When listing your Mosman property for sale, a great deal of focus goes on marketing. Your home needs to look its prestige best and stand out when advertised.
A property stylist and a decluttering expert will be your go-to team to capture people’s hearts and make them want to buy your home. Before they are serious about their offer, however, it is more than likely they will order a building inspection (they will definitely do this if they know a thing or two about buying property).
A property/building involves a licenced builder or surveyor coming to your house and putting together an independent report of its condition.
An upgraded kitchen and beautiful entryway can only do so much to attract buyers. In the end, they want a home that doesn’t need a great deal of expensive non-cosmetic repair work. When selling your Mosman home, it can be a good idea to work with a building inspector so you know what condition it is in before the buyers start asking.
The following are the issues a building inspector will look out for, and which ones can be deal breakers for buyers (or cause them to drop their offer).
Inside your home
According to Fair Trading NSW, a property inspector will examine the inside of your home to look for any significant problems that need fixing.
On this list there may be:
- Termite damage (you may need a pest inspector to confirm if termites are still present)
- Cracked walls
- Rising damp and mould
- Leaks
- Faulty taps and electrical fittings
- Sagging ceiling
- Uneven floors
- Signs of asbestos
Some of these problems are annoyances that can be overlooked, while others may lead to long term, very expensive issues. Your property inspector should be able to let you know which defects are serious and require urgent attention.
Outside your home
Your building inspector will have a good look at your roof and walls to make sure there are no issues that would put a buyer off.
They will also review your outdoor areas, including the garage or carport and the way water runs off your property.
An outside inspection will take steps and retaining walls into account and will notify you about non-compliance when it comes to balconies, patios and things like kids’ cubby houses (they can’t legally be too high from the ground).
You may need a separate inspector to look at your pool to ensure it has fencing that complies with regulations if you don’t already have this certificate in your possession.
Other inspections
As Fair Trading NSW points out, “A building inspection report does not deal with every aspect of the property. Its role is to identify any major problems visible at the time of the inspection. The extent of a problem will be influenced by the age and type of property.”
While providing valuable expert advice, the report will not generally include:
- Parts of the property that were not or could not be inspected
- Matters outside the consultant’s expertise
- An estimate of repair costs
- Minor defects
- Termite detection
As well as a pool and pest inspection, you may want to gather evidence of systems like your security, intercom and ducted air conditioning being in good condition. Irrigation and fireplaces are other areas that may need assessing before you sell your Mosman home.
A basic building inspector may not offer these inspections so ask your real estate agent who can help if you want to be able to provide certification to buyers that your home is in good working order.
What to do with your property inspection reports
While a basic report may miss things, it will give you a general idea of the structural state of your Mosman home and the surrounding property.
As a home seller, you may as well hear about structural or compliance problems before your potential buyers point them out and ask to pay less. If you’re aware of any issues with your property, you can choose to either have them fixed or approach your sale with an understanding of how they could impact the selling price.
Some sellers decide to have a building inspection ready to share with buyers ahead of their sale. It can make the process smoother and faster, particularly if the property is in excellent condition. Others realise from an inspection that they need to spend a bit of extra money on their home to draw in more competition from buyers and get them to pay top dollar.
Talk to your real estate for advice, particularly if you have an older Mosman home. They can advise you on how to proceed when it comes to a building inspection and the resulting report.
