Victoria

What is a Building Inspection?

A building inspection is designed to give you independent and objective advice about the physical state of a building, enabling you to make an informed decision, generally about whether or not to buy a building. A building inspection is a snapshot...
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Smoke Alarms - America's Move May Trigger Australian Action

It’s an important topic. Will moves in the United States regarding smoke alarms trigger a debate here? The dirt: As the ABC reported, new US smoke alarm laws look likely to drive ionisation alarms out of business – and an American expert has b...
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Things to consider when building your first home

You might decide that rather than buying an established property as your first home, it would better suit you to build. Building your first home can be both an exciting and overwhelming experience. Building allows you to customise your home from t...
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10 Horrifying Traps a (Good) House Inspector Might Find

Number One: Asbestos. Enough said. Number Two: Termites. In a word: EVIL. Number Three: Fire hazards. Wouldn’t wish this upon my worst enemy. Number Four: Faulty smoke alarms. It’s a thing. Number Five: Ghosts. Okay, kidding. Okay, ma...
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The Block's Depreciation Schedules And You

So, “investors could claim an average of over $2.2 million in depreciation deductions for each apartment on Channel 9’s 2016 season of The Block,” according to new analysis reported by The Urban Developer. By far the biggest potential deprec...
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Proposed New Tax To Help Home Owners Remove Asbestos

Did you know that 1 in 3 Australian homes contain asbestos? With home renovations on the rise, many Australian's are purchasing homes built before 1985 with the intention of doing small renos through to complete rebuilds. Unfortunately, many people a...
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The Dirty World Of Termites

This summer it’s time to think pests. "Generally the soil moisture is high, that makes a big difference to termites. Termites are really just organised cockroaches," says Dr Ewart to The Age in an article titled: Hungry termites marching on Melbour...
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Is your house cracking up?

Is your house cracking up? A long, spidery vein is inching its way across the dining room wall. It seems to be spreading even as you stare at it! You’re sure it wasn’t there yesterday! So what does this mean and how can it be fixed? Don’t...
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New homes & Termite zones

An increasing number of councils across Australia are seeing the value in designating residential zones as termite prone areas in an effort to help local communities avoid costly repairs and horror surprises in the future. Victoria is the only Aus...
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Depreciation - A Most Valuable Deduction

Looking to claim? For property owners, depreciation is the gift that keeps on giving and another reason to talk with the professionals at Jim’s Building Inspections. To wit, investors deduct the amount of income-producing assets in decline over the...
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