Pre-Purchase Building Inspections

Buying a home is a major investment – possibly the biggest investment in your life. So it is essential to have an informed assessment of the property before you buy. Our pre-purchase inspection aims to give an overall view of the condition of the home, and to highlight any issues that may prove costly to rectify in the future.

Many people, when they buy a used car, engage an expert to inspect the car on their behalf to find any faults or concerns that they were unaware of. An existing home is no different, and it certainly costs a lot more than a car. It makes sense to have your new home inspected by an expert prior to purchase. The cost of our building inspections is comparatively small, approximately 0.1% of the purchase price. This is affordable peace of mind. Country Building Consultants carry out pre-purchase building inspections in the following locations and their surrounding areas; Dubbo, Gilgandra, Narromine and the entire Orana Region.

Experienced Inspectors

Our Building Inspector, Brian Irvin, is a fully qualified and licenced Building Consultant and has conducted over 2,000 Pre Purchase Building Inspections. Brian can help identify issues with the property, both minor and major, and give accurate recommendations, so an informed assessment of the property can be made.

Our Building Inspections and Reports are guided by AS4349.1 (2007) “Property Inspections – Residential Buildings”. The reports are written in plain English and easy to read and understand. Should you have any difficulty in understanding any part of the report, we are available to explain any unclear item in detail and answer any questions.

We are happy to have the potential buyer come through the inspection with us, so we can point the issues out as well as answer technical questions first hand.

Independent and unbiased

Our inspections and reports are independent and unbiased. Even though many real estate agents recommend us, they know we have a job to do and that we are required to identify the issues arising with the property. The reputable agents would prefer to have the purchaser know about the issues with the property upfront rather than have problems down the track that may come back to haunt them. We have a good understanding and working relationship with the reputable real estate agents. The “shonks” in the industry often say “She’ll be right mate, there’s nothing wrong with this house!!... It’s a great buy!!!”. We are not influenced or intimidated by these agents – We have heard it all before!!!

On the same token, you, as the potential buyer, need to be aware that existing dwellings are not always oil paintings. You should expect us to find some issues with the property. If you are looking to buy a home that is over 5 years old, there will almost certainly be some maintenance items arise during the inspection. This is quite common. We don’t make mountains out of mole hills; we simply describe the issues with the property accurately to help you make your decision.

Download Pre-Purchase Inspection Form

Beware the Following Pitfalls

“Why Waste the Money on a Building Inspection, it looks OK to me?”

The fact is, a majority of the homes that we have inspected, whether they are brand new or quite old, have some form of concealed defects or maintenance type items requiring attention that may not be obvious to the average person. Sometimes, things may be more serious than they seem, and may require considerable repair or replacement. The cost of our building inspections is comparatively small, approximately 0.1% of the purchase price. This is affordable peace of mind, considering the purchase could possibly be the biggest investment of your life.

“My Dad looked at it and he said it looks OK”. 

Your dad, your uncle, your brother or family friend will all have your best interests at heart, and yes, please get them to have a look at the home. However, if there is something serious that gets missed during the inspection, there is no accountability. On the 1st of January, 2004, the NSW State Government brought in compulsory licensing of all pre-purchase building inspectors in an attempt to protect new home buyers from grief and anguish associated with using unqualified inspectors. We are fully licenced and insured, and undertake ongoing professional training to keep our expertise up to date.

Is the Building Inspector Licenced?

As mentioned above, on the 1st of January, 2004, the NSW State Government brought in compulsory licensing of all pre-purchase building inspectors. This has certainly reduced the number of “Cowboys” in the industry, who have inadequate experience and insurance, and unqualified to carry out Pre Purchase Building Inspections. It is still highly recommended that you to check that the inspector you choose is licenced to carry out the inspection. A licence check and advice on Pre Purchase Reports is available on the NSW Fair Trading Website.

Be aware!!! Some larger Building Consultancy firms have unqualified and unlicensed people actually conduct the inspection and sign off on the report, using the Company Licence No. Ask the question, is the person conducting the inspection a Licenced Building Consultant?  Our Building Inspector, Brian Irvin, is a Licenced Building Consultant (Lic.No.BC914), a Licenced Builder (Lic.No.65586C), an Accredited Private Certifier (BPB0191) and is a member of the Australian Institute of Building Surveyors (Membership No.204048).

Beware Companies that conduct both the Building & Pest Inspections.

Be wary of any building/pest inspector that combines the building and pest inspections in the one report.  Firstly, the obvious fact is that two pairs of eyes inspecting the one house are more likely to ensure that all faults are detected. Secondly, the building and pest inspection processes are very different. A "jack of all trades" approach is inadequate. The Australian Standard stipulates that the pest report is classified as a "special purpose report" and a specialised report separate to that of the building report must be produced. Therefore, it is our opinion that two separate inspectors should always be used.

We engage only experienced and reputable Pest Companies to conduct the Pest Inspection on your behalf. We arrange the pest inspector to conduct the inspection at the same time we undertake your building inspection.

Pre-Sale Inspections

Many people preparing to sell their homes have a pre-sale Building and Pest Inspections undertaken. This enables them to rectify matters requiring attention and to better present their home to the market. It assists in a smoother sale process with the “nasty surprises” removed. Sellers who are auctioning their homes also find it extremely useful and a good selling tool to have current building and pest inspection reports available to prospective bidders before and on the day of auction.

Pre Purchase
Pest Inspections

It is highly recommended that you engage a licensed pest inspector to check for any possible damage or infestation of timber pests such as subterranean termites or woodborers. We can also arrange an experienced and reputable Pest Company to conduct the Pest Inspection on your behalf. We arrange the pest inspector to conduct the inspection at the same time we undertake your building inspection.