  

Is it truly a cookie-cutter project, or do you want say in paint, light fixtures, framing, etc.Larger builders have less variability because they have systems and processes in place for hiring, building and management, but if you've ever bought a brand-new build you know that there are still defects, problems and variability in the final product.Hope that makes sense.

As an aside, if you go to an attorney for advice, don't expect the insurer to reimburse you for the cost even if the defect is a covered matter.