Browse Forums General Discussion Re: Adv. to having Building + Pest inspection BEFORE offer? 6Nov 10, 2013 7:03 am Foremost Building Expert in Australia,assisting with building problems/disputes, building stage inspections,pre-contract review advice for peace of mind 200 blogs http://www.buildingexpert.net.au/blog Re: Adv. to having Building + Pest inspection BEFORE offer? 7Nov 10, 2013 8:21 am Rather than go thru the hassle of dealing with a real estate agent and signing a contract, giving a deposit, engaging a building inspector, and then having to pull out and reclaim the deposit, its just easier to get in there and inspect the property from the get go , THEN sign a contract which would then usually only be subject to finance. Most buyers engage an inspector, so it becomes a due diligence cost, and people wont incur costs on a property unless they have a right to purchase via a contract. So I presume the buyer is inspecting it himself at no cost? Re: Adv. to having Building + Pest inspection BEFORE offer? 8Nov 10, 2013 10:31 am That would work in a buyers market, not in a sellers market we're experiencing currently. If a property has been on the market for 3 months then go for it. Bear in mind, as a seller, if a buyer paid for a inspection before making an offer, I wouldn't discount the asking price (even if I was prepared to do so) unless the inspection noted major issues. Why? For the buyer to outlay the cost of the inspection means they are already happy with the asking price. Of course there isn't a 100℅ correct method but you'll be wasting a lot of money on multiple inspections on houses in this current sellers market. Re: Adv. to having Building + Pest inspection BEFORE offer? 9Nov 11, 2013 7:38 am JB1 That would work in a buyers market, not in a sellers market we're experiencing currently. Its a buyers market just about eveyrwhere in Australia, so may I ask where you are from? Sydney I presume? Re: Adv. to having Building + Pest inspection BEFORE offer? 11Apr 12, 2017 8:32 am I know its not,but I think it should be the vendors responsibility to have all the inspections done and ready for viewing by prospective purchasers,like a car roadworthy.Whats the point of 10 or so prospective purchasers all getting a termite inspection.If it all was from the same inspection company they would be racking it in.Just have to change the name on who the inspection was done for.And how about auctions,would you pay and have a termite inspection before you go and bid? And what about a land survey,every keen purchaser pay and have that done too to make sure the fences are in the right position? This all should be done and dusted by the vendor prior to putting the house on the market,instead of this stupid buyer beware mentality. Re: Adv. to having Building + Pest inspection BEFORE offer? 12Apr 12, 2017 2:52 pm The problem with vendor reports is that it could lead to the corrupted process where real estate agents(working for the vendor) control who does the inspection. Naturally, they may be tempted to use inspectors they know, or can get a discount or the ones that will pay them a kickback. If you want to be absolutely sure you are getting independent advice then you must get your own inspector. I have refused agent's requests for kickbacks many times, and offers of "working relationship why? It's because pre-purchase property inspector duty is to the purchaser and not to anyone else. Over the years I have lost a lot of work this way, but hey I am sleeping like a baby and anyway I get my share (on my terms). I have had the biggest compliment twice now from agents who never recommend me but now want me to do the inspection why? It's because they are buying for themselves and have no confidence in the donkeys they use in the hope they don't pick up too much. By the way, I never on sell my reports (unless my client has pulled out) because I believe that the person paying me for the report should have the benefit of my expertise (and not everyone else). So in most cases, I have politely refused even though I could have made more money selling my reports to multiple purchasers. I have heard many complaining about the cost of reports (particularly) when they miss out at auction but hey that's the cost of investment. For every complaint, there are three times many of those who dearly wished they had one done it because now they face tens of thousands in problems that have cropped up. Remember auction is unconditional no second takes. Foremost Building Expert in Australia,assisting with building problems/disputes, building stage inspections,pre-contract review advice for peace of mind 200 blogs http://www.buildingexpert.net.au/blog Re: Adv. to having Building + Pest inspection BEFORE offer? 