WHY A PRE-PURCHASE INSPECTION SHOULD BE NON-NEGOTIABLE

Buying your first home is a huge and exciting life achievement. It’s time to bring out the bubbles and start planning how you’re going to style each room.

But buying your first home should also be done carefully. Pre-purchase inspections can seem like an unnecessary dark cloud on the entire experience, but they will save you money
and peace of mind in the long run. Daniel Tupper is the Director at Ironbark Building and Pest, a pre-purchase Building and Pest inspection company that offers complete inspection services and repairs.

Mr Tupper notes that, “A pre-purchase inspection can save you a lot of heartbreak and emotional stress. Costly repairs can be uncovered so that you are aware of these now and not surprised by
them in the future.”

There are a number of important reasons to opt for a pre-purchase inspection, and Mr Tupper has provided some insight.

THINGS ARE NOT ALWAYS WHAT THEY SEEM

A lick of paint and some great property dressing can go a long way in making a house seem like your forever home. It can also disguise poorly maintained infrastructure, flood damage, leaks, and signs of pests.

“An inspection will cover everything from termites to structural integrity and right down to whether a door and window isn’t functioning properly,” Mr Tupper says.

While these might seem like little things, having this information will help with your price negotiations, and allows you to prepare for any repairs that will be required once you buy the property. Buying a home is a big decision and you will need to be looking beyond the polish and the excitement in order to make an informed decision.

INSPECTORS SEE THINGS YOU WON’T

A building and pest inspection isn’t something you can DIY.

It requires expert knowledge and experience, and it needs to be done thoroughly to ensure nothing is missed. “Sometimes a house will look perfectly acceptable to someone else, but
someone on our team will take a look and be able to detect concerns that can be easily missed with an untrained eye,” Mr Tupper says.

Inspectors have seen it all before and will be able to confidently identify issues in your home, to help you make an informed decision on the potential repairs costs.

NOTHING IS A DEATH SENTENCE

The reality of the situation is that 98% of problems can be fixed – depending on your budget.

That’s why Mr Tupper always suggests homebuyers come along to inspections. “Reports are 60 pages long and when you read that, it can be quite overwhelming. The solution to is to
be there for the inspection and talk through it,” Mr Tupper says.

Some things on reports can seem very ominous – structural issues, termites, damage, money. But the reality is that nothing is a death sentence. Most of these issues can be fixed and aren’t anything to get to worked up about.

An inspection will just give you the full picture of the overall state of the property.

PEACE OF MIND: YOU OWE IT TO YOURSELF

The best way to face any problem is head on and with ownership. An inspection allows you to fully understand and comprehend the purchase you are going to
make.

So if you are on the verge of signing those papers, just put it on pause and speak to an inspector. You owe it to yourself.