Why Pre-Purchase Property Inspections are Critical for Home Buyers

What is a Pre purchase Building inspection?

A pre purchase building inspection is a detailed visual inspection of a property that is being sold or purchased. Our Home Building Assist building inspector provides a report which outlines any major concerns with the property.

The pre-purchase home inspection needs to comply with relevant Australian Standard codes.

The standard requires our building inspector to report on 6 key areas of a property’s components by way of a visual inspection. The findings are then documented in a comprehensive report.

As a minimum the standard requires reporting of major defects with the property as defined by the standard. Additionally, our building inspector will make some general observations as to the extent of minor defects in the home when compared to other similar homes built in the same era of the home being inspected.

The 6 areas of inspection are as follows:
(a)The interior of the building.
(b) The roof space.
(c) The exterior of the building.
(d) The sub-floor space.
(e) The roof exterior.
(f) The property within 30 m of the building subject to inspection.

Who can Conduct a Pre-Purchase Building Inspection?

A pre purchase home inspection should be conducted by a suitably qualified inspector who has the building knowledge and expertise to comply with Australian Standard 4349.1—2007 Inspection of buildings Part 1: Pre-purchase inspections— Residential buildings.

This standard sets out the minimum requirements required to conduct a pre purchase building inspection for a client.

Victorian building inspectors are not required to have inspector certification however, we have obtained the MBQ inspector certification giving you extra peace of mind.

We provide a pre-purchase building inspections in Geelong and also pre-purchase building inspections in Melbourne. With two offices – one in Torquay (no appointments at this office) and one in Essendon (appointment by booking so our inspector is available), we can assist a range of property buyers and sellers.

Protection – The Reason Why Pre-Purchase Property Inspections are Critical for Home Buyers?

If you were buying a second-hand vehicle, and you knew nothing about the car, wouldn’t you want an expert in the field to give you an opinion on the condition and/or potential risk of buying that car?

Buying a home is no different, other than it’s one of the biggest investments that you will make. It makes sense to have an expert look beyond the elements that you have fallen in love with and give you all the information required to make an informed decision.

Purchasing real estate knowing the potential problems in areas that you would not have inspected at any of the opens, or at the auction, will give you confidence to make an informed decision on your potential property purchase.

Who Needs a Pre-purchase Building Inspection?

A pre purchase inspection is a way to find out if a property has any major damage. It is usually requested by a prospective purchaser, and often a contract is signed subject to a “satisfactory building inspection”. This important clause gives you as a buyer ‘an out’ if defects are well beyond what you feel is acceptable.

Otherwise you may request that the home vendor fix certain defects in order for the sale to go ahead, or negotiate a better price. Alternatively, you may choose to purchase knowing what the issues are, rather than finding out after settlement.

To a lesser extent a vendor may have a pre sale building inspection conducted prior to listing their property. By doing so they too understand what major defects are present that may affect the property list price. This gives them the chance to decide prior to listing if the reported issues should be addressed.

This approach can limit the potential loss of a sale when the report is requested by you, the purchaser. So you are not scared off by your own report if a vendor doesn’t have their property inspected beforehand. Or as often is the case have the report used as a means of negotiating a cheaper price.

Independent and Non-Biased Pre-sale Property Inspections

The pre-purchase building inspector’s job is not to show any bias to either vendor or purchaser. They report the inspection findings, as assessed according to the methodology within the Australian Standard.

Queensland is the only state in Australia that requires that a pre purchase inspector is licensed, a registered builder and insured. The other states do not require such stringent qualifications which makes appointing the right inspector all the more difficult.

Our recommendation is to deal with an inspector that operates under the Queensland model. They are registered builders with a current building license. They are insured and trained to inspect and report in accordance with the Australian Standard.

Why Home Building Assist is your Best Pre Purchase Building Inspection Choice

Why is it important that your inspector is a registered builder? No amount of courses and training can compensate for years of hands-on experience building homes, that our inspector has at Home Building Assist. That experience goes a long way in knowing what to look for in a home & determining the severity of defects.

Home Building Assist are independent, non-biased and hold the Queensland Inspector Certification. Our pre-purchase building inspector is a registered builder with over 30 years in the construction industry building luxury homes.

Aside from our building inspection services for Melbourne and Geelong areas, we also have access to many contacts in the industry. If you would like us to put you in touch with a property conveyancer then get in touch.

We are happy to hear from you and answer any questions or provide a pre-purchase building inspection quote. Alternatively, we also provide a range of answers to your most commonly asked questions about prepurchase building inspections.

Resources:

REIV – Inspectors can enter a property with an agent.