What is a Pre-sale Home Inspection?

they make an offer or as part of the contract of sale.

Both types of building inspections are conducted by an independent building inspector such as Home Building Assist.

Are Pre-sale Home Inspections Necessary, Even for Newly Constructed Houses?

This will depend on the age of the home. When a home is newly built, the builder and owner undergo a pre-handover building inspection to ensure the construction has met regulations.

If it is the original owner you are looking to buy from, it would be in their best interest to show you the new home final handover inspection report. Further, you may also like to find out if there were any defects and which ones were rectified.

Why is a Pre-sale Home Inspection Necessary?

There are a few reasons why a pre-sale home inspection is needed.

Buyer Confidence

Another key point is that when you are able to produce the pre-sale inspection report and prove that there were no defects, or that identified defects have been fixed, you have a greater chance of selling your home.

Building trust is an important part of the process. Potential buyers will feel confident they are buying a structurally sound home.

Higher Chance of Sale

Your pre-sale building inspection report will identify any defects that need addressing. Having this knowledge gives you the opportunity to improve the condition of your home.

As has been noted, there are no doubts by your potential home buyers when it comes to finalising the contract of sale. An added benefit is that you are also likely to have less delays with the sale going through.

Potentially Higher Sale Price

If a home inspection is not conducted and your potential buyer undertakes a pre-purchase building inspection, they may uncover problems. Sometimes a potential buyer will then want you to either fix those defects, negotiate a cheaper home sale price or walk away altogether.

Further, if you rely on the buyer to pay for a building inspection they are the owners of the condition report. When you request a pre-sale inspection, you are the owner of the document and can produce it as needed.

It’s not worth the risk of the potential loss of the sale.

What Are Some Practical Tips to Prepare My Home for Sale?

The better condition your home is in, the greater chance it will sell and potentially fetch a better price. Hence, as part of the preparation, you’ll want to get your home in order prior to your building inspection.

What to do:

• Make a list. Decide what you need to do and who will complete it.
• Plan ahead. Allow plenty of time based on your list and organise the tasks.
• Consider if you need a skip to remove old items and also what you might want to give to charity.
• Consider the house facade, landscape, roof, garage, gutters and areas that might need attention.
• Make your home appealing to the masses by removing personal items.
• Research real estate agents and find out if they include a stylist for getting your home ready to sell.
• Ensure you have allowed time to move on to your next property including organizing services and a removalist.
• Do some research on how much houses in your area are selling for or have sold for based on age and location and the condition of the house from the outside. Gauge what work has been done to improve the appearance, what the asking price was and the end sale price.

Best Pre-sale Home Inspections

The best pre-sale home inspections should be conducted by someone who has years of experience in the industry, is a registered builder and understands what to look for. Sadly, there are not certification requirements in Victoria to become a building inspector which leaves the industry open to amateurs.

The Home Building Assist building inspector is a registered builder, has over thirty years experience in the residential building industry and has obtained the QMB inspector certification for extra peace of mind.

Our experience, skillset and expertise make us your ideal pre-sale building inspector.

Call us today to talk about how we can help you get a better outcome when selling your home.