House|What to look for when buying a house
What to look for when buying a house
You know how much you can spend, you know the area you'd like to live in, and you know what sort of house you'd like – now it's just a matter of finding a good one.
When you are in the market to buy and are interested in several houses, it can cost you thousands to have them all professionally inspected. Yet, by playing detective yourself, you can carefully inspect each house and eliminate those with too many defects.
And, if you want to buy anyway, you'll have a good idea of what repairs need doing. You won't have the time or freedom to check a property when it's open for inspection, so arrange another time to visit, even if you feel you're being a pest.
Watch Rob take you through what you need to look for.
Be prepared
Take a few basic implements with you. A pen and notepad to jot down notes and queries; a torch for looking under the house and behind furniture and fridges; a level to check floors are level and walls and doorways plumb; a small screwdriver (used with permission) to probe for extent of rot; and a tape for measuring rooms. Also, take someone with you – an extra pair of eyes may spot something you don't, and certain issues, such as noise, are best assessed by two people.
Noise can be difficult to control, so if it is concern, check out the property during the week and at weekends, as well as at night.
Remember that older houses are likely to have more faults and blemishes, but they may be consistent with the age of the property and can often be lived with. Even if there's nothing major wrong with the house, 15 or 20 small problems soon add up to a major cost. Your inspector should be able to tell you what needs to be done now and what can wait.
Don't just rely on your eyes and ears. Your sense of smell can also identify problems. If the house smells damp and musty, chances are, it is damp. If it's dark, you'll need to undertake major renovations to get more light.
Once you've done your checks, order your professional pre-purchase building and pest inspections. If it's a strata unit, have the strata records inspected, which should provide you with a report of what is happening with the property as a whole. Have the inspectors address the queries and notes you have taken.
The outside of the building
Wander around the house and yard. What is the aspect like, will you get enough sun and shade, is there room for extensions? What about privacy? Is there a garage and can you get to it? What is the condition of the fences and retaining walls? Then look more closely at the house.
Roof
Stand back and check the roof looks even and straight. If the roof line is uneven or sagging, it could indicate termite activity, rot in the framing, undersized roofing timbers, or that the roof is settling. Either way, it's something your building inspector should inspect from inside the roof space. Look for displaced or broken tiles, and, if the home has a steel roof, check for rust. Also look at the valleys. Rusty valleys will need replacing soon – a reasonably expensive job.
Guttering
Gutters that are rusty, sloping away from the downpipe or supporting plant or moss growth will need replacing. Inspect for rot in the barge and fascia boards, especially where there are joins or at the ends. Bubbling or cracking paint is a give away. Replacement is the only option.
Walls
Most houses crack to some extent, but if the cracks are large or the two sides are out of alignment, there may be footing problems, which lead to movement in the house. If gaps form between masonry and infill walls, it also indicates movement. It may be decades old (often painted over) or quite recent. Either way, have your building inspector check the cause and the potential for ongoing movement. Sight along the walls. If there is bowing or bulging, the repair bill could be large as the roof could be spreading and pushing the walls out. If near the coast, the wall ties could have rusted through.
Brickwork
Normally, brickwork is considered low maintenance, but some bricks can show fretting, which means they literally erode and crumble away due to moisture and salt or chemical attack. The odd eroded brick is not of major concern, but whole courses near ground level can mean major rebuilding.
Lintels
Masonry work has steel bars, called lintels, supporting brickwork above windows and doors. If not maintained, they rust and expand, causing cracks in brickwork. Repaired sections of brickwork near window corners may mean lintel repairs were needed. Ideally, the old lintel should have been replaced with a galvanised lintel.
Vents
You should find air vents at regular intervals around the base of houses that have timber floors. These are meant to allow air movement under the floor. Hold your hand near the vents to see if you can feel any air movement in the fine hairs on the back of your hand. If there is no movement, there is no air flow, and rot of the floor and floor framing could be a problem. Moist and rotting underfloors are very appealing to termites.
Paint
You can often form a good idea of how well a house has been looked after from the paint. Flaking paint with raw timber exposed indicates a lack of maintenance, and if it appears to be a fairly new coating, such as acrylic, then the preparation was not done properly. Similarly, paint applied over steel that appears rough or bubbled, or shows rust stains, indicates corrosion. You can expect a fair amount of work to restore paint to good condition.
Timber cladding
Rot in timber cladding is insidious. It is a form of fungal attack that is always more advanced than it appears. Most timbers used for cladding are only moderately durable. Just painting over rotted timber does not help. It needs to be removed and replaced. When rot occurs at the ends of weatherboards, the house may need partial recladding. Pressing timber with your thumb to check for soft spots is often all that is required
to identify the extent of the problem.
Timber framing
Rot can be a problem in softwood framing exposed to the elements, such as non-durable Oregon timber. Check posts and rafters on verandahs and pergolas, and especially cantilevered timber balconies where it's nearly impossible to maintain the top surface of the floor/decking joists. If in doubt, give the joists a gentle prod with a screwdriver to see if the timber is soft. Replacing a cantilevered balcony is a major undertaking.
Windows
Inspect the outside of windows. If they are propped up, the sashcords or balances will need replacing. Check if closed windows have been nailed or painted shut. Windows provide ventilation, so you should be able to open them. Look for timber rot, as new windows tend to be very expensive if you need a few.
Trees
Large trees close to houses can be a danger, especially fast-growing species with surface roots that swell with age, such as figs, liquid ambers, Norfolk Island pines and many indigenous gums. They'll get into pipes, especially older terracotta pipes, and can suck moisture out of the ground. This leads to shrinkage, and over time, the roots will crack masonry structures.
