If you’re like many Australians, buying a home is the largest financial commitment you’ll ever make, so it is paramount that your hard-earned money is invested wisely. Whether you already own a home or are about to buy one, here are all the reasons why you should never skip a building inspection.
What Is a Building Inspection?
A building inspection is a full assessment of the properties current condition and is done by a building inspector. They will thoroughly evaluate the home and report their findings to you. If you already own, it enables you to fix issues before they become big ones and if you are in the market to buy, you can determine whether the home is worth purchasing or not. Along with a building inspection, you should have a termite inspection conducted to look for termite activity. A termite inspection should be done before purchasing a property and every 12 months after that.
You Can Make an Informed Choice
Buying a home is exciting, but try to remember that what you see isn’t always what you get. Building inspectors use technology such as infrared cameras and thermal detectors to identify issues beyond the walls. To save potentially costly headaches down the track, it pays to get a building inspection done. If the home you want to purchase needs significant work, you can either choose to pass on the property or you can bargain with the vendor to lower the price to make up for the repairs. At least you’ll know what you are buying and there are no surprises.
Identify Structural Defects
Structural problems are a big problem that you don’t want your home to have. They are expensive and usually take a considerable amount of work to fix. Purchasing a home with structural problems allows you to offer a considerably lower amount on the property if you still want to buy it, or you can choose to pass on it if fixing it isn’t something you want to have to deal with. If you do purchase a home with structural issues, it’s a good idea to see them quickly before they have a chance to worsen. If you can, get them fixed before you move in, this way they will cause little disruption to your life, and you can sleep easy at night knowing your home is structurally intact.
Have Peace of Mind That Your Property Is Safe
Regardless of whether you are going to live in the house you buy or let it out, it needs to be safe. A building inspector will be able to find and alert you to hazards such as carbon dioxide, moisture and potential areas of mould growth. From the information gathered, you can then decide if you want to buy the home and fix the issues or withdraw from the offer altogether.
Uncover Inferior Repairs
You may not be able to recognise shoddy workmanship and cover-ups, but a building inspector most certainly will. On occasion, sellers have been known to attempt to disguise problems within the home. A trained professional will be able to see straight through this, and they will report any issues that need attention.
Unauthorised Renovations
To an untrained eye, it may be virtually impossible for you to detect unauthorised renovations. A building inspector can find them easily and usually notice them by recognising safety issues within the work. If the building inspector has seen what they believe to be unauthorised renovations, they will let you know. You can then follow up by lodging a building check with the council to see if there has been illegal work done on the house. If you decide to purchase a home with unapproved structures, you may receive a fine, and it’s a possibility that the council will request that you remove it. Speak with your solicitor to ensure that the seller will be responsible for getting approval as a condition of the sale.
Ensures You Are Insured
Comprehensive home insurance should be non-negotiable. Extensive house repairs can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, so you should be covered. Some insurance providers will have excessively high premiums for homes that have known shortcomings. Purchasing a home that is in sound condition or seeing to issues quickly, will see you pay less.
I Own My Home, How Often Should I Get a Building Inspection Done?
When you bought your property, you would likely have got a building inspection done and while it may have come back all clear 12 months ago, that doesn’t mean everything will still be in the best condition it can be now. It’s recommended that you have a building and pest inspection done every 12 months. The reason for this is a lot of house problems go unnoticed for extended periods and by the time you notice them, the damage is extensive and costly. Having them done regularly means you can see problems quickly before they’ve had a chance to wreak havoc.
Don’t Take the Risk
It is hard to overlook the importance of conducting a building inspection when buying a property. They are worth their weight in gold when you think of the thousands of dollars you could lose from not doing one. If you’re looking for a building inspector for your new or existing property, get in touch with our highly skilled team here at Premier Building and Pest Reports!