Reasons to Have a Building Inspection Done Before Buying a Property
Before you buy a house, it's wise to get a pre-purchase building inspection report. While you may not want to pay the additional costs, you could live to regret it if you don't. Here's why.
Looks Can Be Deceiving
A house may look beautiful on the outside, with newly painted walls and fresh flooring, giving the impression that it's well-maintained. But inside the ceiling, the roof trusses could be mouldy and rotted, and the foundations could be sinking. A building inspection will uncover and report these findings.
The inspector will visually check the entire building, including the internal and external walls, the windows, the roof, and the crawl space. The assessment will also cover outdoor features like paving and retaining walls. The alternative is to go without a report and be shocked to find out what is needed after the sale.
Knowledge Gives You Alternatives
You may love a property and want to buy it, so you are reluctant to get an inspection on one level because you don't want to find anything wrong. However, if the report does reveal major issues, you have alternatives, but you can act with full knowledge of the situation.
A problematic building report can give you grounds for price negotiation. It may still be feasible to buy the house at a reduced price, and you can use the extra funds to undertake the repair work. Of course, you can also walk away if the problem is too extensive or the sellers won't negotiate. Alternatively, you could go ahead and buy the property, knowing what work needs to be done.
Minor Issues Can Turn out to Be Major
Sometimes seemingly minor issues that you are aware of can turn out to be major problems, and this is not discovered until the inspection digs deeper. For example, you may notice when looking at the property that the windows stick and are hard to open and close, but you don't consider that a big problem. Neither may the seller if they haven't had an inspection done. But sticky windows can indicate that the foundations are sinking on one side, which explains why the windows aren't square and are therefore hard to manoeuvre.
Something you should consider is the expertise of the building inspector. They may be a qualified land surveyor or structural engineer, and they bring their particular skills to the process. You should check exactly what the inspection you booked covers. Does it review the electrical wiring and structural issues? Check whether they can organise a pest inspection or whether you need to get that done separately.
To learn more about building inspection reports, contact a local service provider.
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