Our Blog

Remote Building Inspections to Become Default Approach

In a significant move aimed at revolutionizing the building consent process, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk has announced that the Government will release a discussion document on making remote building inspections the “default approach” for building consent authorities across New Zealand. This document will explore various aspects, including the suitability of remote inspections for different construction phases and situations where in-person inspections might still be necessary.

Safeguard Your Asset with a Pre-Purchase Building Inspection

When you're ready to buy your dream home, booking a building inspection is an essential step to safeguard your biggest asset. At Straight Up Inspections, we offer non-invasive, same-day house and building inspections across Tauranga, the Mount, Papamoa, Rotorua, the Bay of Plenty, and parts of the Waikato region. Here's why a pre-purchase building inspection is crucial for both buyers and sellers.

How to Interpret a Building Inspection Report

Purchasing a home is an exhilarating experience, filled with hopes and dreams but also significant decisions. One of the most crucial steps in this journey is understanding the building inspection report. Provided by qualified inspectors like those at Straight Up Inspections, this report is a thorough examination of a property, designed to uncover any potential issues that could affect your decision to buy. Here’s how you can effectively interpret this critical document.

Preparing for Settlement Day When Buying a Home

Buying a home is a significant milestone, and the final step of this process—settlement day—requires thorough preparation to ensure everything proceeds without a hitch. If you’re navigating this final stage, partnering with a reliable service like Straight Up Inspections for your pre-purchase or pre-sale house inspections in Tauranga, the Bay of Plenty, and parts of Waikato can be a game-changer. This article will guide you through the crucial tasks you need to complete before settlement day.

Get a Same Day Builders Report and Secure Your Dream Property

In today's fast-paced real estate market, finding and securing the property of your dreams requires not just swift action but also a meticulous approach to due diligence. One crucial aspect of this process is obtaining a builders report, a step that many prospective buyers might consider delaying in fear of missing out on their dream property.

Sellers: How to Get Ready for a House Inspection

While property inspections feel like a fail-safe for buyers, they can be a nerve-wracking experience for sellers who worry that an unknown flaw will bring the deal tumbling down. If you find yourself in this situation, here are tips from an experienced building inspector on how you can prepare for a house inspection.

Everything You Need to Know About Buying a Doer-Upper House

Are you a DIY enthusiast considering buying a doer-upper home? From first-time home buyers to serial renovators, Kiwis love buying houses in need of some TLC. If you’re eager to transform a property with your bare hands, read our guide on everything you need to know about buying a doer-upper.

What You Can Expect to Get in a Building Report

Because of the nature of house sales, you’ll likely find yourself buying the biggest purchase of your life having only looked at it once or twice. You don’t get to sleep under your roof, have a shower or cook in the kitchen before buying – but what you can do is make sure a qualified building inspector thoroughly checks the house on your behalf.

The Value of Ventilation and How Your House Inspector Checks it’s up to Scratch

Air flow plays an important role in the health and comfort of your house. A well-ventilated home has fresh air circulating, while a poorly ventilated one traps air inside, contributing to dampness, stale air and mould.

Why Even New Home Builds Need a Property Inspection

There are many benefits when it comes to building a new house – you can choose the house’s layout, create your dream kitchen and ensure there’s an en suite. You can enjoy a modern interior style and freshly painted walls. You can go to bed in a house never before slept in. But one thing you should not do is skip the property inspection.

Six Reasons Pre-Purchase House Inspections are Necessary

Whether you’re searching for a house in mint condition or a complete doer-upper, it’s always wise to get a pre-purchase house inspection. A building inspection will reveal a lot about the property in question, putting you in the strongest possible position to either make an offer or walk away.

Five Things a Buyer Sees Differently to a Building Inspector

When home buyers walk into a house and fall in love, their lenses can quickly become rose-tinted. Unfortunately, this enthusiasm can mask issues with the house and lead to disappointment on moving day – luckily building inspections can help!

Roofs and Red Flags – What Property Inspectors Look for in a Roof

Roofs are important to the overall health and safety of a house, and they are pretty darn costly to replace. This is why a roof’s condition is a big part of the pre-purchase building inspection services we provide at Straight Up Inspections.

What to Weigh Up When Buying an Old Home

Craftmanship was paramount in the 1950s and 60s, which is why older houses are filled with character, from elaborate scotia to intricate lattice work, beautiful ivy-clad exteriors to quaint old-fashioned fireplaces. Old houses, however, can be a headache if they are cold, damp and in need of serious repairs.

What You Need to Know About Meth Testing Your House

The possibility of meth contamination is an unfortunate reality when you’re in the market for a new house in New Zealand. Sadly, methamphetamine use is on the rise and when you come into contact with surfaces that contain meth, the toxins that result from manufacturing this drug can be absorbed through the skin.

Buyers: How to Prepare Yourself for a Building Report

When buying a new house, it’s easy to get caught up in the excitement, picturing a new life in your new home. Unfortunately, a builder’s report can sometimes bring you crashing back down to earth by giving you news you didn’t want to hear.

What You Get with a Pre-Purchase Building Inspection

Buying a house is a big decision. If you’ve found a home you love in Tauranga, do your due diligence and get a property inspection from a qualified building inspector to carry out a pre-purchase builders report before signing off on the sale.

The Dangers of Buying Property Sight Unseen

While searching online or in property magazines, you may have found yourself falling in love with a house that you’ve never actually seen. Dazzling photographs and clever wording can make houses appear flawless – if you find yourself tempted to buy a house sight unseen, give yourself a good shake!

What Landlords and Businesses Need to Know about Insulation

Simply put, NZ homes are COLD. Built with our Kiwi summers in mind, the norm for houses in Tauranga, Rotorua and the wider Bay of Plenty seems to be a lack of insulation leading to a whole lot of cold, damp houses.

Monolithic Cladding Concerns: What Property Inspections Will Reveal

After the Leaky Home epidemic of the mid 1990s, many home buyers steer well clear of monolithic cladded houses. The entire monolithic category has gotten a bad name, which is a shame as this cladding style has been used successfully since the 1920s.