A Tale of Two Brisbane Building Inspections
If you’re in the market to buy a new home or investment property in Brisbane, you’re probably also looking at options for Brisbane building inspections. Unless you’re in the lucky position where finances are no object, it can be tempting to save money by choosing a cheap and cheerful building inspection. But this can prove to be a classic case of false economy in the long run, as this tale of two Brisbane building inspections illustrates.
Meet two Brisbane couples, Robert and Ange, and Sam and Rebecca, who are both looking at purchasing their very first home in Brisbane*.
These are their stories of Brisbane building inspections.
Mates’ rates building inspection
Robert and Ange are looking at purchasing their first home in the Brisbane suburb of Kedron. So far, the home ticks all their boxes, and they’re eager to sign the contract and move into their dream home.
Like most young couples, money is tight, and they’ve decided to save money on a building inspection by calling in a favour from Robert’s brother-in-law, who is a builder.
They organise to meet Robert’s builder brother-in-law at the house, and he walks them through a visual inspection of the property. The inspection takes about 30 minutes, and he finds a few minor problems but otherwise assures them that everything looks OK to him.
Robert and Ange discuss the findings with the Real Estate agent, who promptly says she’ll organise an inspection and forward them the results.
The report from the Brisbane building inspector recommended by the Real Estate agent arrives in the post a week later and highlights similar minor problems to those Robert’s brother-in-law picked up, and also includes a pest inspection report. Based on the report, they sign the contract and move into what they believe is their dream home.
Problems soon emerge, and their nightmare begins when they discover extensive termite damage in the floor bearers, joists and ceiling that was missed. Damp caused by faulty plumbing under their bathroom was surmised to be the most likely culprit in attracting the termites in the first place. The faulty plumbing was also missed due to failure to gain access and inspect the subfloor under the bathroom.
The professional building and pest inspection
Sam and Rebecca are also a young Brisbane couple about to buy their first home together. They’ve both been researching building inspections in Brisbane and have decided to use a professional building and pest inspection service as their tight budget doesn’t allow for much in the way of renovations in the first few years living in their new home, and they need to be sure that there are no potentially expensive building defects lurking behind the freshly painted walls.
The Brisbane building inspection company that they decide to use doesn’t do pest inspections, but organises for a pest inspection company that uses state-of-the-art equipment to conduct an inspection at the same time as the building inspection.
Sam and Rebecca receive their building inspection report the same afternoon as the inspection. They’re a bit shocked at the number of problems and defects highlighted in the report and wonder if they should reconsider purchasing the property.
After discussing the report with the building inspector and doing some of their own research, they put in an offer $20,000 less than the asking price based on the building inspection report. Their offer is accepted and they become proud first home owners.
What went wrong for Sam and Rebecca?
Both Brisbane couples had property inspection reports done before purchasing their new homes; however, one report cost several thousand dollars in repair work, and the other saved 20K off the asking price.
What went wrong for Sam and Rebecca?
Sam and Rebecca had two inspections of their dream home, and both failed to pick up faulty plumbing that resulted in a damp problem that attracted termites. Using a friend to conduct a visual inspection gives you no legal recourse if expensive and potentially dangerous defects are missed. Without a professionally written report, you also have no bargaining power to negotiate on the sale price.
How to choose the best Brisbane property inspector
You’ve decided that a building inspection is a smart move, so how do you go about making sure you’re getting a building inspection report worth the paper it’s printed on?
Independent: Choose an independent building inspector, not one recommended or supplied by the owner or Real Estate. Using housing inspectors affiliated with Real Estate agents is fraught with danger. Housing inspectors who rely on referrals from Real Estate agents are more likely to gloss over problems that could hinder a sale. Also, if you haven’t appointed the building inspector, you may have no legal recourse should problems arise.
Experienced: Choose an inspector who has extensive experience within the industry. If you’re not sure, don’t be afraid to ask. It’s also worth asking who’ll be doing the actual inspection: an employee, sub-contractor or the actual owner of the Brisbane building inspection company? Also, be sure to check any exclusions and conditions in the inspection; many building inspections don’t include the roof space, subfloors or checking for plumbing problems.
Insurance: The building inspector should also have current professional indemnity insurance and a current and up-to-date licence with the relevant building services authority, such as the Queensland Building and Construction Commission, or QBCC, in Queensland.
Quick turnaround: They should also be able to offer you a fast, ideally same-day, report. Time is of the essence in the property market.
Equip yourself with a FREE printable building checklist that will give you an idea of what should be covered in the inspection and report. It also has a list of handy questions to ask when talking with building inspection companies. It is important to note that building inspections and pest inspections are two entirely different processes and should be conducted by two separate professional inspectors.
Buying with your eyes open
Buying a property, whether for investment or as a home to live in, is one of the biggest and most expensive investments that you’ll ever make. Choosing not to have a comprehensive pre-purchase building inspection completed is a big risk to take. Choosing a cheaper visual inspection only or relying on inspection reports from the Real Estate agent or owner is equally risky.
It’s a rare building inspection report that won’t have what seems like a huge list of problems and defects that have been found; however, that doesn’t mean that you should run a million miles. Instead, it means that you’ll be buying with your eyes open, and you could have some serious bargaining power.
*Our Brisbane couples are fictional but based upon real stories and events.