Experts warn of dangers of not getting a building inspection

WITH South Australia’s peak selling season already under way, experts have warned of the potential dangers of buying a home without first getting a building inspection.

Rowan and Michael McKeown and their two children Isobel, 3yrs, and Sandy, 6mos, have just bought a home at Parkside and say a building inspection was invaluable in them buying. Pictured with their new home which swill have renters in it for several months before they move in.

WITH South Australia’s peak selling season already underway, experts have warned of the potential dangers of buying a home without first getting a building inspection.

Association of Building Consultants spokesman Chris Short said a building inspection “should be one of the highest priorities for a buyer” as it helped prevent them from buying a potentially dangerous property.

“To the untrained eye a building might appear to be in good order, but the best option is to

engage an experienced building consultant who is trained to look for problems lurking below the

surface,” Mr Short said.

“If you are serious about buying a property, you can have a building inspection done at any stage of the sales process,” Mr Short said.

Mr Short said a building inspection could identify the presence of asbestos, a cancer-causing building material present in at least one in three Australian homes.

November is asbestos awareness month and Asbestos Education Committee chair Peter Dunphy said there was no safe level of exposure to the material.

“Many homeowners, renovators, tradies and handymen are putting their health and the health of families at risk when doing home renovations, maintenance and demolition if they release dangerous asbestos dust and fibres that can be inhaled and lead to asbestos-related diseases including mesothelioma,” Mr Dunphy said.

Rowan and Michael McKeown have just purchased a home to renovate at Parkside and say a building inspection helped them identify asbestos in the property.

“We all fancy that we know what asbestos looks like but actually it’s hidden in parts of the building that you might not expect,” Ms McKeown said.