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 builders report can sometimes bring you crashing back down to earth by giving you news you didn’t want to hear.

It can be crushing to learn that your house-to-be is less than perfect, but it’s a rare house in Tauranga, Rotorua or the Bay of Plenty, that passes its property inspection with a perfect score. A concern does not have to be a deal breaker; here are our tips so buyers can prepare themselves for the realities of a building inspection.  

1 – Hope for the Best, Be Prepared for the Worst

No matter how promising a house looks at the open home, prepare yourself for the worst-case scenario. For most people, this would be extensive repairs, the cost of which make the property not worth buying.

Chances are, this is not your situation, but by mentally preparing to lose the house, you come in with reasonable expectations. If you are prepared for the worst, common problems like exposed piles, borer or a broken fireplace might not seem all that bad.

2 – Be Ready to Compromise

So, you’re prepared to walk away if need be – that’s a strong position to be in. Then you are pleasantly surprised to find that the house does not need to be bowled over – but the building inspector has raised a few concerns.

When you find out what your property needs, be ready to compromise. Ask yourself if the issues are something you can live with, something you can afford to fix, something you even care about. Determine what you can and cannot live with, keeping in mind that most houses will have small issues.

3 – Meet the Builder

Come along to the house inspection and talk to your Tauranga builder. If you aren’t sure about something on the report, ask us what it means. You don’t want to throw away a potentially great house over a misunderstanding; similarly, you don’t want to underestimate how much a repair is going to cost.

5 – Get Ready to Negotiate with the Seller

Here’s the good news – if the house inspector shone a light on some things you were hoping not to find, that gives you, the buyer, bargaining power. There are few deal-breakers in the world of building inspections, but many things that can lower the price. Get your bartering hat on and negotiate a fair deal.

Ready to inspect a house or property you love in Tauranga, Rotorua or the wider Bay of Plenty? Straight Up Inspections offers comprehensive building inspection services carried out by qualified builders. Give us a call at 021 204 2630.

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