So you’ve been looking for a dream house for the longest time and now you found it. The design looks appealing and the property is up to standard. But before you can purchase it, book a date with a building inspector. Why? To inspect the house for hidden defects or maintenance needs you’re not aware of. Simply put, to ensure it’s not a lemon.
What does a pre-purchase inspection cover
A pre-purchase inspection often covers the following key areas in a building:
- Interior – Condition of the flooring, ceiling, and walls in each room.
- Roof – Gutters, chimneys and roof.
- Roof space – Insulation, structure, roofing.
- Exterior – Timber finishing, doors, windows and foundation.
- Out buildings – Glass houses, shed, garage.
- Services – Electrical, drainage, and plumbing.
- Under floor area – Insulation, timber framing piles, ventilation.
- Outside – Retaining walls, paths, driveway, and fences.
The good thing about a pre-purchase house inspection is that once conducted, you’re handed out a pre-purchase builders report detailing the defects the building has or the damages that were discovered in the house during inspection.
Though inspections come at a cost, the benefits far outweigh buying a building that’s falling apart. Best part? You can use the building report as leverage to bargain down the property’s value (assuming the building is defective and needs repairs). Better yet, you can have the defects fixed before you can purchase the property. Either way, you have an advantage (and save money while at it).
Why Get a Pre-purchase Inspection Before You Buy a Property?
Here are seven reasons why:
1. Warning Signs Become Clearer
Ever seen home buyers walking through a building they want to buy? They focus more on the building’s aesthetics and if they love it, they make an offer and purchase it right away. As a typical home buyer, your unprofessional, untrained eyes won’t quickly tell what’s wrong with a building at first glance. So you’ll often miss the warning signs the first or second time you walk through its doors. Some of these warning signs include a leaky roof, plumbing or drainage problem, etc. Getting a pre-purchase building inspection helps you identify these problems rather quickly before you’re fully committed to buying the property – which, in essence, saves you time, money, and stress.
2. Home Repairs are Expensive
You may not think about it at first, but a building with numerous hidden defects can cost you much in expensive home repairs once you’ve bought it.
Don’t be tempted by the shiny apple. Get a building inspector to look at the property before you buy it. That way, you’ll know in advance if that house, you’re just about to buy has defects. Knowing so helps you decide either to buy the house as is (or foot the expensive home repairs) or pass on the purchase.
3. A Property Inspection Auckland is Educative
As a home buyer, there’s so much a builder’s report can teach about potential property issues you may face in the future. One key lesson is that it (the report) identifies important building, structural issues, within the property you want to buy, likely to require immediate repair. Another thing. When a certified building inspector is in action inspecting a building, you can throw them questions in every step of the way. After all, you have an interest in buying the property in question. Ask them, for example, to suggest how a particular home repair can be done. Answers to such a question can better prepare you for home ownership in the future.
4. Helps You Budget for Home Repairs
Without a house inspection checklist from a certified building inspector Auckland, you’re likely to spend more money on home repairs and maintenance. Well, some home repairs are manageable and can be done once you move into the building. We’re not talking about those for now. Instead, we’re talking about expensive home maintenance and repairs that you end up footing after you’ve assumed ownership of a property. To eliminate such costly surprises, have an inspector do a thorough inspection first, then (using a property inspection checklist) will help you come up with a reasonable budget for your home repairs.
5. Alerts Home Buyers to Potential Hazards 
Imagine a newly bought property catching fire thanks to a faulty wiring system. A faulty wiring system that could’ve been quickly detected had you asked a building inspector to do a thorough pre-purchase inspection before buying the property. A pre-purchase building inspection gives you peace of mind with safety issues. The sooner you get your property inspected, the earlier you can address safety concerns it has – which can be a danger to you, as a homeowner, in general. Inspections will alert you to potential hazards early enough and even help you negotiate repairs before the buying window closes – ensuring your home is safe when you move in.
6. It’s a Tool for Getting Legal Protection
Did you know you can easily get into trouble before you even purchase your dream property? It happens all the time especially to home buyers who do little to no research on the property they’re about to buy. Or worse, those that don’t take the right precautions before signing on the dotted line of an unconditional agreement that says you’re stuck with an unfit (or a danger to your life) property. Even more awkward is when, as a home buyer, you’re unable to complete the purchase of a property due to dated, faulty wiring for example. In short, a house inspection Auckland is a tool for legal protection right from the beginning.
7. Building Reports Give You Experienced Eyes
Getting property inspection advice from a building inspector early enough in the purchasing process helps you spot things that people without experience will probably miss. Because an inspector has experienced eyes. In essence, inspections help you know the ins and outs of your new property that you, as a buyer, can trust. However, it’s important that you understand building reports in all its entirety before signing on the dotted line of an agreement so that you don’t find yourself in a tricky situation in the future.
Final Thoughts
So there you have it. Getting a pre-purchase inspection not only saves you time and money but also legally gets you out of unforeseen situations. Although pre-purchase inspections come at a cost, they’re worth the investment. Remember, building inspections help you identify a building’s warning signs. They even help you budget for home repairs and maintenance. And before you can purchase a home with potential hazards, a building inspector, armed with a house inspection checklist, helps address safety concerns for you. There’s so much a pre-purchase inspection can do for you, but most importantly, it helps you get prepared.