Property: Let the Buyer Beware

LET THE BUYER BEWARE When it comes to buying property, forewarned is forearmed

Sellers aren’t the only ones who need to prepare for a show day. It’s important that buyers attend a show day armed with the questions that will give them the information they need to make an informed property purchase decision. If you’re a potential buyer, ask these questions for each room of the house:

Kitchen

Has the kitchen been renovated at any point? If so, what kind of renovations?

Renovations would be a huge plus as nothing in the kitchen will have to be replaced for quite a while. Tip: If the kitchen has linoleum floors, wood paneling or wallpaper, chances are it hasn’t had a renovation for a while.

Lounge

What’s underneath the carpets? Was the flooring recently redone?

It’s important to know whether the subflooring beneath the carpets is going to need replacing soon. Redoing a floor is a large expense and replacing it could be a deal-breaker.

Have there been any infestations of termites or other pests?

If the home has experienced infestation in the past, it could experience an infestation in the future. Find out where and how the damage has been fixed. Tip: Termite infestations are likely to have occurred in the skirting boards or window frames, so these are good places to check.

Bedrooms

What are the dimensions of the bedrooms?

Make sure you know the exact dimensions of your furniture, to make sure it will fit into the bedrooms. Things like beds, desks, dressing tables and bookcases should be measured in advance.

Tip: Ask about the dimensions of the bedrooms, to figure out whether it’s necessary to spend money on new furniture.

Bathrooms

Have the pipes ever given any issues? Is there a knocking noise when you turn on the shower or bath? Is there low water pressure? Is the drainage adequate?

Issues in the bathroom can be costly to fix. Ask about noisy pipes, water pressure issues, drainage and hot water issues. These answers will indicate whether the pipes are stable, or coming loose and could need replacing soon. It would also indicate whether there are any geyser issues and if the pipes are clear or blocked.

Roof

How old is the roof and when last was it replaced? How old is the plumbing and wiring? What kind of roof is it?

Tip: A general guideline on roofing: asphalt shingles last 15 to 20 years; metal roofs last 20 to 40 years; wood shingle and shake roofs last 20 to 30 years, and tile and slate roofs last 50 or more years.

Garden

Where does the property begin and end? Are there any extra items being sold with the home, for example a wendy house? What are the body corporate rules about pools, fencing, etc?

Boundary lines are important to know, particularly if a buyer is planning to extend the house. If it’s a sectional title property, the buyer should get an idea of what their general rules are, and whether that will work with their lifestyle or not. If there is a pool, it’s worthwhile to see what kind of condition it’s in, and whether that will be an added expense.

General

Are there any known problems inside or outside the house?

It’s easier to put all the home’s problems on the table immediately, rather than the buyer finding out later and it leading to a legal issue. What are the neighbours like? Good neighbours can add to the security of a property. It’s also good for a buyer to know if the current owner has had a dispute with a neighbour, or if they’re on good terms. After all, they are going to be neighbours in the future. What are the local amenities? If buyers don’t know the area, it’s a good idea to find out from the current owners which are the best local amenities.

What do the current owners pay for rates and municipal

services? This is imperative for a buyer to know, in order to work out an estimate of what their monthly expenses would be.

How old is the property? This will impact the likelihood of home maintenance being needed more frequently or less frequently. Why are they selling? If the owners need to sell quickly, the buyer may have some wiggle room with price.

Were any additions done to the house? What exactly was

done? Who did it? Were the additions legal? If any additions were done to the house, buyers need to make sure that planning permissions were acquired, and that they were done by a reputable contractor, to avoid having any issues later on. If the seller is aware of defects but fails to declare them, the buyer is protected by the Consumer Protection Act against fraud. However, the seller is not expected to be aware of latent defects, which is why these checks are so important.