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I don't pay for referrals. For the simple reason that if you are referring me to a friend, relative, colleague, client I want you to do so with the proper intention, not because you get something out of it. I refer businesses all the time, my only request is simple - look after them and don't make me look bad. If someone I refer doesn't look after a client I will be very unlikely to refer them again, its simple. I once had a mortgage broker call me and offer to send all thei

Recently I had a real estate agent call me, I had not spoken to this person for over 12 months. After some talk about the weather and being busy with work I was wondering what the call was for. This agent hadn't referred me to any of their clients buying a house for a long long time so I was curious. I joked that I only hear from some agent when they want to refer me to a friend or relative, an awkward laugh followed and then the reason for call became clear. His sister wa

Does it cost extra to talk to us about the report findings? NO ABSOLUTELY NOT Although I have heard some companies charging as much as $99 per 15 minutes, we don't charge for this part of the service. The chat in my opinion is as important as the inspection and report itself. I don't expect you to have the same knowledge or experience as me so how should I expect that the way I write the report will be instantly understood too. Of course I try to make it simple and clear bu

If you followed the contract and use a registered builder then you likely have the opportunity to end the contract or re-negotiate the contract price or conditions. The theory being you bought the house at the specific price not realising there was a major issue, such as a leaking bathroom, rotting stumps with out of level floors, or a major structural beam damaged or maybe serious termite damage or even live termites. If you were unlucky enough to use someone who wasn't regi

As with all situations this depends on the real estate agent you are dealing with. You should remember that real estate agents are working for the seller and as much as they generally want the best outcome for all parties involved their job is to sell each property for the best possible price in the shortest period of time. The vast majority of real estate agents I have met are great people working in a challenging environment. An environment where they are generally workin

Your conveyancer may suggest taking out a “title insurance policy”. This type of insurance covers you for certain instances that affect your right to occupy and use the land. Although there are likely to be exclusions these types of policies generally include: - identity theft and fraud - incorrect calculation of land tax and council rates - boundary alignment and structures encroaching on your land - planning and zoning omissions - illegal building works Typically these poli

When a vendor sells a house they have to get a conveyancer to create a section 32, as part of this process the vendor will be asked if they have undertaken any building works in the last 7 years. If they have, they will be asked to complete an owner builder report, this is called a 137b report because it is taken from section 137b of the Building Act. An owner builder report must be undertaken by one of only 3 people (1) A registered architect (2) Building Surveyor/Inspector

The person you speak to about your building and pest inspection should be a registered domestic builder with a registration starting with DBU or CDBU, meaning domestic builder unlimited, the C starts for Company and denotes the person trades under a company name. In Victoria there are no requirements for anyone providing this service to have any qualifications, experience or registrations. Those who tell you they are registered are doing so because there are so many out there