13Apr 12, 2017 3:21 pm Here in the ACT the vendor has to have a professional building inspection done before a property goes on the market (the report forms part of the contract of sale). The vendor pays for it initially but is reimbursed after the sale by the purchaser (on top of the sale price). The advantage is that there's better visibility to the buyer about the state of the property before they put in an offer. It also provides an opportunity for the vendor to fix up things prior to sale if they want to - that's what I did last time I sold, and was able to ask for a higher price as a result. Fears that unscrupulous vendors will select inspectors they know won't be looking too hard fortunately don't appear to have materialised (at least not to a widespread degree) - it helps that the inspectors are required to have indemnity insurance coverage in case something important is missed. The disadvantage is that the quality of the inspections can be still be variable, and quite often vendors will just opt for the lowest price 'tick and flick' inspectors (this was a source of minor frustration for me as a buyer). Potential vendors who are really concerned will organise their own independent inspections, but (if they purchase) that means they effectively end up paying for two inspections of the property. It's not a perfect system by any means, but on balance I prefer it to my experiences buying and selling in other states. Re: Adv. to having Building + Pest inspection BEFORE offer? 14Apr 13, 2017 8:38 am You have just vindicated everything I said and more. How is a "tick and flick" report not a waste of money? But there are other aspects. Pre-purchase property report is essentially a condition report with limitations, exclusions, and disclaimers as per AS4349.1. What it does not tell you why particular issues have occurred and what are the consequence, how to fix and the prognosis. So if you have the choice between tick and flick lowest cost inspector(basic training and experience) and someone who has built almost everything there is to build with close to 10,000 inspections and seen almost everything there is to see, who is better placed to give you the right opinion? Discount hunters are stupid. They go for the lowest price. It takes no intelligence to pay the lowest price. If they are lucky (not deceived by the ticketing tricks) they will save maybe 20% I am a value hunter. I will pay 50% more to get 3000% more in value. Keep that in mind whenever you are buying anything, including a pre-purchase inspection or a building stage inspection Foremost Building Expert in Australia,assisting with building problems/disputes, building stage inspections,pre-contract review advice for peace of mind 200 blogs http://www.buildingexpert.net.au/blog Re: Adv. to having Building + Pest inspection BEFORE offer? 15Apr 13, 2017 12:32 pm I agree with you, and I'm glad that I've vindicated your position. I've seen a fair bit of speculation from several people about what would happen if inspections were made mandatory prior to a sale, and decided to post to point out that people don't need to speculate, they just need to look at where it's already happening within Australia. As I said, the cheaper inspections were a source of frustration to me as a buyer. On both occasions that I've sold in the ACT I've deliberately engaged a good property inspector as a basic courtesy to my prospective buyers - but most vendors aren't so considerate. Are the cheap inspections a complete waste of money? No. Are they worth the ~$700 going rate? I don't think so, and I did resent (a little, admittedly its only a very small proportion of the costs of buying, especially here) having to pay for that as well as my own choice of (much better) building inspector (which people still have the option of doing). As you rightly say, value for money is often quite different from 'lowest price'. I do, however, think it's better here than elsewhere where (let's be honest) too many houses are sold without any building inspection at all. But it's certainly not perfect, it's not the fix that some people seem to think it'd be, and I strongly recommend individual buyers everywhere ensure that they have a good building inspector on their side (compulsory inspections or no). When we start building later this year, a good independent building inspector is a must-have for us. I have to admit that I struggle to understand the mindset that people have about not using independent inspectors - I really don't get why people would willingly subject themselves to that risk (a read through these forums should be all the encouragement people need). The same as for not getting a solicitor to review a contract prior to signature - it's just basic risk management. Re: Adv. to having Building + Pest inspection BEFORE offer? 16Apr 13, 2017 8:16 pm Algernon, look no further than NSW and their flipping annual car inspections for ones older than 5 years old. Totally useless, but espouses the creeping bureaucracy that you and BE seem so fond of. There is some merit in what you say, but again its a cost foisted on to some of us that we dont need. I never take my car to a mechanic, I never use a building inspector, I dont need anyne to tell me my pool is safely fenced....etc.etc.etc, but big brother assumes we are all morons with the IQ of a flea and forces us to engage "professionals" for our own good because apparently we are too stupid to know anything.. I would prefer a halfway measure where purchasors can opt in/out of these things and thus have a choice of whether they want to enforce these types of regulations. Opting out then automatically removes any opportunity to sue or seek legal redress. Re: Adv. to having Building + Pest inspection BEFORE offer? 