Purchased a House - Final Inspection Tips?

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  nocure on 03/01/2017 - 16:07

  +1

  Age of the property?

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  hoey888 on 03/01/2017 - 16:18

  +1

  I didn't know this, but the final inspection you can actually get them to 'maintain the garden.' We learnt this the hard way and settled on a property with 3 month overgrown grass up to our knees.

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  cloudy on 03/01/2017 - 16:18

  +2

  Be as difficult as you can, don't feel bad. If its not working as expected it should be pointed out. Don't feel bad about it.

  My mistake was taking the word of the agent, you end up being screwed yourself. Trust me, don't feel bad.

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  denuto on 03/01/2017 - 16:23

  The vendor is obliged to deliver the property to you at settlement in the same condition as at the day of sale (i.e. when you signed the contract to buy) fair wear and tear excepted. Your inspection should be directed to confirming that the property is now as it was when you purchased it. If you checked all the appliances etc. at the time you purchased you should test them again to make sure they are in the same condition.There's not much point in checking the things you listed (safety switch, A/C, taps) if you didn't check them originally.

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  OldBugger on 03/01/2017 - 16:38

  +1

  I would say it is simply ensuring the conditions have been met but also a time to get answers to any questions you may have.

  What is the the Safety Switch doesn't work? - These could have been tested at the building inspection if you had one. But you can test them at the final. Sellers must declare to the buyer on the contract and again on the transfer documents whether the home has a safety switch installed. If it doesn't work, you could request the sellers to fix it or an adjustment to cover the repair cost. Ensure your solicitor and their agent is aware.
  What if the air-conditioner doesn't work? As above.
  What if a tap in a bathroom doesn't work? As above. Plumbing (like safety switches) to be working is usually is on the contract anyway.

  It is a good time to ask the seller to go over all this and ask how things work, what that switch does, where that pipe leads to, retic diagrams, where are the keys to that window, where are the receipts and manuals to the new pool pump, etc.

  I disagree with cloudy in being "difficult as you can" but do agree with to not take the word of the agent. Be polite, courteous but professional and ensure you are satisfied with the inspection and what came out of it. I just bought my place recently. Even though I negotiated strongly on the price, it was good to meet the sellers and discuss matters. They ended up leaving lots of extra gear and everything I requested to be done was done well. They gave me their contact details after the sale and I still maintain contact with them to ask various questions.

  Good luck!

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  [Deactivated] on 03/01/2017 - 16:44

  +1

  I found the expert inspections check the "important" safety and integrity items but miss some of the things that you might want to replace or raise if you know about them ahead of time.

  In our case, we found light fittings stuck to the ceiling with tape instead of screwed in - not unsafe but not ideal
  under sink pipes not in peak condition - clogged and worn
  loose light switches
  doors that don't quite hang 100% - just needing a little sanding and adjustment.

  If we go through this again I would recommend going over the place like a bond clean and checking all the little things for wear and tear and see what you can live with and what you might want fixed up.

  Another thing was even after the final inspection, check everything on the day of settlement because our vendor left the place dirty and put a couple of holes in walls when they removed some of the fittings. - We acted quickly and got a few hundred dollars back on the settlement to cover repairs and cleaning, without delaying settlement at all.

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  NotCheap on 03/01/2017 - 16:46

  +2

  You've bought the house in whatever condition it was in when both parties signed contracts. The initial inspection(s) are to identify any defects and the final inspection should be to verify it is in the same condition as when the contracts were signed, not to identify existing faults that you were not aware of :) ie if you never checked the AC, and it was already broken but your building inspector didn't check it, you might not be able to do anything about it. Flip side, if they didn't maintain the garden you could delay settlement (or settle then seek rectification costs) - whatever your lawyer were to advise if that should eventuate.

  If your building inspection didn't specifically check appliances, then that ones on you. For example did they fill and check a spa bath? or just make sure there was no signs of water damage in the bathroom.

  In reality - you can get away with whatever the seller is willing to agree to; if they knew something wasn't working and you're trying to get them to fix it under a pre-settlement final inspection because you expected it to have been working; you might need proof it was working when your guy inspected it. AC for example - if it was advertised as air conditioned; but you didn't check it was working (and it wasn't), you might still be able to get them to fix it as it was advertised as such..

  If its minor (few hundred$ to fix) - i wouldn't bother - in the scheme of hundreds of thousands$ not worth the hassle. If its structural or thousands then you might be more invested in getting it fixed. Try not to get bogged down with minor stuff that wouldn't stop you buying the house.

  If you do get anything fixed per-settlement; make sure you stipulate its to the satisfaction of your inspector (or an independent mutually-agreed third party inspector)

  Good luck!

  Cheers

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  idjces on 03/01/2017 - 17:01

  +1

  My father recommended taking something handheld and electrical (eg hairdryer) and testing all the outlets. We discovered the outlets in the garage didn't work, so the seller had to get an electrician to fix them.

  I'd suggest testing all the small things like that, power on and off the aircon, test taps, switches, etc

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  Dotheday on 03/01/2017 - 18:07

  +1

  Check hot water service working & oven!

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  someguycalledpaul on 03/01/2017 - 18:20

  Thanks everyone,

  There seems to be a degree of conflict in the responses to date - some people say if you didnt check it when you bought then place, then you cant get away with asking for it to be resolved.

  Others suggested unless it was disclosed as not working, then you are in your right to seek for this to be rectified.

  This seems to generally be another grey area in the process of buying a house! I suspect that checking every powerpoint during an inspection prior to an auction is pretty silly. I doubt even a building inspection would do this…

  Paul

  • 

    Marioedd on 03/01/2017 - 18:26

    +1

    If you are buying a house with a pool, i would strongly suggest looking at the pool visually, if it is too green the pump has most likely not been turned on in a while. Ask for it to be turned on make sure it is all working. Made a mistake by not doing this when buying my house and we will have to rack up around 3-4k in repairs of the pump, etc.

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  Diji1 on 03/01/2017 - 19:52

  -4

  I know I'll be using random people on the internet as a guide when I buy a house!

  • 

    someguycalledpaul on 04/01/2017 - 20:41

    Thanks for your valuable input.

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  billy3000 on 03/01/2017 - 20:02

  +1

  check there are keys for every door and window.. today I finally got the back sliding door key 2 months after settlement.

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  meggowaffle on 04/01/2017 - 17:29

  +1

  Check that they haven't swapped out things like the hot water or air conditioning units for cheaper/inferior models.