Hi all! I have made an offer for a house before the social isolation policies kicked in, still waiting for the owner to reply after 2 weeks as I had bidded below the Offer Price. I'm just planning ahead with my building inspection matters.
My understanding is that building inspections covers the structural side of things with basic electrical and plumbing inspections. Do i need to get plumbers and electricians in to inspect the electrical and water pipes?
older brick house, 40 years old, yet to sign any documents.
yes offer subject to building inspection + due diligence.
Have you given the place a good check over yourself? Tried all the taps, kicked all the skirting boards and checked the windows out for rot etc?
I've only ever gotten a house inspection once from a well named place and it was worthless, it told me all the things wrong with the place that I could already 'see' myself and then have a lovely line at the end saying basically all care and no responsibility if they missed anything.
I was left wondering what I paid for, oh great you told me there is a crack in the outside brickwork… Cool I can see that myself, I want to know is it just settling being a older house or it about fall down? Their answer in the report "It could be settling from when first built or a sign of something more major". Oh great so I paid you to tell me things I already could have guessed and gave a wishy washy answer.
For the record it was settling from when it was built, crack hasn't changed in size after 10+ years.
Anyhow, my point is, these reports are all care and no responsibility
Granted it's from HiPages, but here is some info about the plumbing side of things. I don't know if an electrician is able to perform a similar service.
still waiting for the owner to reply after 2 weeks
Pro tip: the owner doesn't want to sell it to you
Correct….. Or holding out for any better offers, if they are in a position they have to sell.
i think so too. it's a waiting game, no loss to me. i'm just planning ahead, hence the consideration for plumbing and electrical inspections
Get it! I bought 2brm/2 story strata unit to live in last September: in December was elsewhere caring for elderly relation, hose under first floor bathroom sink split, sending cascades of hot water over carpet in upstairs bedrooms, then dribbled down carpetted staircase. Body Corp. not obliged to pay for repairs
To be honest, the building inspectors just state the obvious.
A mature aged handyman would be good start. Preferably one that does a lot of rental properties. Usually they would be able to identify issues and areas of improvement.
Some obvious things to look at (but pretty common sense)
-Interior ceilings? Any paint stains/variations to indicate water damage? If bedroom below a bathroom check there's no water stains on ceiling below
-Electrical. Check if the switchboard has been replaced with newer ones with safety switches. If not budget for an upgrade and factor in asbestos removal if required. Quick visual will generally do unless its really messy and had a lot of DIY work done on it.
-Check doors/windows all open easily. If it doesn't there's movement in the house. A good handyman would be able to tell if its a minor or major issue
-Garden. Check for drainage issues. There was previously a house inspected that had magically green lawns. We later found out there was a cracked water mains pipe leaking water. Stumps were consistently moist leading to movement causing cracks throughout the house. Debacle dragged on for years.
-Garden if concreted, is it all relatively level without cracks/movements? Gives you an idea of how the foundations of house should behave.
-Taps. Are they still using the old washers or have they been upgraded to the newer valves? Open and close ok?
-Roof Any loose bits? Any sagging areas? Valleys and hip joints in good condition?
-Gutters and downpipes if you leave near trees which can clog it up
You probably want to get a plumber out. If the property has a gas heater, get them to complete a carbon monoxide test. If appliance(s) fails, haggle down the sale price. You could probably use this as get out of contract if its got major issues.
*Property investor background. Doing the above checks allows us to budget for fixes/upgrades before tenant goes in.
How old is the place?
You haven't signed anything yet I'm guessing?
Was your offer subject to a building inspection?