Beware of Hidden and Brutal Motives: Hire Building and Termite Inspection and Save $10,000+

If you aren’t aware of building and termite inspection, imagine if the following scenario will happen to you.

Imagine buying a house of your dreams only to figure out that it’s infested with termites! Did the real estate agent or the seller know about it and fail to disclose the information to you?

A typical real estate agent will act as a medium to generate a synergy between a property buyer and a seller in an ideal scenario. They directed towards the transfer of ownership of a specific property for a mutually agreed price. Not all real estate agents are equal!

Therefore, it is unfortunate that a small number of unethical real estate agents acting unprofessionally. They tarnish the reputation of the majority. Sadly, most of the buyers are oblivious of these hidden and brutal motives.

What Happens During Building and Termite Inspection?

Being based in Sydney, the vast majority of our contracts have the luxury of including a building and termite inspection. For a small fee, it could give you at least peace of mind and save you more than $10,000!

So, what happens at a building and termite inspection?

On average, home, building, and termite inspection could take between 1 to 1 ½ hour for an inspector to carry out a full inspection. It’s ideal to hire someone who’s a specialist for both building and termites, so you don’t need to pay for different experts.

Most cosmetic issues can be picked up at a single inspection. However, it’s the structural integrity of the property that you want to ensure is all above board. 

Likewise, it could also appear as a minor cosmetic issue. But upon further inspection, it may be something more alarming. The inspectors should also access areas that you’ve not been able to view in the initial inspection, things like:

• The roof – rust, gutters, integrity
• The roof space – insulation, leaks, structure
• Locked sheds or garages
• Structural integrity
• Underneath the house – stumps, footings, and drainage

Inspectors may also investigate other areas you may haven’t considered, like retaining walls, trees, outside sheds etc.

Building Inspection

The building inspection should be used to assess the property’s structural integrity and to ensure there are no significant repairs to be done.

Quite often, you’ll find that major repairs and upgrades don’t really add value to the property. For example, replacing a rusty or stump gutter doesn’t increase the property value. If there are too severe damages, then it’s best to move on. However, minor damages can be taken into consideration as part of the final price.

You can exit a contract under this clause for any structural defects. 

Termite Inspection

If you are based in Sydney, you need a termite inspection. As a professional building inspector, I already carried out about 10,000 inspections, and I would say at least 80% of these would find termite activity in a way or another.

They are either hiding in retaining walls, trees, or gardens or in the home itself. 90% of the time, it’s really superficial things and nothing that can’t be corrected easily or something to be made aware of.

Other times we may find structural issues or nests that may be more serious.

Building and Termite Inspection Report

Finally, you should also have building and termite inspection reports will all the details. It’s strongly recommended that you are present during the inspection. Asking questions and feedback at the inspection will give you a clearer picture of a potential issue. Second, you may also wish to contact the inspector to understand any potential issues.

What to Expect During Building and Termite Inspection?

Building inspectors never pass or fail a property. They simply document the condition of a property. This way, the prospective buyer can make their own informed decision.

Post an inspection that brings out no flaws in a specified property; a building inspector guarantees the agent a sale. This subsequently assures him further referral work in the future.

As the Director of Effective Building & Consultancy, I have completed over 10,000 building and termite inspection in the Sydney area. During this period, I had witnessed a myriad of ugly tactics employed by quite a few unethical real estate agents. At Effective Building & Consultancy, all faults of relevance within a property or a building are photographed and documented within the report.

Right as a Property Buyer

Please note, as a property buyer, you have the liberty to opt for the property inspector of your preference. The real estate agent doesn’t dictate who can or can’t undertake your building and pest inspections.

He certainly should not control the outcome of your report. If an agent is dictating who you can and can’t use for your building inspection, you can be sure there is something they are trying to hide.

Don’t become a victim of corruption within this real estate industry. Protect your hard-earned money with a sound investment. The only way to do this is to research and go with a legitimate professional building inspector who you’re assured will provide you with an unbiased, fair report.

For more information about building and termite inspection, visit our Help Centre.