You do not buy a house like you buy a bag of candy at the convenience store! Although a far-fetched analogy, many buyers continue to believe that buying a house is a simple thing, and that the pre-purchase inspection is a breeze. Make me laugh! The purchase of a home is, for 90% of Australians, THE biggest purchase of their life. So, you’re telling me that for the biggest purchase of their lives, you should just leave things to chance? This question answers itself.
When it comes time to sign the papers and buy your first house, you want to have the certainty that everything is in good condition and that the house does not contain secret problems. To be sure that the house you are buying will not cause you any unpleasant surprises, you must entrust the pre-purchase inspection of the house to a professional, i.e. a certified building inspector. No your Uncle John the carpenter or Jane your aunt the designer cannot do it for $25! No, to have a reliable opinion and get a fair and thorough analysis, you must have your future purchase inspected by Building Property Inspections Melbourne.
I can already hear you grumbling that it will cost you a few hundred dollars, but it will potentially save you thousands in the future!
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Avoid that your shopping project becomes a horror story!
I know what you are saying to yourself! You probably think that if the house is clean, the siding looks good and the roof looks good, you’re ready to close the sale, or as we say in English “good to go!”.
BIG MISTAKE ! It does not matter what you do, unless you’re an inspector, obviously, you do not have all the qualifications to inspect the house you want to buy.
Neglect to mandate a home inspector to do the pre-purchase inspection of your home is the #1 error of the buyer’s manual. An inspection of a few hundred dollars could save you thousands of dollars.
You do not believe me? Just tell yourself there are several horror stories of buyers who have not done a pre-purchase inspection before buying their home. Do you want an example? Very well.
My brother-in-law Paul recently bought a house in the country and thought that the pre-purchase inspection was useless because he was a carpenter. If the roof was in bad shape, he would have seen it!
Well, you know, my brother-in-law completely forgot to look at the heating system and he had to shell out $8,000 a few months later because it conked out. It was not a hidden defect, just wear and tear. An inspector would have quickly noticed that the heating system was old, but my brother-in-law did not see anything. He then admitted that he would have done better to pay an inspector a few hundred dollars, to better identify the negatives which he could then have used to negotiate, rather than to pay the full price and then still have to pay thousands of dollars.
So, avoid this horror story by simply hiring a home inspector to do a pre-purchase inspection. It’s ALL you have to do! Not complicated, right?
What does a pre-purchase inspection cost?
You want the real price of a pre-purchase inspection, so here it is! In fact, the average price for a pre-purchase inspection is around $375-$500.
Then there are obviously the discount inspectors who make big promotions and inspect for $300 (be careful of them and always ask several questions).
There are also high-end inspectors, who for their part charge about $600-750 for an inspection. Why “high-end” and above all, why more expensive? Excellent question! In fact, some inspectors provide follow-up before, during and after the inspection service and will give you a customer service that is MUCH better than an ordinary inspector. They will answer all your questions, even after the inspection is complete and the report submitted and will be happy to advise you on your purchase plan.
Now know the real prices for a pre-purchase inspection!
What’s included in a pre-purchase inspection?
Yes, I’m sure it’s a question that many first-time buyers are asking. What does a building inspector inspect when he walks on a property? That’s a very good question, and you must know what he’s looking for to be able to ask him the right questions. In fact, it is generally said that there are 7 crucial points to check in a pre-purchase inspection. To summarise the main points an inspector must look at are:
- Inspection of the building structure
- The inspection of the roof
- Inspection of the heating system
- Inspection from outside the property
- Inspection of the electrical system
- Inspection of the plumbing system
- Inspection of air conditioning and ventilation systems
As you can see, a building inspector does not just look at the look of the building like your Uncle John! He must conduct a complete and visual analysis of all components of the building. In addition, he gives you at the end of the inspection a nice complete file that describes his observations.
I tell you it’s quite useful when it comes to negotiating with the seller if something is not the way it should be! The pre-purchase inspection is an INVESTMENT that can save you thousands of dollars, while allowing you to have a fair depiction of the house you want to buy. And the best part of all this is that you are sure you will not have any nasty surprises.
