Mr Inspector has been carrying out pre-purchase building inspections in Melbourne since 2004 and has a wealth of knowledge in the building inspection industry.
Over the years he has seen people purchase houses subject to a building inspection, get the building inspection done before committing to anything or just not getting a building inspection at all.
All but the latter has its pro’s
There’s nothing beneficial to you by not getting the house inspected at all as you will never know if there is or is not a problem, especially in areas that you would not of seen like on the roof, in the roof void and the subfloor.
The benefits of getting one before you commit mean you don’t have to engage lawyers or conveyancers to get out of any contract you may have signed. You like the house, you get the house inspection done and then you decide.
The benefits of buying the home subject to a satisfactory building inspection means you may be able to negotiate a better price if defects are found.
But it is very important that the wording in the contract is NOT subject to major structural defects or live termites.
You MUST be very careful of the wording in the contract as the REIV now tries to include “subject to building inspection without any major structural defects and not live termites”
This inspection clause in the contract is not in your best interests, it’s in the owner’s or vendor’s best interests.
Why, because you can have very expensive defects that are not major structural and you can have termite damage but no live termites.
DO NOT sign this under any circumstances.
We believe you should only purchase the home subject to a satisfactory building inspection or just get the building inspection done before you make any offer.
Peter has a Diploma of Building Surveying which makes him one of the few in Melbourne who are Qualified to carry out building inspections as per the Building Act 1993. He is also qualified in Timber Pest Inspections (Cert 3), Pool Barrier Inspection (Certificate 11077454) and Non-Friable Asbestos Awareness and removal.