Pre-purchase inspection
Tony was financially ready to make an investment for his future – an investment property. He had done his research on the best area to buy, the best street in that area and now he was looking at a ‘fully renovated’ property to buy. Fortunately, Tony elected to do a building inspection prior to making an offer on the property, and appointed ABBC to make an inspection.
When the house was viewed from normal viewpoint of someone walking through a ‘Home Open’ to buy the house, there didn’t appear to be too much wrong. However, when the roof cavity was inspected, it was revealed that the roof cover had been changed from tiles to Colorbond steel without adding any tie-down strapping to the perimeter of the house. It was found that the skylight had been cut through the roof rafters and ceiling joists without support to either. It was also found that the pressure relief valve to the hot water system was discharging into a wall!
The cost to rectify the above items was approximately $5000, money which the purchaser couldn’t factor into the deal after making an offer. The purchaser was able to negotiate a $5,000 reduction in the price of the home, and had the home brought to a safe standard prior to putting in tenants. For the cost of a building inspection, the owner had prevented damage occurring to the home in high winds, avoided a potential accident to anyone working on the roof or in the ceiling of the home, and negated a potential structural and termite problem with hot water sloshing around in a timber internal wall. Tony slept well knowing that his asset was protected and that his tenant was safe.