Buying a new home is an exciting time, but it also comes with its share of responsibilities and tasks, some of which are all too often overlooked. When you’ve found a home you love and are ready to submit an Offer and Acceptance, it’s easy to forego crucial protections like building inspections, though this hastiness is something for which you may find yourself paying heavily in the future. Before you submit your Offer and Acceptance and begin in earnest the process of purchasing a home, consider including these vital inspections to protect your interests.
Types of Building Inspections New Buyers Can’t Afford to Skip
There are several different types of targeted inspections, which are designed to shed light on any problems which could be lurking out of sight to the untrained eye. Some of these can have a very real impact on your financial health in relation to purchasing a home, as they can uncover issues which would be expensive to repair or could compromise the integrity of your new home.
- Structural Inspections – Professional building inspections don’t cover daily maintenance issues like missing light bulbs or peeling paint, but t they do focus on the structural integrity of the property as a whole. Unless you have professional experience within the building trades, for instance, you may not be able to spot the signs of rising damp or foundation damage. These issues can be costly to repair and have a tremendous impact on the safety of your home; fortunately, a registered building inspector can detect the telltale signs of structural trouble.
- Timber Pest Inspections – Throughout the world, there are more than 350 types of termite alone, though only a handful of these varieties consume and damage timber. Australia is home to every species of termite, though, which can leave Australian homeowners in a difficult position if they’re not protected. A timber pest inspection can uncover not only signs of an existing infestation, but also damage sustained as a result of past problems.
- Comprehensive Building Inspections – Unlike highly specialised building inspections which focus on a single issue, comprehensive building inspections cover a variety of issues which could lead to property trouble down the line.
What New Home Buyers Should Know About Building Inspections
It’s a common misconception that professional building inspectors provide a pass-or-fail grade which can affect your ability to obtain financing for your new home or dictate whether or not you should make a purchase. Actually, a pre-purchase inspection report details existing or potential issues without determining whether a purchase is reasonable; that decision is left up to you, as a buyer.
What a professional building inspection does, though, is provide you with either peace of mind, negotiating power or the inside knowledge you need to make a final decision on your own. For instance, uncovering a major structural fault through a comprehensive building inspection doesn’t mean you have to pass on a promising property, only that you now have negotiating power to either lower the price, or make repairs a condition of purchase.
Don’t make a home buying decision which could affect your financial stability for the rest of your life without a bit of research. Contact a professional building inspection company to help you learn more about your dream property, so you can make informed purchasing decisions.
Buy, Build, Invest and Sell with Confidence
