How much should a Home Inspection Cost?
What is the Cost of a Home Inspection?
A home inspection is a necessity when buying a property, whether it is new or existing, for your family or your investment portfolio, the pre-purchase inspection is not a stage of the home buying process you want to skip. At the same time, you have already outlaid significant portions of your savings for government fees, home loan fees and insurance costs, so it is natural to try and avoid another expensive bill, before you’ve even started packing.
Therefore, find out more right here about:
- What will be included in the cost of your home inspection.
- How much each stage of the inspection will cost.
- Whether there are likely to be any follow up costs for repairs.
- How you can minimise the costs of a home inspection by doing some of the work yourself.
What can you expect from a home inspection?
When you book a professional to complete a home inspection on a property you are considering purchasing, you are paying for much more than a walk-through and a report at the end; you are also paying for your peace of mind, knowing that a fully qualified inspector or architect has checked over your home.
Home inspectors are specially qualified and keep up to date with building codes and regulations so they can find and identify any possible problems with a property. Some are also often qualified architects, so they can spot those things which can often lead to more problems such as a poorly designed bathroom which could harbour mould.
With your home inspection you should also look for:
- Guarantees from the inspectors. Pre-purchase inspections can include a free guarantee, often up to the value of $15,000, as well as cover you under their professional indemnity insurance, to cover the costs of any issues which the inspector missed before you bought.
- Structural and safety advice. A property inspector should be aware of the structural issues of a property, and look for signs of pest damage or infestation, but they should also be looking at the property as a home. Therefore, look for a home inspection service which includes a health and safety report and warnings for child safety so you can be aware of areas of the property which may not be structurally unsound, but could pose a risk to small children or young families.
- The problems and the solutions. You don’t want to receive a building inspection report full of industry shorthand and vague information. Instead, expect a detailed explanation of everything the inspector has noted, as well as the most effective ways to solve the issues, and the likely cost of doing so.
- Looking outside of the square metre-age. Most people will purchase a property with the intention of making changes, and your home inspector is the perfect person to ask about these possibilities. There is no point in buying a home which you plan to renovate, only to find the changes you want to make won’t be structurally supported by the property, or aren’t allowed under the building’s or the area’s planning codes.
- Projected maintenance costs. If a property is free of structural issues, you want to keep it that way so your home inspection report will often include information for maintaining items in and around the property – chimneys, pools or septic tanks for example.
How much can a home inspection cost?
If you make sure to choose a home inspection company which can provide all of the comprehensive information above – and more – then you will be more than willing to pay for those expertise, but you want to know the prices to expect.
- Building inspections = $300 – $1,000 depending on the size of the property, the type of property, its age and the purchase price.
- Pest inspections = $100 – $120 and meets the standards imposed on the industry to inspect timber fencing, and the interior and exterior of the roof and floor.
- Council building inspections = $50 and may be a requirement of your lender, to ensure if any unauthorised additions or renovations have been done.
- Pool inspection = $75 – $125 as a pool can attract very specific problems and so is not usually included in a standard building inspection.
Is a DIY home inspection really the cheaper option?
As the costs of a building inspection add up, you may start to wonder whether you really need to pay an expert to look at every single property you are considering before you make a choice. Well in reality, you don’t need to call on a building inspector each time you go to an open house. Instead, make sure you sign any purchase contract subject to a satisfactory building inspection, to avoid the costs of a pre-purchase inspection if your offer is rejected or the neighbourhood bus service is lacking.
You can also avoid numerous building inspection costs by finding out more about a DIY home inspection because if you can check off obvious issues yourself, you don’t need to pay someone to tell you what you can see for yourself. At the same time, once a property passes a DIY inspection, it is important to still seek a professional inspection because often the most expensive issues are the ones you can’t see.
What do I look for in a DIY home inspection?
Since you are not a qualified property inspector and you may not have put an offer on the property yet, a DIY home inspection is mostly a visual one. However, don’t be afraid to make a time with the vendor to come back with your ladder and flashlight to do a thorough DIY inspection, and if they refuse, there could be something to hide.
How do I check the wiring?
You don’t have to be an electrician to buy an electrical outlet tester at your local hardware store. These will cost you around $10 and can tell you whether the electrical system is properly grounded. Simply plug the tester into each wall outlet to check that they are grounded, as ungrounded wiring may mean it is old, and this can affect your insurance premiums as well as your family’s safety.
