Why you should get a property inspection
"Why should I get a property inspection? The house seemed fine to me"
This might seem like a silly question given you’re already on a property inspection site, but if you’re just here to alleviate fears that you can get away without one, you’re sadly mistaken.
By now you’ve probably got the perfect property in mind, and you’ve either made an offer or you’re going a mile a minute because you’re worried it might sell before you can lock it down.
First and foremost, the biggest reasons to get a property inspection is peace of mind and for financial reasons. There are already a lot of costs involved with buying and moving into a house; a deposit, a mortgage, paying rates and taxes, buying new furniture and doing some renovations, the list goes on. The last thing you need is to have to spend $20,000 fixing the structural integrity of a load-bearing wall, which a building inspector would have spotted for $400.
How a real estate agent sells you your dream home varies state to state, and also what they must disclose to you. In New South Wales, you only have to disclose flood damage, in South Australia it’s if there is a mining tenement over the property, and in Victoria it’s if the property is in a bushfire prone area. Some states like the ACT also require the real estate agent to be a bit more rigorous in disclosing faults, but in states like Victoria it’s essentially at the buyers’ risk.
Pre purchase inspections allow you to be absolutely certain that the house you’re going to be living in (or renting out) for the years to come is of sound structural integrity and has no visible faults.
Both termite inspections and asbestos inspections are a separate specialty inspection that’s often worth considering, or talking about with your building inspector. These are often harder to see at first glance or need certain tools that a specialist can provide.
Finally, it helps to reveal the bigger picture about the house. The structural integrity of the roof isn’t why you fell in love with buying this property, nor is it the amazing plumbing (although the water pressure helps!). It was for the layout, the hardwood floors, the wall color and the opportunity that it provides. Having a building inspector walk through the house gives you a fresh and professional set of eyes that can point out things you might not have noticed, or even subtly turned a blind eye to because you didn’t realize just how big of an issue it was going to be.
In the end, its definitely up to the buyer to make the final decision, but having a pre-purchase or pre-auction property inspection done will give you all the information you need to make that well informed choice.
Australian Property & Building Inspections are a nationally recognized organization that carry out a variety of inspections.
- Pre-Purchase Inspections
- Pre-Auction Inspections
- Pre-Sale Inspections
- Asbestos Inspections
- Pest and Termite Inspections
Inspections can be booked online now or over the phone:
ONLINE: APBI.com.au
PHONE: 1300 657 546