Do I need a pre-purchase building inspection? What if the home is brand new or another buyer has already had an inspection done? The agent has assured me the property is fine – do I actually need a pre-purchase inspection? Can my mate the builder do it?
As a property buyer, you need a home inspection to determine the true condition of the home you want to purchase. Accurately identifying a property’s state of condition is very difficult without a qualified building inspector.
Insights from the inspector: I recently worked on a house that looked amazing on the surface. It had been freshly painted and had modern finishes that buyers were lapping up! Unfortunately, on closer inspection, I discovered significant structural issues beneath those finishes! For example, the foundation showed signs of uneven settling. This had caused cracks hidden behind freshly painted walls and strategically placed furniture. Not good! But a great way to reiterate the need for a comprehensive building inspection.
The vendor will do anything to sell their house
It is not in the vendor’s interest to disclose a list of potential faults lurking within their house. In fact, some vendors go to extraordinary lengths to conceal defects. From rendering brick walls to hide external faults to falsifying building approval documents.
You name it, we have seen it all; this is why a pre-purchase building inspection is an essential step in buying your home. If the seller has had pre-purchase property inspections done by other buyers, they may offer them to you as proof—and to save you a few bucks. Just remember that the vendor will do anything to sell their house. Not all people in the property game are honest!
The real estate agent is working for the vendor
The vendor has employed the real estate agent to obtain the best possible price for the sale of their house. Estate agents and vendors ideally do not want a building inspection to detect faults. This will jeopardise their sale and commission or introduce a re-negotiation of the purchase price.
To get around these problems, some real estate agents will employ building and pest inspectors to create a report on the home. This may be offered to you to help you decide if you should buy. The building and pest inspector works for the real estate agency. It’s their job to paint a positive light on the property. Getting a 100% independent building and pest inspector to carry out your pre-purchase inspection is vital.
Can my mate, the building, do my pre-purchase inspection?
By all means, take a qualified builder to open homes with you—they will be very handy when it comes to spotting issues associated with their trade. The issue is that a carpenter is not a roofer, a roofer is not a renderer, and a renderer is not a plumber. Building and Pest Inspectors have a very specific skill set that applies across all building industry trades.
While a builder will be invaluable at your open home tours, it’s still vital to get a proper, insured building and pest inspector to carry out the final checks.
Building and pest inspection clauses
All building and pest inspection firms will provide you with a series of terms and conditions that describe their liability in the case of missing something. For thorough, professional building and pest inspectors, this is an insurance necessity that is rarely even raised. Unfortunately, for some of the less reputable Brisbane building and pest inspectors, these clauses are their “get out of jail free” card for doing a shoddy job on your pre-purchase inspection.
High-volume building and pest inspection firms allot their inspectors very limited time to do each job and generate the report. This means you may receive a report containing stock photos, unfinished information, and “excuses” as to why areas weren’t properly inspected. A building and pest inspection can’t be done in 15 minutes. If it is, you know your property inspection firm is paying more for lawyers than conscientious staff!
You can view our inspection checklist here.
Insurance and banking implications of skipping your pre-purchase inspection
If you’re considering skipping the pre-purchase inspection process, you may end up in some serious trouble when it comes time to finalise your finance. Your bank may want to see proof of the quality of the property before handing over your new mortgage. Getting a low quality building and pest inspection, or worse still, no building and pest inspection could hold up the process right at the worst time.
Similarly, buying your property without a reputable pre-purchase inspector’s report could mean your insurance company refuses to pay up for problems with your home. You could be hundreds of thousands of dollars out of pocket for the sake of saving a few bucks on a proper inspection. Learn more about pricing here.
Do I need a pre-purchase inspection? YES!
As our motto suggests “The Whole Truth and Nothing but the Truth” is what we provide.
Some businesses will produce an ‘agent and vendor friendly’ building inspection report to ensure future referrals and business opportunities. At Action Property Inspections, we prefer to outline the exact condition of the property and gain referrals from satisfied clients who currently provide 82 % of our business! Choose your inspector carefully.
Our reputation for quality and attention to detail is established on a foundation of thousands of building inspections. You can rest assured we are fully licensed and carry full professional indemnity insurance. We’ll deliver a report that will leave you with no doubts and peace of mind that you have made a well-informed decision on your prospective purchase.
Contact the team at Action Property Inspections today to book your pre-purchase property inspection!