Buying house - Advice needed

[fridayman]

We are first time buyers here in Australia. We're currently renting a relatively new Queenslander (about 7 or 8 years old) and the opportunity to buy it has come up, which we are very excited about as we love living here. We are aware however that all the work on the house has not been done to the highest standard, so would like an expert on these type of houses to do an inspection and advise us on what we are likely to spend money on in the future. Can anyone advise on who we should be talking to?

[cruiser 91]

It would be great if you personally know a builder or someone with knowledge in the industry you can "trust" to give you accurate advice and costings.
Be aware of the "fine print" of so called professional building inspection companies, their inspection report isn't worth the paper it's written on.

 

[tracker]

We are aware however that all the work on the house has not been done to the highest standard

                       Reading what you said about the standard of work and that is what you can see ..i can't help thinking what it's like underneath where you can't see.... IMHO and i am no expert  i would if i were you i would be very nervous about making a large investment on somthing that may deteriorate and cost you more to repair. The time frame on houses from new to having to start to do matainence is about 10 years so if there has been sub standard  you might be in for more matainence $$$  that you think.  This is only my opinion though and i'm no expert........That's my 2 bob's worth.

                                                             Cheers Tracker.

[Nomad]

First thing I would do is get a title search done on it.

The title should note if the house has been constructed by an owner builder, if you think there is substandard building this is probably why.

If it has I wouldn't buy it.

I don't say this to insult OB's but banks don't like to mortgage against them and the market usually discounts them $ wise.

That'll cost about $20.

 

[GGV8Cruza]

Points made above are correct, try and get a builder that you know to have a look at the construction and framing. A lot of problems can be hidden behind plaster, wet areas are the major concern because if the waterproofing has not been done correctly costly repairs will not be far away.

In Vic as a builder we have to warrant out construction for a set time, this is also for owner builders at the time of sale. From period of final sign off by the local council or building inspector it is 7 years from memory. My last house which we sold last year we had to take out an insurance policy which covered the works for 4 years on my owner builders licence.

Good luck

GG

[dales133]

As previously said wet areas can and will be the most costly issues you could potentialy need to deal with.
If i was you I'd empty out any wardrobe ect backing onto bathrooms and look for mould or water damage.
Peel back carpet around them a little and get underneath the room if possible.
Check the wall linings in the room itself for swelling or bulging of plaster of missing grout and bulging tiles.if you find such things I'd factor a new bathroom into the equation.
You might get away with minor repairs but usualy not.
Hope that's some help.happy to answer any questions

[WilSurf]

I would love to live in a Queenslander on a 5 acre block.
Well, one day when the kids are out of the house and I am retired........

[Redcherokee]

If you google pre-purchase inspections you will get plenty of hits for firms that do this for a living.   As previously said, these guys do a basic check but are not necessarily as thorough as you might expect.  Look on it as the minimum you should be doing. 

Do make sure you visit open homes in the area to get a very solid idea of prices.  The house you are in may be perfect, or there may be something else around that is even better for you. 

[fridayman]

Thanks for the advice. We are pretty set on this house and land (a very large plot 30 minutes from Brisbane cbd) unless an inspection reveals a serious flaw or major future cost. I think that we are ok regarding wet areas as we haven't seen any evidence of damp (and we can see under the whole house too). It does look like it will need a coat of paint in the next couple of years though, and we will probably have the wooden floors sanded and re-coated. When we've had a building inspection done before (not in Aus), I didn't think much of the content in the report which was vague and heavily caveated to protect the surveyor. So I'm wondering how we find someone reputable to look at the house for us?

[dales133]

Just get a reputable builder to look and forget the fancy titled people doing it.
You just want a no bullShit opinion and that's what you'll get if you ask for it.
Of course none going to want to sign thier life away on a property they have no past knowledge of but you get my drift

[Moggy]

Ring a building certifier & see if they maybe prepared to do a building inspection.  The difference between a builder &  building inspector is that I'm pretty sure the latter must have professional indemnity insurance in case they miss anything.  Whereas a licensed builder will not.  Perhaps consider ringing the REIQ to find out obligations of seller in this case. Your solicitor should undertake any relevant searches.
As for dodgy reports ask for a sample of a previous report from prospective inspectors.

[cruiser 91]

When we've had a building inspection done before (not in Aus), I didn't think much of the content in the report which was vague and heavily caveated to protect the surveyor.

Unfortunately, it's no different here in Aus. Their fine print always reads that they are not liable for anything they get wrong or miss, one example: termites.

[rotare]

Unfortunately, it's no different here in Aus. Their fine print always reads that they are not liable for anything they get wrong or miss, one example: termites.

To be fair it's written that way because it's not possible for the inspector to visually inspect every structural component of the house because more often than not they can't get access, whether that's inside wall cavities, underneath floor coverings, behind tiles, inside roof cavities etc etc.  The guys here at my work do pre-purchase inspections and the inspections are done in accordance to AS4349.1 - which no doubt most accredited inspectors would do as well.

It's no different to having a mechanic look over your second hand car, then expecting him to give a written guarantee nothing will go wrong with the car in the next 6 months.  No doubt he'll give you his opinion on the condition, point out some obvious and not so obvious issues as well, provide some advice of what is causing the issue and how best to fix it, but he won't give you any guarantees... 

So long as you understand the advice they give you is general based on what they can see and is not any type of guarantee, then I'm sure you you'd sleep better at night knowing you've had an expert check your house out.  The guys here at work have years of experience doing these types of inspections, and more often than not know what the common issues are for certain building types and issues with houses in certain areas.  You just need to find someone in your area that is experienced in doing this type of work.

