A building inspection, also know as a property or house inspection is designed to give you independent and objective advice about the physical state of a building. This advice enables you to make an informed decision, usually about whether to purchase a property or not.

Inspection reports are a snapshot in time. Therefore, you should always ensure you refer to a current inspection.

It may seem like one of the more tedious aspects of buying a home, but building inspections are definately worth it. The real estate equivalent of a test drive, they let you know whether the property you're thinking about buying is worth the asking price, or whether it's worth buying at all.

A normal building inspection usually takes between 1 and 3 hours depending on the size of the building, amount of defects noted and available access at the time of inspection.

There's no hard and fast rule for when to walk away from a home after an inspection. It completely depends on how much you want the home and how willing you are to make the repairs yourself if the seller isn't willing to negotiate.

Wherever possible, you should always book a pre-purchase property inspection before entering into a contract. This will allow you the freedom to move on to another property if the one you're currently interested in doesn't pass muster.

Structural movement.

Small movement in homes happen all the time, but when the safety of the structure is compromised, a property will fail building inspections. Such indicators would be cracks in the brickwork and paving, cracked or bulging walls inside the property.

Benefits of getting a building inspection report done before buying a property are:

• Knowing in advance what the problems are

• Using the information to negotiate a lower price for the property ie. you may have to pay to repair some of the problems,

• Gaining specialist advice about any major problems and how they will affect the property over time.

There is an Australian Standard that pre-purchase building inspection reports must comply with, but this does not include style or content.

Reports are divided in the following sections:

• Property Description.

• Primary method of construction.

• Safety Hazards.

• Major Defects (Internally and externally).

• Minor Defects.
  
  

You can contact us to get a sample report if you are still unsure.

Reports are guaranteed on the same day of the inspection. Thus you will have your report before the end of the day.

It is best to book ahead as far as possible as there are a lot of parties involved when arranging access to a property. Real estate agents need to be contacted; tenants / owners are sometimes involved to obtain access to the property.

Should you be in a hurry, we can usually get your inspection done within 2-3 days.

It is best to give us a call to arrange urgent inspections.

An Inspection usually goes ahead when it is raining.On the downside, the inspector will only be inspecting your roof exterior form the ladder instead of climbing on top of the roof due to safety reasons. On the upside, the rain usually highlights a lot of moisture issues like leaking gutters, roofs and poor surface drainage around the building which would otherwise be difficult to detect.

A timber pest inspection identifies termite/ timber pest activity, previous termite/ timber pest damage and conducive conditions for timber pest attack.

Different technologies are used to detect pest activity which can include radar scanning, thermal scanning and moisture detection.

In addition, we will identify any timber pest management systems installed on the property and make recommendations to safe guard your property against future attack/ infestations.

Any pest that can cause damage to a timber structure.

• Termites

• Borers

• Fungal attack (wood rot, chemical delignification)

If an inspection reveals that termites are present, but the infestation is minor, and the seller is willing to have the home treated for termites at his or her expense and pay for repairs, the property may still be worth considering.The area of activity will be left undisturbed, and a Pest Management Technician will have to be contracted for treatment. Only after treatment is complete can the areas be assessed for damage.

Yes, you are more than welcome to attend the inspection to discuss the findings afterwards. You will need to inform your real estate agent that you will be attending as they would need to arrange this with the tenants/ owners as well.

No, the report will only indicate the area, defect and recommended trades person for repair with a photo of the defect.

For an estimation on repairs further investigation and measurement is required which might involve the removal of certain building elements to gain access.

The report is yours to do with as you please. You can share the report with your builder, agent or vendor.

The inspector’s contact information is located at the back of the report should any of the parties involved wish to discuss any aspect of the report.

Our service does not stop with the completion of the report, we are always available for assistance afterwards.