Hi everyone! I'm working on buying my first home; an end-unit new build townhome. I'm under contract and I am scheduled to close around this time next week.

My area has been in a bit of a drought lately but it finally poured down about three weeks ago and luckily my real estate agent and I just happened to be visiting right after and found this standing water along the length of the sidewalk going to the front door (on the side of the home). It's about an inch deep, the mulch is soaked, and the grass parallel to the sidewalk is absolutely waterlogged. And it does not drain away quickly...

We immediately took photos/videos and sent them to the home sales agent and the construction manager who agreed they would look into it. Well they did some landscaping and sculpted a bit more of a ditch towards the back of the property (you can see the edges in the sod where they've made alterations). Well it just poured down rain again today and it looks like the water is still pooling just as bad.

My agent and I have talked to the construction superintendent and he doesn't think a french drain is possible due to the elevation/grade of the property and the limitations of the nature conservation area behind the property. We pushed back and said they should at the very least re-pour the sidewalk and make sure it's properly elevated and sloped to shed water off the sidewalk.

After contacting them again today, the sales agent says they are reviewing options and are hoping to fully address it starting on Monday... but I'm getting really anxious now that there's less than a week to closing.

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Has anyone here had experience dealing with water drainage issues like this when buying a new build?

Is this something that builders will make a good effort to fix in the punch list after closing? I know the punch list loses a bit of steam after closing because there's less incentive to get it all done perfectly because they've made the sale.

My agent brought up the possibility of delaying closing as an "ugly" tactic; is this called for? I don't know if I want them to call my bluff and kill the contract 😅

About to close - should I get ugly over this drainage issue?