17Apr 14, 2017 8:13 am qebtel says " I never take my car to a mechanic, I never use a building inspector, I dont need anyne to tell me my pool is safely fenced....etc.etc.etc" You are either incredibly gifted (unlikely) and even if you were, lack the grace towards those that are not (like me that had to work bloody hard for the education and the experience) or are deluded (most likely). I suspect you are just running on a dose of undeserved dumb luck. With your talents perhaps you should write a book on DIY brain surgery, I will be the first one to review it. The fact is that most people don't have the building knowledge to do their own building inspection, or the time to do it because they are busy with whatever they do best. Even if they do they want the comfort of a second opinion underwritten by expertise and PI because the cost of getting it wrong could ruin their investment. If you are seriously ill, you would want second opinion, right? Prevention is better than cure right? Your home is the biggest investment in your life right? Recently I helped a client (who is in IT) with his building dispute, he is smart has read his contract and specification and the legislation and understood everything but could not connect the dots, and could not get it to gel because he lacked the relevant experience. Unlike you qebtel, I know I can't do everything and actually like to pay others for services I need, value and respect them and actually enjoy them when they are done well. So if one day I need a brain surgery (God forbid) I won't be reaching for your book. Foremost Building Expert in Australia,assisting with building problems/disputes, building stage inspections,pre-contract review advice for peace of mind 200 blogs http://www.buildingexpert.net.au/blog Re: Adv. to having Building + Pest inspection BEFORE offer? 18Apr 14, 2017 9:43 am Ahh, Brancko, you trigger so easily. Nope Im not gifted like Mozart or Beethoven or Yngwie Malmsteen, but Im not dumb either. Cars, pools, and houses are not rocket science my friend, they are inanimate objects that can be figured out quite easily, believe it or not. You are always defending your position here and repeatedly citing all the years of learning you have done to earn your quals. Thats fine, I dont begrudge you that, because there are people who need your services, and are willing to pay for them. After all thats how our societal systems work - get an education, get a good paying job (like Joe Hockey told us), buy a big house, get married, have kids, etc etc. Just be aware not all of us are lemmings who follow the same blind adherence to rules just because they are there and put in place by big brother who tells us how to think and behave. If you apply yourself, you can often avoid the compliance with the mainstream. You may impune that I am dicing with Lady Luck all you like, but as someone who has worked repeatedly worked on every square inch of a house, and know about standards and where to get them off the net, I know enough about houses to be confident in making my own assessment when purchasing . The only time I have engaged someone on a pre purchase is to have an electronic scan done for termites on a slab in ground house, but that was for someone else. This may hurt your ego, but when inspecting houses, I do not need your services. Sorry about that. You are right Brancko, I am one in a million. Dont you love me even more? Re: Adv. to having Building + Pest inspection BEFORE offer? 20Apr 14, 2017 11:46 pm It's on my web site www.buildingexpert.net.au click on book an inspection and it will be at the bottom of the page building inspection agreement timber pest inspection agreement It's from my PI insurer and it is based on AS 4349.1, 4349.3 and 4349.0 Within the terms on my PI insuance I am required to direct customers to read pre inspection agreement. It simply means, if you don't like it don't book, you have the choice, conversely if you do then you know what you are getting for your money. To all those critical of disclaimers , exclusions and inspection limitations I say put yourself in inspector's shoes, what would you do? Some years ago I completed a relatively easy inspection and the young lady said to me that i was getting too much money for what I do. Then I told her i would put her on as my assistant and to come with me to the next job but she would have to crawl under house and in the roof space and say hello to all the spiders. That was the end of that. Foremost Building Expert in Australia,assisting with building problems/disputes, building stage inspections,pre-contract review advice for peace of mind 200 blogs http://www.buildingexpert.net.au/blog Hi group, have some damage to the door frame and skirting board. It's a side door to the laundry area. Only has a security door. I had a termite inspection (note drill… 0 5051 Brass fly wire, you will need to cut it, shape it and jam it into brick slots 1 7450 4 1829 |