Buying a home is probably the biggest financial commitment you will ever undertake.
That’s why when you’re going to property inspections, it’s crucial that you get the full picture about a property before you bid at auction or make an offer.
Only a comprehensive pre purchase house inspection or building and pest inspection carried out by a building industry professional can alert you to potential issues or defects with a property.
Alternatively, a pre purchase house inspection can help you confirm that you are making a sound investment – hopefully, in the home of your dreams!
Keep reading to see the types of issues and defects that our inspectors uncover. These examples are taken from real client reports.
Area: Plaster Wall where the bathroom and ensuite showers meet
Comment: A calibrated moisture meter was used to the adjoining plaster wall of the bathroom and ensuite showers. A high reading was registered at the lower sections of the wall.
Our inspector recommended further intrusive investigation to establish the cause, as there are no obvious signs of areas within the two showers that would indicate the cause of the excessive moisture to the wall and skirting board.
Area: Front Porch
Comment: The decking frame appears to be in contact with the ground. This can provide easy access for termites. It is recommended that the area is treated to avoid entry of termites.
Area: Featured Cladding
Comment: The timber cladding is faded and weathered. If left untreated, exposure will deteriorate the surface and it will break down.
Depending on the building product specifications, the surface needs a preparation procedure and stain, oil or paint applied.
Area: Subfloor
Comment: The gap between the tops of the stumps and bearer have been packed using an unknown material.
Area: Roof Space
Comment: Insulation batts are of a good quality but in places have been disturbed, or not laid correctly, and require re-installing to minimise gaps and achieve maximum rating.
Defect Dealbreakers
We asked our inspectors to nominate the top issues that they would consider ‘defect dealbreakers’ when choosing a property.
Troublesome Trees
Heavily overgrown trees too close to dwellings, which cause visible damage to brickwork and building surfaces. Large trees can cause foundation soil to shrink, causing the house foundation to move. In addition, it can be difficult to obtain permission to cut back or remove some tree species, making this issue a red flag for potential home buyers.
Structural and Subfloor Issues
These issues can occur when timber stumps are deteriorating under the subfloor, or deteriorating in the subfloor structure, meaning that the floor and joists as well as the stumps may require replacing/
A telltale sign of this issue is noticing floors which are out of level during an inspection.
Telltale signs of this issue to look for during an inspection include floors which are out of level, serious cracking to internal plaster walls and ceilings, doors and windows that bind, cracked wall tiles and (sometimes) cracking in external brickwork if the settlement issue is serious.
Steep or Sloping Driveways
Our inspectors also caution against buying a home with a steep driveway, one that slopes down towards the garage or that slopes steeply away from the building.
Why? Driveways like this are dangerous to park on – car doors won’t stay open (or cause a hazard by flying open and slamming shut).
Sloping driveways can be very slippery and present flooding threats.
How can we help?
A thorough pre-purchase house inspection from The Home Inspection Hub will uncover potential red flag issues by checking the following elements:
- Site
- Foundation
- Building Exterior
- Underfloor and Roof Space
- Building Interior
- Wet Areas
- Services
- Evidence of Pest Infestation
The Home Inspection Hub has been in operation for over 20 years (starting as our sister company SPI Property Inspections). We have completed over 25,000 inspections throughout Melbourne, Geelong and Central Victoria.
We send only suitably- qualified inspectors to each job and will communicate with you at every step of the way.
As well as pre purchase house inspections and building and pest inspections, we conduct all stages of new home construction inspections: base stage, frame stage, lock-up/pre-plaster stage, fixing stage and handover stage.
We offer a discount when you book a new home construction package of four or more inspections.
Noticed an issue at your home and not sure how serious it is or what to do next?
We can arrange a special purpose inspection to investigate the issue and offer suggestions for rectification.
The Home Inspection Hub also conducts owner builder defects (137b) reports, renovation inspections, tax depreciation reports and VCAT reports and expert witness
We can also arrange stand-alone PCI reports, contract review and maintenance inspections for your new home.
Ready to book?
Call 1300 071 283, email info@thehomeinspectionhub.com.au or send us a free quote request today.