You can conduct your own electrical inspection as easily as turning the light switches on and off, and looking for burn marks around switches at the same time. Also note in older houses whether new power points and switches have been added because this can lead to the entire electrical system being replaced if the addition was made incorrectly for the house.
Also check for exposed wiring, especially in a basement or cellar, and follow those wires to see if they are connected. You’ll also want to make sure you can successfully make upgrades to the property, so check for at least a 100 amp service as this will allow you to add things like modern air conditioning systems.
Locate the fuse box and check whether there is a fuse wire system, or an updated circuit breaker system. You should also be able to see an Earth Leakage Safety Switch. While you are inspecting inside the roof space, look for white wiring cables as this will be newer than the black cable you may see used with timber cable trays.
If you have any doubts about the wiring of a property, leave further inspections to a professional electrician who can uncover any issues without doing more damage, and recommend the safest and most affordable solution.
How do I check the plumbing?
This can be as easy as turning on the taps in the kitchen and bathrooms to check the water pressure, and seeing how long it takes for the water to become hot from the hot tap. Also note whether there is rusty red water coming from any of the taps as this can mean the pipes are corroded.
You can also check the performance of the water main by turning on the water in the bath or shower and then flushing the toilet. If the water flow in the bath or shower is significantly cut, this can mean you need to upgrade your water main. When you drain the bath note how quickly and smoothly the water drains away and whether there is a gurgling sound as this could mean damaged sewer drains.
Look around all of the fittings for cracks or leaks, and look for damp ground around drains as the pipes could be cracked. Also make sure that the downpipes have been plumbed to the stormwater because if there is dampness or soft soil when the downpipes meet the ground this can cause structural problems.
At the water meter check the outgoing pipe to determine the material used for the main supply line. Also check the waste pipes for cracks, or broken seals. Ideally pipes should be copper or PVC as galvanised pipes lead to poor quality water and poor water pressure. To check the type of pipe used, scratch lightly through dirt which may cover the surface, and galvanised pipes will be silver, where copper pipes will be copper coloured.
If you’re worried about the performance of the plumbing system, or unsure about your own inspections, have a qualified plumber complete an in depth inspection of the system.
How can I check the heating and cooling appliances?
If the property you are looking at has a gas furnace, keep in mind that these appliances usually only have a 15 – 25 year life and anything older than that will cost you a replacement. Also ask about the air conditioning system, as air conditioners usually have a 10 – 15 year life span.
What do I need to look at outside?
It is easy to forget that you are buying the whole property, not just the house, but the condition of fences and gardens can be just as important as the structural integrity of the walls and ceilings.
To inspect the garden:
- Look at fences and gates. Examine the base of gate posts and fence posts and the bottom plinth board as these areas are the most likely areas of deterioration.
- Check the position of trees. Make sure there are no large trees which are very close to the house as branches could fall onto the roof, and the roots can disrupt the foundations and flooring of the home, especially in a property with timber floors.
- Follow water run-off. Make sure water run-off from the garden doesn’t pool under the house as this can cause damp.
- Check for poisonous trees. Plants such as Rhus and Oleanders can be very dangerous to children or pets who don’t know to avoid them.
Older properties especially may have external toilets or laundry rooms, so to inspect out buildings:
- Look for water stains. Check the structural condition and how water tight the building are by looking for water stains on timbers or on metal sheeting.
- Look for electrical hazards. Being outside, out buildings are more susceptible to fire hazards such as loose or broken power points and poorly wired fittings.
To inspect the external walls:
- Are the walls straight. If not this can mean more than poor workmanship because in timber houses, sagging weatherboard can mean the timber stumps have rotted, and a house on concrete stumps or brick piers could have subsided. Minor cracks are to be expected, but large cracks usually mean footings have moved
- Check for rot. Inspect the weatherboards, the windows, doors and veranda posts for rotting.
- Check and compare mortar. If the mortar has eroded it will need to be recapped by a bricklayer, and if you notice mortar of a different colour, this could indicate a repair or a patch-job so check for new cracks in the area.
- Look for sub-floor ventilators. If the property is brick clad to the ground it will need adequate ventilation to avoid dampness.
- Look at the eaves. If there are buckled, poorly fitting or water stained eaves this could mean a roofing or guttering problem.
