by Grant Wakelin
Building inspections as a condition of sale are relatively common and becoming even more common these days. As we continue to move further into an environment of Seller declare, rather than Buyer beware, having expert advice up front is important, and we are seeing more sellers getting expert opinions prior to selling their home.
As they say, to be forewarned is to be forearmed.
Uncover flaws early on - it is better for you as a seller to find faults - and either fix them, or sell the property with the fault known and disclosed than it is to have the problem found by the buyer late in the process. Many a time a small problem that was not understood becomes a major issue prior to unconditional. Often, had the buyer known about it up front it would never have been an issue. Even more so if the buyer thinks the seller knew and did not disclose it.
That’s the purpose of the pre-sale inspection.
The best place to go to figure it out? Ask an expert and get his opinions on the matter. We tracked down Ricky Nisbet from Taupo Residential Limited, an expert in pre-puchase and pre-sale inspections, and asked him some questions.
So, who should a seller get to inspect their house prior to selling it? “I’ve got a friend who does a bit of building work, he reckons the place is fine”, that’s ok, right? Ricky was clear in his answers. “Look, this is a serious and important business, what you need is someone who has the qualifications and knowledge to undertake such an inspection. It really is risky to involve a friend (or even friend of a friend) unless they have the skills and experience and are prepared to stand by the assessment”.
We asked Ricky "What does a pre-sale inspection involve?". "Well" he said “That can vary widely, depending upon what the owner wants. We can cover all aspects of the building in the inspection, including the roof, roof cavity, foundation, cladding, etc right down to door and window catches working properly”. He added though “Today there are concerns about weathertightness and consequently we get more queries in that area”.
"Ricky, what will the inspection tell you?" we asked. He responded “It will explain the condition of the property and any faults that may be present at the time of inspection. Depending on the extent of the inspection and size of the building, it can take from 30min to 6 hours”. And the cost? “That would depend on the work to be covered and the size of the building, but $150-$700+GST”.
So for a few hundred dollars you get a professional opinion on any issues and concerns with your property. Remember where we started, forewarned is forearmed. What value is detecting faults prior to the buyer finding them and as Ricky says “what price the peace of mind and satisfaction that comes from knowing that you have a good product for the price you are asking?”
As they say, to be forewarned is to be forearmed.
Uncover flaws early on - it is better for you as a seller to find faults - and either fix them, or sell the property with the fault known and disclosed than it is to have the problem found by the buyer late in the process. Many a time a small problem that was not understood becomes a major issue prior to unconditional. Often, had the buyer known about it up front it would never have been an issue. Even more so if the buyer thinks the seller knew and did not disclose it.
That’s the purpose of the pre-sale inspection.
The best place to go to figure it out? Ask an expert and get his opinions on the matter. We tracked down Ricky Nisbet from Taupo Residential Limited, an expert in pre-puchase and pre-sale inspections, and asked him some questions.
So, who should a seller get to inspect their house prior to selling it? “I’ve got a friend who does a bit of building work, he reckons the place is fine”, that’s ok, right? Ricky was clear in his answers. “Look, this is a serious and important business, what you need is someone who has the qualifications and knowledge to undertake such an inspection. It really is risky to involve a friend (or even friend of a friend) unless they have the skills and experience and are prepared to stand by the assessment”.
We asked Ricky "What does a pre-sale inspection involve?". "Well" he said “That can vary widely, depending upon what the owner wants. We can cover all aspects of the building in the inspection, including the roof, roof cavity, foundation, cladding, etc right down to door and window catches working properly”. He added though “Today there are concerns about weathertightness and consequently we get more queries in that area”.
"Ricky, what will the inspection tell you?" we asked. He responded “It will explain the condition of the property and any faults that may be present at the time of inspection. Depending on the extent of the inspection and size of the building, it can take from 30min to 6 hours”. And the cost? “That would depend on the work to be covered and the size of the building, but $150-$700+GST”.
So for a few hundred dollars you get a professional opinion on any issues and concerns with your property. Remember where we started, forewarned is forearmed. What value is detecting faults prior to the buyer finding them and as Ricky says “what price the peace of mind and satisfaction that comes from knowing that you have a good product for the price you are asking?”
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