Indoors
Try all doors, windows, light switches, electric hot plates and taps. But, always have the agent or owner of the house demonstrate gas appliances in case they are difficult to turn off.
Ceilings
Turn on the lights and check for bulges in the ceiling. If present, have them checked out further in the roof space by your inspector. Bulges could be the result of roof leaks or old plaster sagging away from the framing. Either way, it's not easy to repair, and the ceiling may need total replacement. Localised damage in ceilings is often an indication of a minor roof leak, and may just be caused by a broken tile. General mould and staining indicates inadequate ventilation and condensation. Flaking paint could be due to an existing old paint, such as kalsomine, which needs to be totally stripped before repainting. Make sure there is an accessible manhole so your inspector can check the roof space for any building defects and insulation.
Walls
Check walls are straight. Aim a torch along the walls as shadows will reveal bulging. If they are rendered masonry, common in old homes, tap them to see if they are drummy. The only true remedy is replacement. Hairline cracks are common in homes, but most are considered cosmetic and can be patched. But, if you can wiggle a screwdriver around in the crack, the two sides of the crack are out of alignment, or if there is vertical displacement, more sinister movement could be occurring. Have your building inspector investigate.
Damp
Musty smells and stains indicate damp. Causes can be hard to track down, and treatments are often expensive and very disruptive. Rising damp normally means a replacement damp-proof course needs to be installed in the wall, and damp, solid walls (without a cavity) may mean the outside walls need waterproofing. Damp at ceiling or upper wall level often indicates a flashing problem, and condensation leads to extensive mould. Leaking showers can also be a problem. Any damp problem can be caused by more than one deficiency. Have your building inspector check out damp problems carefully.
Floors
Normally, you can feel if the floor is sloping, but a small level can be useful to check. Built-in verandahs often still have the original slope. Jump up and down on timber floors to check for bounce and squeaks. A floor with excess movement could be poorly framed. Stains and bubbling in floor finishes indicate damp, which could be due to a one-off occurrence or may be an ongoing problem.
Doors and windows
Make sure all windows open and are free of rot or other damage. Rotted windows generally need to be replaced. Movement in buildings is often evident in door openings. Doors tend to be square, but the openings they are in may have moved. If they appear out of alignment, check the door jamb with a level to see if there is a lean. This is more common in older timber-framed houses that were poorly braced. Also ensure that door openings (and hallways) are wide enough to allow your furniture into the home.
Kitchen
Kitchens are costly to replace, so go over it closely unless you are replacing it anyway. Check all the cupboards and the floor for signs of water damage and rot. Feel the plumbing under the sinks for moisture and check the seal between the wall and the benchtop. Look closely around the dishwasher where steam and leaks may have caused damage. Also ensure there are enough power points and that your refrigerator will fit.
Bathrooms and laundry
In the bathroom and laundry, make sure the tiles are all sound by tapping. In brick houses, you can use a 20-cent coin and listen for hollow sounds, but in framed houses, just use your hand. If the bath, shower, tiles or the back of taps leak, you will have damp in rooms adjacent or below. This means it's worth looking for stains or mould, even in wardrobes. Check cabinets – many are MDF, which does not like moisture. Ensure the bathroom has adequate ventilation or an exhaust fan. Operate each toilet and make sure that the flush goes down quickly and completely and the cistern refills properly.
The subfloor
Most people don't look under the house, as it is an unpleasant place, full of spider webs, damp and often littered with debris. Use your torch to look under a house with timber floors to see how damp it is, to make sure that the piers and timbers appear sound and the termite shields (ant caps) are in place. Check that the area is free of debris, which can attract termites and vermin. If you can, check for staining under the bathrooms, which indicates leaking. Don't venture under the house if the property has recently been sprayed for pests.
Services
Make sure that all the services you need, such as power, water, phone and gas, are available and in working order. There should be at least two power circuits and one light circuit. Your nose will alert you to gas leaks. Check the meter box to see the house has a residual current device (RCD) for extra safety with electrical faults or accidents. Safety switches are compulsory in houses built after 1992. Never touch old wiring. If you find exposed wiring in easy reach that is not protected by conduit, it could be a sign of illegal wiring and should be looked into. Try the hot-water taps to see how quickly you get hot water. Establish the age of the hot-water service (HWS) – most units have a life span of about 10 years. Turn on each tap and listen for banging in the pipes. This is called water hammer and is caused by loose pipes. They may require securing or a water-hammer arrester may need to be installed by a plumber.
Major building, environmental and foundation problems
Occasionally, you may see properties with potentially massive problems that are very difficult to overcome, or may require a total rebuild. If the surrounding land is all uphill from the property, you could have a major drainage problem, as all surface water will come through your place. Be very careful buying in areas that look like there could be landslip or regular flooding, where the house is built on deep fill or in a mine-subsidence area. Within the house, major termite attack, disintegrating bricks and major settlement cracks should ring warning bells. In units, beware of spalling concrete, often called concrete cancer. Get professional advice before buying.
Finding a building inspector
Once you have found the home, you'll still need a pre-purchase property inspection. These services advertise in various media and the Yellow Directory. The inspector should be fully qualified and carry full professional indemnity insurance. The inspection should be carried out at least to the standards set out in Australian Standard AS4349.1-2007, Inspection of buildings – Pre-purchase inspections – Residential buildings. Some building inspectors are also pest inspectors, or use a separate pest inspector (another pair of eyes could be handy). Pest inspections are covered by their own standard, AS4349.3-1998.
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