Re-stumping, re-plumbing and re-wiring are considered the three ‘big ticket items’ when it comes to old house household repairs – unless you’ve consulted an architect – who can frame these tasks within an orderly context of how things can get done. So if you’ve bought a house that needs any of these things done, have you got a problem? … and might it be a safety problem as well?!
Well…..yes, safety is paramount…but bringing some considered guidance into the picture can take the procedural stress out of addressing “big-ticket repairs”.
Health and safety risks exist in about one quarter of older Australian homes – not to mention some newer homes – and potentially expensive building defects are present in about one in three properties. Despite this, most home-buyers ignore the risk of buying without a property assessment and the results can be disastrous.
Rising living costs – including water and energy prices that are cutting into household budgets around Australia by hundreds of dollars a year – have the potential to compound the financial problems of a home-buyer who’s bought a faulty building. Buying a property is a complex exercise and people purchasing one that requires major repair work can find themselves in financial stress.
Archicentre Australia receives many calls from home-buyers wanting an assessment to determine the extent of a problem that they could have found out about before they purchased their home.
Smart buyers get the property assessed before they make an offer, taking into account the likely cost of any necessary repair work. In case of a private sale, smarter ones negotiate the purchase price with the vendor or ask for the work to be done before settlement.
It’s not called a ‘buyer beware’ market for nothing!…..so be informed.
Archicentre Australia has a free Cost Guide which provides cost rates for common household repairs. Use it to estimate the size of your repair bill.