To inspect the roof:
- Look at the roofline. Lean your ladder against the guttering and look across the roof for a wavy roofline as this can be an indication of structural problems.
- Check the tiles. Look for broken roof tiles and loose ridge or valley tiles which can allow birds and possums access, as well as lead to water leaks.
- Check corrugated iron roofing. Make sure the iron sheets are in good condition and are securely nailed down. Look for areas of different colour which may be fresh paint to disguise rust.
- Check the guttering. Make sure the valley and eaves guttering do not have holes or rust.
- Check flues and chimneys. Make sure they are structurally secure and that the flashings around them are secure enough to keep out water.
To inspect under timber flooring:
- Look at how the floor is supported. Look under the floor for props holding up the floor, in place of the correct stumps, piers or dwarf walls. Concrete stumps are the ideal support as timber stumps which are more than 30 years old will very likely need to be replaced.
- Look for rot. You can isolate the stump with the heaviest water stain and dig away 100 mm of the soil to look below ground level. Then scrape the stump to see how much breaks away. Look at the timber framing and floors for rot as well, and signs or borer.
To inspect concrete flooring:
- Check the waterproofing membrane is not exposed. You will need to look for an exposed perimeter of the concrete slab to see that the waterproofing is not exposed, and remains protected by fibre cement.
To inspect in the roof space:
- Look for invasions. If you saw cracks in the roofing – and even if you didn’t – you can check whether the roof is structurally sound because if there was a breach, there would likely be possums and rats living in the roof space. Look out for dropping, and note the smell.
- Look for insulation. An insulated roof will save you on heating and cooling bills.
- Look at the type of wood used in the roof frame. If the roof frame is made of hardwood, you may be able to hear a lot of noise from your roof as it moves. This movement can also result in cracks in the ceiling plaster as the seasons change. Pine however, is often much more stable.
What do I need to look at inside?
When you inspect the inside of a house, make a conscious effort to look past the cosmetic and superficial impressions you get from the property to allow you to notice any structural problems.
To inspect wooden floorboards:
- The jump test. Jumping lightly on a timber floor at regular intervals can help you determine whether there are any rotten boards, a pest infestation or loose floor framing as you can feel and hear the differences as you make your way across a room.
- Look for a level floor. The best place to start to inspect whether a wooden floor is level is at a fireplace or a brick wall as stumps or piers will always start sinking here first.
To inspect concrete floors:
- Check for damp. You can look for signs that dampness is present by looking for lifting or buckling tiles or rotten carpet.
- Look for cracks of several millimetres. All concrete slabs will crack to a certain extent, it is cracks which are more than a few millimetres wide which can indicate real structural problems.
To inspect the walls:
- Are they straight? Use your level, and look along the wall, to check the walls are straight as warped walls can mean warped frame timbers or structural problems with the footings.
- Look for cracks, and the cracks which aren’t there. You may notice general movement around architraves and skirting boards and in the corners of rooms and these cracks can be indicative of a bigger problem. Also take notice of freshly painted or wallpapered areas which could be disguising a problem. Cracks are also most likely to appear around chimneys, and also look out for doors which are jammed or no longer square from movement in the house.
- Rising damp in brick walls. Look for white or brownish deposits on brick walls as rising damp can also cause skirting boards and architraves to rot, and wallpaper and paint to lift.
- Tap, tap, tap. Tap a solid brick wall to listen for a change in tone which could mean the wall has been plastered or rendered to cover damp. A hollow sound in the wall could mean loose plaster, or on a tiled surface the tile could be loose.
To inspect the ceilings:
- Look up. If the cornices are cracked or have moved this could mean walls have been removed where they shouldn’t have been. Also look for water stains and mould which can mean there is excessive condensation or a roof leak above.
To inspect the windows:
- Open the windows. Make sure that all windows can be opened and closed easily, and look for broken or cracked window panes.
- Look for mould around windows. This is a favourite place for mould and condensation so check the windows and walls to ensure there is adequate ventilation.
- Check for irregular surfaces or recently painted frames. Wooden window frames can be painted with a fibreglass filler which hides damage and doesn’t solve any underlying problems.
To inspect the doors:
- Open the doors. Make sure that each door opens and closes easily without sticking or dragging on the floor.
- Is the door an original fit? Look at the edges of the door to see whether it is a true rectangle, or whether it has been planed to fit into the frame.
