If you're about to put your home on the market, investing in a pre-sale inspection is essential to ensure you are aware of the condition of your home and anything that may affect negotiations. By undertaking a pre-sale inspection in advance, this allows you an insight into any repairs or maintenance that may be required, giving you time to have these completed in advance, so that you can get top dollar for your home. It also gives you a realistic estimate of the cost of repairs, so that if you decide to go into negotiations on your home without doing the repairs, then you can't be knocked down on less than the estimated cost of these.
You may find that after receiving the report you prefer to hold off on selling your home, if it reveals there are major structural, electronic or mechanical issues that will result in you losing money on the property sale. By finding out this detailed information on the condition of your home before you invest in advertising your home for sale, you can make a more educated decision on whether you are ready to sell.
The major benefits of having a pre-sale inspection include:
• You won’t have any nasty surprises when the time comes for valuation
• When undergoing a settlement of contract on your home it generally ensures a smooth transition
• You have a better opportunity of achieving the highest market price for your home
What you will find out from a pre-sale inspection
A pre-sale inspection highlights any minor and major defects that affect your home's structure, fit-outs and mechanical or electronic systems.
How a home is assessed in a pre-sale inspection
When a pre-sale inspection is undertaken, there is a range of established industry standards that need to be taken into consideration, which may vary slightly from state-to-state. These include what type of home you own, as well as its age and size.
What is assessed in a pre-sale inspection?
There is a broad scope of structural, electronic and mechanical features that are assessed during a pre-sale inspection. This type of inspection also takes into account any safety hazards, such as pool or property fencing and garage doors, as well as any fire hazards within or surrounding your home. If your home isn't up to Australian fire and safety standards, you can take the necessary steps to rectify this before selling your home, as families may avoid buying your home if parents feel it endangers their children's health and wellbeing.
If there are any noticeable mould infestations or pests in the timber, the inspector will also highlight these in the report. You can also arrange for a combined pre-sale and pest inspection if you prefer, which provides you with a more comprehensive overview of your home's condition, especially if you are living in a region of Australia known to be more susceptible to issues from termites and other pests.
Some of the features of your property assessed in a pre-sale inspection are:
• Air conditioning
• Gas and data systems
• Plumbing systems and fittings
• Alarm systems
• Pump systems
• Garage doors
• Pool fencing
• Windows
• Ceilings
• Floors
• Doors
• Toilets
• Bathrooms
• Foundations
• Roof
• Gutters
• Eaves
• Framing
• Cladding
These are just some of the many reasons why pre-sale building inspections are so important when selling your home. To find out more about pre-sale property inspections check out the NSW Fair Trading website.
The government site covers everything that should be included in your report so that you know you're receiving value for money.
You can also compare the inspection cost of companies providing pre-sale inspections in your area by entering the address of your home on the Compare Inspections home page. For affordable building and pest inspections in Sydney, Compare Inspections are the experts.
By Darel McBride
Follow Darel on:
