When you’re in the market for a new home, you may not be expecting everything in the house to meet your personal preferences, but you probably expect the house to be structurally sound and safe for your family to live in.
Many buyers think they’ll be able to tell if a house is safe and sound simply by looking at it.
But no matter how many nooks and crannies you explore, you’re likely to miss many of the signs of asbestos, unsafe electrical systems and pest infestation that a professional building and pest inspector would find.
Why Hire a Professional Building Inspector?
You may think of pests simply as annoying, unhygienic, unwelcome house guests but certain pest infestations can impact the structural safety of your home.
Termites can be extremely unsafe and hard to detect. They work in swarms, eating the wood in your home and leaving you with damage that is extremely expensive to repair.
Pests aren’t all you have to look out for. It’s also important to examine the materials used to build the home and make sure there’s no asbestos, that storm-water runoff is designed properly, that there is no mould or water damage and that the electrical system is safe.
The only way to avoid getting stuck with a home that’s unsafe and too expensive to repair is to hire a professional building inspector.
He or she will be trained to look for evidence of a dangerous pest infestation.
In addition, their keen eye for detail will allow them to spot any repairs made by the seller in an attempt to cover up the damage caused by pests, leaks and other problems.
What Professional Building Inspectors Do
When you hire a professional building inspector to examine a property before you make an offer, they will review both the interior and exterior of the building as well as the roof, fence, out buildings and under-floor space.
They’ll look for many things, including droppings, debris from wing shedding and nest making and any other sign of pest infestation.
Additionally, they’ll look for mould and mildew, water damage, asbestos and electrical problems.
The Inspection Report
After the inspection is complete you will be provided with a report spelling out the inspector’s findings.
This report allows you to decide whether the property is still a good fit and whether to submit an offer. Many states make the sale of a property conditional to a satisfactory building and pest inspection report. Always ask the sales agent what the sale of the house is conditional to.
If there are issues with the house, the report can help you negotiate a better deal or negotiate to have the seller complete repairs before the sale is unconditional.
No matter what house you choose to buy, you probably expect to do some light decorating, painting, and maybe even a few repairs or renovations.
But at the end of the day, knowledge is power and a qualified BPI building and pest inspector will give the confidence you need to make an informed purchasing decision. Locate your BPI guy today.
