There are many obvious reasons why homebuyers should retain a pre-purchase inspection for an existing home, but do you really need one for a new build? There’s a common understanding that new build homes are built to Australian standards and should be fully compliant with building code and all regulations, but that all sits on a few assumptions that could turn out to be wrong.
A new build home inspection can be incredibly valuable and potentially save you a huge amount of time and money wasted, so you really should consider getting an inspection done for new builds.
Here are a few reasons why:
Common Misconceptions about New Build Homes in Melbourne
All new build homes in Melbourne and elsewhere in Victoria and Australia must abide by the Building Code of Australia (BCA, part of the National Construction Code) and Australian Standards. This means that, in theory, all new builds are fully compliant and should be of superb build quality. In practice, however, that is never a guarantee.
At best, a new build home will indeed be built to code and there is nothing to worry about and no need to really get an inspection. At worst, the home could have one or more significant flaws. In these cases, which are not all that uncommon, the value provided by an inspection could far outweigh the potential losses you could face.
Inspections for New Builds vs Established Properties
Established homes are existing homes (or, ‘second-hand’ to be a little more liberal in meaning) which could (and often do) have one or more minor and/or major flaws or defects. For these reasons, a pre-purchase home inspection is a great way to identify any such flaws and to provide some leverage when negotiating the price of the home with the seller
On the other hand, a new build will rarely have many of the minor flaws that are common to pre-existing homes such as cosmetic (e.g. needs new paint) or wear and tear of systems like plumbing or electric, since these should all be new.
What can be particularly alarming for new builds is the presence of major flaws such as structural issues that could pose an immediate hazard, such as improperly framed timber load-bearing walls or poor roof construction. Construction contractors and individual tradies, while generally working diligently and responsibly, sometimes have been known to cut corners to get a job done faster.
Flaws in a new build can be intentional (and hidden as best as possible) or by mistake, but either way, you shouldn’t be reckless with your money and buy a home riddled with flaws and defects – especially if it’s brand-new!
Why You Should Get an Inspection on New Build Homes
Don’t make the mistake of thinking that all new build homes are built to spec and are free of errors and flaws. An alarming number of new build homes in recent years have been handed over to homebuyers only for them to later discover flaws. These could only cost a few thousand dollars to remediate, but in some cases it’s quite easy to blow past tens of thousands or even have to demolish parts of the home and rebuild it properly.
A new build home inspection is a great way to save on the hassle and potentially save yourself thousands of dollars or more.
Guardian Building Inspections
Get residential building inspections in Melbourne from Guardian Building Inspections.