To inspect the kitchen:
- Everything around the kitchen sink. Look for damp stains where the splashback on the wall meets the edge of the kitchen sink. Also look in the cupboards under the sink as this is a common place for leaks. To check these pipes are secure, gently but firmly shake the pipe to check the security of the fitting.
- Look for an external flue. Make sure the exhaust fan in the kitchen leads out of the kitchen and out of the roof of the house. Open the cupboards above the exhaust system and make sure there are no signs of cooking fat being trapped there. Also look at the external roof line and locate an external flue above where the kitchen is inside.
To inspect the bathrooms:
- Look under the sink for leaks.
- Look for missing grout or sealant. This can be easily replaced, but if there is sealant or grout missing from the edges of the shower base, the bath or around tiles this could have been facilitating a leak, and greater damage.
- Make sure there is an exhaust fan. This will help you avoid mould and damp.
- Make sure the shower screens open and close (or slide) easily and the glass is not cracked.
To inspect the laundry:
- Check the trough is secure. Make sure the trough doesn’t move and that there is a seal between the trough and the wall.
- Look for rust. This can be easily hidden as some troughs are painted up ready for the sale of the house but the internal casing may be rusted.
- Make sure the wall behind the trough is tiled to ensure the area is waterproof.
- Look for the overflow drain. Make sure the overflow drainpipe is in the lowest point of the laundry floor, this is especially important in apartments.
To inspect the toilet:
- Look for leaks. To check for leaks, flush the toilet and look behind the seat, and at the cistern and waste pipes. If the rubber seals are old, they should be replaced.
- Look for excess silicone. If a lot of silicone has been used on the toilet system this could mean there are a lot of leaks, or a poor repair job.
- Listen for water. Listen to whether there is continuous water running after the cistern has filled.
- Check the mounting. Nudge the toilet pan and if it moves, the mounting screws are loose and this can lead to leaks from the waste pipes and cistern seals.
Now can I inspect the property on my personal criteria?
Before you fall in love with a house, you need to make sure it’s not going to cost you hundreds of thousands of dollars in repairs or maintenance, or worse – be an unsafe place to live and raise your family. Once you have conducted your initial DIY home inspection, look at the other features of the house such as:
- Whether the layout of the rooms suits your needs and family size.
- Whether you get enough natural light to avoid turning on your lights all day.
- Whether you have mostly north facing windows to avoid hot summer sun, but welcome warm winter sun.
- How close you are to your neighbours and whether there are privacy or noise issues.
- The prevalence of traffic noise, and how it differs at different times of the day and night.
- Whether the changes you want to make to the property can be done at an affordable cost.
Contact Home Loan Finder for any further enquiries regarding pre-purchase inspections
Related posts:
- What to Look for During a Home Inspection
- Unit Defects to Avoid when investing in Property
- Pre-purchase inspection checklist
- Do it yourself home inspection
- Termite Inspection
- Pre Purchase Inspection | Why do it and what is important?
- Home Inspection Forms
- Home Inspection Report Guide
- Property Inspection Services – A Complete Guide
- Home & Contents Insurance – What affects the cost of your Premium
Top Home Loans
| Home Loan | Details | Interest Rate (p.a.) | Comp Rate^ (p.a.) | App Fee / Ongoing Fee | Max LVR | Min & Max Borrowing | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Loans.com.au - Dream Catcher | A home loan offer with a $0 application fee and one of the lowest available home loan interest rates. | 5.85% | 6.21% | $0 / $375 | 80% | $50,000 / $750,000 |
 
|
 Bankwest Online Home Loan | A low interest rate home loan with a $0 application fee and ongoing maintenance fees. This offer is exclusively available by applying online. | 5.97% | 5.97% | $0 / $0 | 80% | $100,000 / $1,000,000 |
|
 Illawarra Home Loans Bank Beater Home Loan | A low variable rate, beaten down even further by 0.05% p.a. after 5 years. | 6.07% | 6.35% | $0 / $345 | 90% | $250,000 / $1,000,000 |
|
 State Custodians Mortgage Company Standard Variable Offset Loan | Awarded the 2011 Non bank Lender of the Year this feature-packed loan rewards customers with a bonus rate drop of 0.25% after 5 years. | 6.02% | 6.23% | $0 / $345 | 95% | $150,000 / $1,000,000 |
|
Ask A Question