Open homes are designed to show a property at its best: fresh paint, styled furniture, good lighting. Here's where I look instead. None of this replaces a proper building and pest inspection. It helps you decide whether a property is worth paying for one.
1. The outside first
Walk the perimeter before you go in. Look for cracking in brickwork (especially stepped cracks), render patches, and how the ground slopes towards or away from the house.
2. Wet areas
Bathrooms, laundries and kitchens. Look for lifting or drummy tiles, stained grout, soft floors and fresh silicone hiding old problems. Check the room on the other side of the shower wall for staining or bubbling paint.
3. Doors and windows
Open and close a few. Doors that stick or have uneven gaps can point to movement in the building.
4. Ceilings and cornices
Stains suggest roof or plumbing leaks. Sagging or cracking along cornices is worth noting.
5. Under and above
If you can see the subfloor or roof space, look. Damp, poor ventilation, old wiring or timber damage are expensive to fix.
6. The block
Frontage, slope, access for a second driveway, trees, and the neighbours. The block often decides the property's future value more than the house does.
7. The upside
Finally, the fun part. Could this be a four-bedroom with a smarter layout? Is there room for a granny flat? Does the zoning allow dual-occupancy? That's where the value hides.
General information only. Always get an independent pre-purchase building and pest inspection before you buy.