The flip side of all this is that you can get more detailed inspections done, which involve more time etc and would provide more assurance, but like most things people don't want to pay for this level of investigation.   

[cruiser 91]

To be fair it's written that way because it's not possible for the inspector to visually inspect every structural component of the house because more often than not they can't get access, whether that's inside wall cavities, underneath floor coverings, behind tiles, inside roof cavities etc etc.  The guys here at my work do pre-purchase inspections and the inspections are done in accordance to AS4349.1 - which no doubt most accredited inspectors would do as well.

It's no different to having a mechanic look over your second hand car, then expecting him to give a written guarantee nothing will go wrong with the car in the next 6 months.  No doubt he'll give you his opinion on the condition, point out some obvious and not so obvious issues as well, provide some advice of what is causing the issue and how best to fix it, but he won't give you any guarantees... 

So long as you understand the advice they give you is general based on what they can see and is not any type of guarantee, then I'm sure you you'd sleep better at night knowing you've had an expert check your house out.  The guys here at work have years of experience doing these types of inspections, and more often than not know what the common issues are for certain building types and issues with houses in certain areas.  You just need to find someone in your area that is experienced in doing this type of work.

The flip side of all this is that you can get more detailed inspections done, which involve more time etc and would provide more assurance, but like most things people don't want to pay for this level of investigation.   

I gave up on these a long time ago.
In my opinion, I've found that for the level of cost for an actual full and accurate inspection of a home is best dealt with those that specialised in each area, for example using a builder to inspect the structure, using a professional pest controller to inspect for pests like termites and have a plumber inspect wet area's and gas, these guys are used to getting there hands dirty. It's not a great deal more in dollars than the one stop shops for all.
Again my statement is only in "my" opinion from my own, family and friends previous experiences.


You can always go to a general mechanic to check if the turbo fitted on your engine is running at optimal performance, but wouldn't you prefer to rely on someone that actually specialises in this specific field.

On the flip side:
Pre home inspection from the one stop shop, 1 hour for physical inspection, 1-3hrs to type written report from a template= $600 plus
Pre 2nd hand car inspection from RRA in SA, 2-3 hours for physical inspection, 1/2 for a very accurate written report = $245.
Just say'n.

       

[rotare]

I gave up on these a long time ago.
In my opinion, I've found that for the level of cost for an actual full and accurate inspection of a home is best dealt with those that specialised in each area, for example using a builder to inspect the structure, using a professional pest controller to inspect for pests like termites and have a plumber inspect wet area's and gas, these guys are used to getting there hands dirty. It's not a great deal more in dollars than the one stop shops for all.
Again my statement is only in "my" opinion from my own, family and friends previous experiences.
     

Although I agree in theory what you're suggesting - ie, get the specialist to check each component, in practice it doesn't generally happen that way for one reason.  Time is generally of the essence (ie, a decision on a purchase is to be made quickly), and trying to coordinate multiple trades to inspect a site at the same time, then hoping they all provide some type of report within 24hrs or a matter of days would be a hard task in a lot of instances.... hence why it's convenient to the potential buyer to coordinate the inspection with one, qualified person.  And even after doing all this you would still likely have to seek and pay for the advice from a structural engineer, anyway, as technically most builders aren't qualified or legally allowed to provide professional advice on items such as structural integrity, loading of walls, columns, beams, performance of the footing system etc unless consulting an engineer beforehand.

I'm not being disrespectful to builders - it's just a case that generally builders are experts in the art of construction and engineers experts at design.  Anyone can provide their opinion and you're entitled to listen to it, I guess it just depends how much emphasis you place on their qualifications to give it  .

[cruiser 91]

Although I agree in theory what you're suggesting - ie, get the specialist to check each component, in practice it doesn't generally happen that way for one reason.  Time is generally of the essence (ie, a decision on a purchase is to be made quickly), and trying to coordinate multiple trades to inspect a site at the same time, then hoping they all provide some type of report within 24hrs or a matter of days would be a hard task in a lot of instances.... hence why it's convenient to the potential buyer to coordinate the inspection with one, qualified person.  And even after doing all this you would still likely have to seek and pay for the advice from a structural engineer, anyway, as technically most builders aren't qualified or legally allowed to provide professional advice on items such as structural integrity, loading of walls, columns, beams, performance of the footing system etc unless consulting an engineer beforehand.

I'm not being disrespectful to builders - it's just a case that generally builders are experts in the art of construction and engineers experts at design.  Anyone can provide their opinion and you're entitled to listen to it, I guess it just depends how much emphasis you place on their qualifications to give it  .

never made a so called quick purchase in my life. All my offers in contract are subject to my conditions of sale and then a settlement date to be negotiated, if the vendor doesn't like it, we walk. In most cases it sorts out who is genuine, who is ignorant, and who is out to rip you off.

But to your reply, very true, but don't forget access for plans from council is relatively simple and comparing plan to home will show what a builder needs to know, meaning original house plan, approved engineered additions and non approved additions. I guess the same process is the same for the one stop shop?
Maybe check out what knowledge and exam's one needs today in the industry to become a "certified licenced" builder, and I'm speaking of the state of SA only because I have no knowledge of other states legislations.
Oh.......................the OP is in QLD.......................if you get my drift.

Certainly gives the OP different perspectives to consider.
 
   

[Apples69]

Fridayman
PM your email address and I can get some info to you about selling history
Regards

[fridayman]

Fridayman
PM your email address and I can get some info to you about selling history
Regards

Thank you for the kind offer. We actually have all the history already, which has only been one transfer since construction.