2 inspections to do before buying your home

Competition for real estate in Brunswick has been fierce of late.

The suburb profile from Your Investment Property found that on average, Brunswick houses are only on the market for a month and a half before being snatched up.

In these conditions, it can be easy to become frazzled and rush into a home commitment without inspecting the property first.

Spending a bit of time and cash now could save you thousands of dollars and stress further down the line. Not to mention some blessed peace of mind!

Here's a couple of things you should do before any paperwork is signed.

Inspection by you

Regardless of whether you've already found real estate in Brunswick or you're still looking, you should attend open inspections. Consumer Affairs Victoria recommends paying particular attention to the age, location and size of the home. At the end of the day, is it going to tick all your boxes?

Inspection by a professional

If the answer to that last question is yes, then we move on to the professional inspection. The owner may offer you a builders report, but it's often better to get one done yourself in case of any bias. This can be done by an architect, builder or land surveyor.

Think of it as an investment, as they can spot any faults such as dampness, holes in the roof, shoddy workmanship and patchy repairs.

What are the next steps?

If anything serious is found from the builders report, you have three options.

If you're still keen on the home despite the defects, you could show the vendor the report and request the problems to be fixed. Alternatively, you could negotiate with the seller for a cheaper price.

Lastly, you could walk away, because as they say, there's plenty of fish in the sea!

If you're in the market for a property in Brunswick, talk to the team at Ray White. We're experts in Brunswick real estate and can help you through the entire process of finding and buying your home.