Invest in a pre-purchase inspection before investing in a home
December 29th 2008 01:23
It often takes hours and hours to choose the right home. With this level of time and investment it is worth making the effort to do your homework before you buy. Estimating the cost of potential renovations from the outset is difficult, especially if you are not a builder yourself.
Once you have decided that you’ve found your ideal home, it’s worth considering a pre-purchase inspection. At $400 plus per inspection it can be quite costly to have several inspections carried out, but it can save home buyers from nasty surprises down the track.
All home buyers need to know what they are buying and understand any further maintenance they can expect to carry out in the future. Additionally, if a home buyer is looking to buy and renovate, or extend, the inspection should clarify what you can or can’t do structurally.
Most building surveyors typically charge $495 to inspect a three-bedroom house.
The inspection is designed to give people all the information they need to decide if they want to purchase a home and if they do buy it how much money they might need to spend on repairs and maintenance.
The inspection should review the entire property from top to bottom, including the roof space, if it’s accessible. Sheds, fences and drainage should all be checked to provide a comprehensive report on the property and let you know any problems that might exist and what needs to be done to rectify them. A good inspection should also provide you with cost estimations to fix faults.
When it comes to problems, many cracks, rising damp issues and structural wear and tear can be hidden by a fresh plaster and paint job. That’s why potential home buyers should have a pre-purchase inspection if they are serious about bidding at auction or purchasing privately.
Investing time and money in a pre-inspection of a home before you buy could save you much time, money and anguish and ensure your ideal home is what you expected.
To find a building surveyor in Victoria, visit: www.buildingcommission.com.au in the ‘find an RBP’ section or contact the Building Practitioners Board on 1300 360 320. You can also contact the Australian Institute of Building Surveyors on (03) 9326 7100 for a listing of building surveying consultants around Australia.
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