This Old House
A Lesson In Uncovering Bad Property
If you had to pick only one of these choices, which would you go for: the spine-chilling ambience of the house from “The Conjuring” or the renovation horror of a house in “The Money Pit?”
For anyone who has ever gone through the nightmare of discovering pests and plumbing issues in an investment property, this would be a pretty tough choice. Re-piping an entire house could be so stressful and expensive that you might just tolerate evil apparitions every night.
But seriously, nothing could be worse to any homebuyer than the discovery of huge repair issues with the property — after having paid a staggering down payment. No one wants to end up with a fixer upper that turns out to be a demolition project. Yes, not even buyers who can spare a million or two.
The thing about old houses is that they can become a pretty good purchase. Even when you don’t intend to resell and actually just want to renovate the place, old properties can become smart investments. The keyword here being “smart,” which, for many seasoned property buyers, means getting the house or the apartment checked out before a sale contract is signed.
The best way to get a thorough check of any property is to get experts in building and pest inspections. This level of inspection not only tells you the cosmetic defects you missed during your open house visit, but it also uncovers possible structural issues, pest infestations that will make your life a living hell, and major repair problems that could end up cutting down the seller’s asking price. Sweet, right?
Here’s the other great thing about hiring professional property inspectors: the gadgets. We’re talking thermal imaging gizmos that detect critters crawling inside the walls. For locations vulnerable to termites, like Australia, you will want to get a building inspection firm that has all the right gadgets.
According to Queensland-based building and pest inspection company, BPI Gold Coast South, using infrared technology to detect infestations is better than conventional methods because buyers never miss out on these creepy buggers.
Aside from being creepy, termites also wreak havoc on any property, leaving owners with huge repair costs, not to mention the trouble of being put out of one’s home when the termite control services come. Incidentally, a pest inspection can also include mice, ants, and other pests native to your area.
The next time you get excited about an old house, the prospect of turning a small profit into a tidy sum, and the idea of designing your own home, do yourself a favor and get it inspected first. A professional inspection might just save you from making a bad investment — that, or from getting yanked off your bed in the middle of the night by one really disturbed spirit.
