If you are buying an existing home, we always recommend conducting a Pest & Building Inspection before you commit. Having these inspections carried out before you commit to a binding contract will help you identify any near-future building issues. The inspector should also be able to give you professional advice on how to repair these issues or let you know a rough cost on how much things will be to repair. From this, during your negotiation stage, you will be able to relay to your conveyancer the advice you have received and ask them to negotiate price or negotiate that the issues be fixed before settlement and make the agreed arrangements a condition of the contract for sale. Keep in mind, the Vendor’s may not always accept any requests put forward, so you should think about whether you still want to proceed with purchasing the property or not. Once contracts are binding there are normally clauses in the contract for sale that you accept the property in its present state condition and repair. So ensuring you are happy with the property before you commit to your purchase is extremely important.
This inspection should be conducted by a licensed builder to ensure you are going to be provided with the appropriate advice and you will know that the building will comply with the Australian Standard. Their job is to let you know of any safety hazards that wouldn’t be identifiable by the normal eye. They check the entire outside of the building (Including the roof and under the house) for any cracks, leaks, defects or sagging. Then everything else on the inside that you wouldn’t normally see through your initial inspection such as mould, leaks, floors, plumbing, etc. Things such as cracked windows, a lifted floorboard, hole in the wall, etc you will be able to see when you walk through the property so you shouldn’t rely on a pest and building report to tell you that. When making your offer, you should keep things like that in mind, so you don’t overspend.
If you can find an inspector that also has a license to conduct pest inspections, then you will be able to have both carried out at the same time and usually they offer a combined price. This will save you a lot of time and most times, will save you some money. Having this conducted will let you know if they have had or have any pest infestations such as (termites, rodents, ants, etc.). Again, this is where you will ask your conveyancer to request that a pest treatment is put in place before settlement.
Once these inspections have been conducted, you will receive a detailed report usually containing images that relate to what the inspector has found along with advice on how to manage/ treat it. A lot of Pest & Building Inspectors will give you a verbal run down after they have inspected the property to explain it however if they don’t, we always recommend giving them a call if you have any questions relating to the report as they are the professional in that industry and it’s what you’re paying for.
How do you find a qualified and licensed pest and building inspector who will best fit to inspect your potential future home? A lot of conveyancers and agents will have inspectors that they trust and recommend so asking them first for recommendations or for them to send in the request will make your purchase process a little easier.