Fremantle (08) 9335 8411

Buying Tips 

  • Speak with your financier or your Harcourt’s Financial Services Home Loans specialist to arrange the best loan to suit your needs.
  • Prepare a short list of preferred areas that suit your lifestyle. Keep in mind affordability and accommodation requirements.
  • Research sales in those preferred areas using your local Bluebook, blueprint or by searching our web site Buying section. Inspect every property in your preferred area so you have a feel for the price. Attend all auctions in the area.
  • Develop a relationship with a Harcourt’s Sales Consultant specialising in your preferred area. The consultant will be able to offer additional advice and also alert you to new listings before they reach the media.
  • When you find a property that suits your requirements, ask your consultant to send a copy of the sale contract to your solicitor or conveyancer.
  • We recommend that you arrange a building inspection to make you aware of any major defects.
  • Following your solicitors or conveyancer’s advice on the sale contract and taking into consideration the building report, you are now able to make an informed decision to proceed with an offer on the property through the consultant.
  • Once negotiations have been finalised, you will be required to sign the sale contract and pay a 10% deposit. Your deposit will be held in trust in an account until settlement.
On settlement day, your solicitor or conveyancer may request that you have a pre-settlement inspection before settlement takes place. This is to ensure that the property is in the same condition as when you last inspected it and that all the inclusions are as per the contract you signed.

Buying a home is the biggest investment most of us will ever make. I recommend to all my clients, to obtain a pre-purchase building report.

A home/building inspection is a professional, unbiased visual examination of the condition of a home at the time of the inspection. Home buyer's now entering the market place, view inspections as a way to gain valuable information about the biggest purchase of their lifetime. It helps them to determine whether there are any major defects in the visible portions of the home before the sale is completed.

What a professional, competent home inspector should inspect are the major components of the home: heating, cooling, plumbing, and electrical systems. Also built in appliances, exterior walls, gutters and downspouts, roofs, foundations, crawl spaces, and basements.

Home inspections are not intended to point out every small problem or any non-visible defects in a home. Most minor or cosmetic flaws, for example, should be apparent without the aid of a professional and are not normally commented on.

Home inspections also highlight the positive aspects of a home. In fact, many of the home inspector's observations or recommendations help to dispel home buyer anxieties, and provide useful repair and maintenance suggestions.

For peace of mind, insist on obtaining a building inspection report. The cost is small, usually about $280, when you consider the large outlay for purchasing the property. The home inspections should not be confused with an appraisal, a municipal inspection, or a guarantee of any kind.

info@harcourtsfremantle.com.au     (08) 9335 8411