Do i need a building and Pest Inspection
The simple answer to this question is yes.. Why would you risk buying a potential disaster for the sake of a few hundred dollars.. These inspections are to inform you of the condition of a property so you can make an informed decision about whether to buy or not. Whether you are buying a new home or building or even a handover inspection on a newly built property ,it is advisable to get one done as it could save you thousands of dollars and a lot of heartache.
Inspections are essential.
Buying a New home is one of the biggest financial decisions you will make in your lifetime. And For that reason, it is essential you know what you are purchasing. So to be sure that the property you are buying is really what it appears to be. Getting a building and pest inspection will provide you with a report detailing the actual condition of the property. Including things you probably didn’t notice when you looked at the property. We tend to look at things with Rose coloured Glasses when we find the right home, which is a pretty normal response. The inspection reports cover everything from termite issues, wood rot, Borer , Drainage, minor cosmetic damage to major structural faults.
A building and pest inspection for home buyers and investors is a great tool for property. As it can be used to negotiate purchase prices down or get the seller to rectify if major issues are found which potentially can reduce the value of the property , which the purchaser does not want after they have bought. Generally no property is in perfect condition, and even minor defects can give you some leverage when bargaining. Unless the seller has disclosed any issues and the price reflects that then you as the buyer must decide whether to go ahead or not.
When should I get a building and pest inspection done?
If the property in question is going under Auction. You should get an independent building and pest inspection before the auction. Because once you are the winning bidder it is classed as a done deal and becomes unconditional and potentially you could be up for thousands of dollars worth of unknown repairs. And please be aware some places have inspection reports supplied by the agents which in most cases are ok but in some they are not. We had one last year the buyer found major structural damage caused by termites and they were still active. Even the subfloor entrance had been bricked over which may have indicated that the seller was aware of this.
Do i need a building and Pest Inspection
Under the usual sell and buy senario a seller is under no legal obligation to disclose any building or other faults. So what this means that if you do not get an independent building and pest inspection as a condition of the sale, you are accepting any undisclosed faults the property may have.
Determining what is a major and cosmetic issues in the building and pest inspection report.
A building and Pest inspection report will inform you of any major or minor issues and if it goes beyond our scope of expertise we will recommend the appropriate people like structural engineers, plumbers, electricians for you to contact. There is no worse feeling than buying your new home to find out it has major issues that you weren’t aware of. So it is in your hands the buyer to determine what they see as a contract breaker or give you the opportunity to negotiate a fix or a reduction in price that reflects those issues.
Home buyers should also be clear on the differences between major and cosmetic or minor issues within the building and pest inspection reports. That is why we encourage you to attend the inspection as you will get a clear picture of these issues.
Major-Defects.
Major issues in a building and pest inspection report are the ones that you should be concerned about. It is also very important to note, that major issues are not contract breakers. They can work in your favour to give you leverage to negotiate the price down. examples of major issues are:
- Termite Damage
- Structural issues
- Electrical Faults
- Retaining walls
- High Moisture around wet areas
- Roofing in poor condition
Do i need a building and Pest Inspection
Minor or cosmetic faults in a building and pest inspection are issues that are easily repaired.
Some Examples:
Broken or cracked roof tiles
Plumbing leaks
Sliding door and window rollers
Small cracks in walls and ceilings and brickwork
Doors and windows not closing properly
After you receive the report its decision Time.
If there is only small issues you can negotiate to have them fixed or you just wear it. Most sellers will negotiate and others won’t, but these cannot be classed as deal breakers.
When it comes to major issues it is your opportunity to pull out or negotiate a price reduction that reflects the cost to rectify the issues or get the seller to fix them. However it is advisable for the buyer to get the reduction and do the repairs themselves, then you know you will get the best possible repair job. Some sellers will get the cheapest and not always the best job done. So the more you know about a property the better. Then the report becomes your negotiating tool or just a life saver.
In most of the reports there will be something found and you will be happy to have found out prior to buying your new home.
How do you select a building and pest inspector
Do your research before selecting property inspectors.
Firstly you must make sure the inspection company is fully licensed and insured. This could potentially can save you from financial loss especially after you have bought a property that was deemed to have no major structural or damage issues. And in fact it did and was missed by the inspector. Don’t just go by price alone. So make sure you get two seperate inspectors as they specialise in their field of expertise. Choosing an inspector that does both is not advisable but they are generally cheaper. But as the saying goes you get what you paid for. Don’t accept reports supplied by the seller or the sellers agent as they are only for the person who ordered the inspection and if any major issues were missed you cannot legally use that report to claim any compensation.
Most people have their own interests at heart. So do not get sucked in by agents or even builders telling you you don’t need an inspection done.. I had a case where an agent told the buyer that the place was protected from termites and pointed out an inspection port for the drainage and said it was the termite barrier. These people ended up getting termites and they caused about 5k worth of damage. I couldn’t believe what was done to them.
All building and pest inspection reports must comply with the Australian Standard (AS 4349.1) and 4349.3/2010
It is a good idea to attend the inspection. Also we encourage this so you can follow up with the inspector and he will explain any issues found after the inspection is completed. Additionally they will walk you around pointing out any problems with the property and talk you through the inspection report and put things in perspective.
Give our office a call to book your inspection on +610732008586
Certified home inspections is part of Certified home services and we use Five Star Building Inspections for our building inspections. We service all o Brisbane-Gold Coast-Ipswich Areas.
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