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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Tips For First Home Buyers.

With government policy and a market that has cooled in recent times, the opportunities for first home buyers is really exciting. The dream of buying your first home is becoming a reality. There are however so many factors to look out for before you r...
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What Does Jim Know About Building Inspections Anyway?

ACTUALLY, QUITE A BIT MORE THAN WE EVER REALISED! We recently discovered that Jim Penman’s dad was a forensic engineer. From an early age Jim’s father was investigating materials, structures and their components which failed o...
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Blocked Guttering- One of the most Common Pre-Purchase Defects

Blocked gutters are one of the main defects found during a pre purchase inspection and is also one of the easiest to fix and prevent. Doing something as simple as keeping your gutters clean can save you thousands of dollars in maintenance costs in th...
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Re-stumping red flags

A guide to Re-Stumping Re-stumping - or re-blocking as it's known in Victoria - is big business in Australia and can be a very costly exercise, particularly if you don't know what you're looking at and you don't understand what you've bought into....
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Do you think that property you are looking to buy has asbestos?

If the house you are looking to buy was built or renovated before 1990, it is likely that it will contain some form of asbestos-containing materials. Did you know that approximately one-third of homes built in Australia contain asbestos products? ...
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Property Depreciation - Some Questions

Q: What’s property depreciation all about? A: In a nutshell, depreciation is a tax deduction when your property’s value declines. The result: Less tax, more money in your pocket. Q: Where can I find professional help? A: Jim’s Buildi...
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Beware Of Unqualified Building Inspections

How to avoid unqualified building inspections? In a Fairfax article, Chris Dyce, president of the Australian Society of Building Consultants, says go with experienced building inspectors. Make sure they’ve work experience in the industry and don’...
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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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Common defects found in homes

Are you buying a home or investment property? Here are some of the common defects that our building inspectors in homes. Termite damage The advantages of getting a vendor report before putting your house on the market. Termite damage was found ...
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