Home In The Hills: Why A Pre-Purchase Inspection Is Mandatory
Adelaide Hills is arguably one of the best places to live in Australia. However, a new house on the Hills may cost you an arm and a leg, and you've probably considered getting a pre-owned house.
Prospective homeowners often choose to avoid the cost of a pre-purchase building inspection in a bid to save on the final cost of home ownership. This might turn out to be an expensive decision. Here are two reasons why.
The Problem Of Pest Infestation
Unlike many other areas, pest infestation might be a more serious problem in Adelaide Hills. The longer your preferred house has remained un-occupied, the higher the chances that there are pests in there.
Mice and rats find Adelaide Hills attractive thanks to the abundant vegetation, water and food supply. Unoccupied homes in this area often serve as a cozy habitat for these rodents. Additionally, the area is home to several species of native bees that may have been minting their honey in the unoccupied house.
Home buyers in other areas often get away with ignoring the pre-purchasing inspection. You might not be as lucky.
Adelaide Hills Is Prone To Bush Fires
Adelaide Hills is among the several Australian territories identified as being prone to bush fires. Homeowners in this area are required to take additional measures that will reduce the fire hazard in their homes.
For this reason, you need to check the condition of fire suppression systems installed within the house during the initial inspection. Wet pipe fire sprinkler systems are a common fixture in many pre-owned homes. When temperatures are low, water contained in the system might freeze within the pipes and this can damage valve caps among other system components.
The continuous presence of water in the sprinkler's pipes also leaves the system's components vulnerable to corrosion-related damage. Ideally, the owner of your preferred house should have no qualms about making repairs to a damaged fire suppression system before the property is sold.
If you plan to store electrical appliances in the rooms fitted with fire suppression systems, ask the seller to replace a damaged wet pipe system with a waterless system. This will prevent water damage to your electronics in the event of a fire or in the event that the sprinkler system is activated by accident.
Failure to identify damaged fire suppression systems means that you'll be responsible for the cost of repairs if such damage is discovered after you've bought the house.
If there's no fire suppression system, insist on having one installed before you complete the property transaction.
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