Should I Use the Building Inspector Which My Real Estate Agents Refers?

The process of buying a home in NZ is not as easy as it appears, so if you are in the market to buy a property, you might like to read this!

If you like a particular home and get your offer accepted, should you hire a building inspection company which the real estate agent recommends?

Well… if you ask the client that I did a building moisture inspection for yesterday, then he’ll tell you a big NO! Here’s what happened…

To start with, let me say that the good real estate agents will always suggest getting a building and moisture inspection anyway, for your sake and their reputation. But, if they go on and give you the name of an building consultant to do the inspection, then be careful. Most inspectors will do the right thing either way… but like in any industry, there’s the odd ‘loose cannon’ who simply needs to make a dollar fast. That’s not who you want to hire.

My client purchased a monolithic cladding townhouse, and the inspector ‘verbally’ told the client that there was no need for a moisture test on the home because the paintwork was in good condition. Are you kidding me! Any building inspection company in NZ should know that these types of buildings could be leaky buildings. In my opinion, the building inspector is asking for trouble telling people no moisture test in needed with plaster homes.

Even if the paintwork looks good (He also failed to see a very large crack in the cladding), you can still have window joinery failures which lets water down into the wall and onto the timber. And guess what? That’s exactly what happened in this case.

Due to the fact the builder/building inspector ‘verbally’ said not to worry about it, then the buyer has no real come back because it’s not in writing… and second to that, the new home owner was beginning to wonder if the inspector and real estate agent were working in together, because the buyer wasn’t there through any of this process… it was all ‘organised’ through the agent.

The end result was that I found moisture IN THE UNTREATED TIMBER under one of the windows, and it extended right down the timber stud to the bottom plate. Although this area was isolated and it shouldn’t cost much to fix, it’s still something you need to know prior to purchasing.

Always choose an inspector who offers a non-biased opinion… be it a structural building inspection, or an infrared thermal imaging test.

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Client Comments... (All testimonials can be verified as true and correct... updated for 2010)

I enlisted Dean’s services 2 days prior to “D-day” of us purchasing our first NZ home. Dean proved to be an extremely efficient and knowledgeable technician. He has a very good understanding not only of his specific field, but also of general building requirements. He was easily able to spot, and talk me through, existing as well as potential problems, and was very open to answering the myriads of questions I fired his way. Most importantly, he gave me non-biased answers, allowing me to make an objective decision regarding the purchase of a potentially leaky home. Thanks again for excellent service Dean! Simone P - Titirangi

We have lived for some time in an old weather board cottage which we have renovated over a period of years. Recently we discovered a leak, so we googled “find a leak” and found a comprehensive and detailed website of the same name. Next we spoke to Dean and an appointment was made. He was punctual, courteous and his experience was obvious. His thermal imaging equipment is ‘state of the art’ and the source leak was quickly detected.

Dean was able offer practical solutions which we can act on with confidence. As a result of this experience we would recommend the use of his skills before the sale or purchase of any property to be reassured as to the integrity of the property. Dean is personable, a superb communicator and a true professional. Maggie & David M - Waiatarua

Dean was very professional and I would highly recommend anyone that is thinking of buying a property to get thermal testing done. Fortunately it was by pure chance that I even knew these tests were available after speaking to my neighbour and he advising me. The house we were looking at had water leaks and Dean has saved me many thousands of dollars in the long run. David G - West Auckland

Dean is a very professional and friendly guy. He goes step by step through the process which is very valuable. When he finds a potential problem he immediately notified to me and discussed with me in details on what actions could be taken. Anyway no major problems were detected in the property I wanted to purchase. However I greatly advice anyone to obtain Dean's professional service to make sure the property is in a satisfactory condition. Robbie P - Glen Eden

Thank you very much for the great service, very professional and appreciated the time taken to explain the process. Very glad to know that with all the stigma that goes with plaster houses, ours is not a leaky home. The report has helped pin-point some areas for maintenance which we plan to undertake sooner rather than later..Thanks again. Heather M - Maraetai

We were a bit apprehensive about what the leak detection might find, but found Dean’s confident, friendly and very capable approach extremely reassuring. While we were greatly relieved by the findings concerning the exterior of the house, Dean’s thoroughness in looking also for internal issues uncovered a surprise bath leak. Thanks Dean for solving the mysterious odour that’s been bothering us for the last 6 months! We highly recommend Dean to anyone with even the slightest concerns regarding moisture in their homes. Kevin - West Auckland

Thank you Dean for your prompt service. I was given 2 days to have a Building inspection done which found some dampness in the house. It was well worth the money spent as Dean found some other damp issues. He was very thorough and very informative and even though there were issues with the house they were all fixable so I was then able to re negotiate the purchase price. I would recommend anyone buying a house- any type of building structure to have ’Thermo Imaging’ as part of a building inspection. Thank you once again. Maree, Glendowie

We had some concerns about a recently renovation house including a lower basement. Being nosey I popped around to join Dean on his inspection. Apart from enjoying meeting him, Dean was enormously informative, approachable & friendly, I found the technology & information I gleaned fascinating. Fortunately, we identified no significant issues with the property. It gave us great peace of mind & we can enjoy our new home knowing we have bought a dry, water tight property with with hidden surprises. Thank you Dean for your help & reassurance. To my mind it is certainly worth the modest sum versus potential costs you could incur which could also mar one of most expensive purchases of your life.. Diane - Devonport

Read 20 more testimonials Here!