Check with your local council regarding building permits and inspections regarding the house/ garage/sheds

Termite inspections and eradication certificates. Look for termite activity

Use a length of dowel and tap all the tiles for hollow sounds that will indicate loose or not properly glued tiles as this will save money in the long run

If airconditioned run all air conditioners even though we are in winter

Sagging ceiling panels

I hope this helps you

Mike

 And do not trust real estate agents - The difference between real state agents and a sperm is that the 

sperm has one chance in a million to turn into a real human being

What I meant by council inspections relates to any possible illegal structual changes or additions and did not mean that they have to inspect the house. Any changes as mentioned above must be on the council records i.e. Plan of the block including sheds etc and include measurements from the boundary as there are rules to observe along with type of material used and total covered area utilised on the block.

 Thanks for the pointers, mate!

Why would I need to check with the council to do a house inspection? 

 We recently bought our first house and i think a building inspector is worth every cent.. They do a massive report on the house and then you can get the owners to fix anything wrong with it before you move in.. They will also find if anything is illegal with your eletric wiring and what not so I recon it's worth it. These guys do it for a living they will pick up on stuff you don't even think about.. 

As mentioned above get a termite inspection also..

Both of these save massive trouble down the track..

As far as council I think he mean if you want to extend or build a shed down the track a bit..

Good luck hope it all goes well.. And try your best to buy with your brain not heart..

Belly

If you put in an offer you just say "subject to building and termite inspection."

 Like above, a building inspection is worth every cent. Make sure the termite inspection is also current.

Are you looking to buy a newer build, old house, double brick, fixer upper, fully finished? Depending on the area may also have things you need to know like subsidence or bushfire or flooding zone. There are a million things to think about and you can be sure of one thing, very hard to find the absolute perfect house.

From your side, you don't have to tell people you have finance in place and you can still put subject to finance on any offer you make so you can walk away if something isn't right, just tell them you don't have the finance. If you think a quick sale on your dream home at the price you want to pay could be made by disclosing you have the money now then you can go ahead and make that known.

Be smart, research everything and be calm. 

Look around the Burns beach/Illuka area, some good buys up that way ATM!

 Awesome! Thanks guys!  Belly, can you please advise of the building and pest inspector you used?

Burns Beach etc is a bit far for us.  We're looking at anywhere from Dianella, Beechboro, Mirrabooka and surrounds.  

The property we're looking for is 3 bedrooms, good size kitchen with gas cooktop, large lounge or family room.  Size of backyard doesnt really matter but there has to be room for my boat!! 

get your loan approval in writing and not justy verbally. Had morgtage choice pull out on me 1/2 way through a deal. But pest/building inspections a must. Can be a bit of leverage when it comes to the crunch also.

Go to the shire/council offices for the area you are buying into and ask to see what developments are planned/approved for that area. You don't want to buy into an area that has been approved to have a waste material dump or spent uranium storage area approved just down the road.

Nor my I suggest that you don't want to find out later that there is going to be a big macks built on the corner of your street.

If there are any vacant blocks near where you are looking at buying ask to see a map at the shire/council and see if these are for single residences buildings or duplexes/multiple residential buildings, flats.

Go for a drive around the area at 1530 and look at the number of school kids coming into the area, keep a look out for "burn out" marks on the street, unless you are very car friendly then you won't mind having one come into your residence unannounced late on night after the local hoons come unstuck with their latest bit of racing gear.

Are my suggestions over the top, I don't think so.

Yep, we have the approval in writing from Commbank. Just a matter of looking for a decent house now.. much harder than buying a boat!  Haha

Meglo, your advice is great and not over the top. Makes perfect sense.  Much appreciated!

Love this forum, not just for fishing and boating but for everything else in general!

 Congrats , commanding position to have a pre approved loan and it’s a buyers market at the moment with lots of houses for sale .. so do your homework , be patient , negotiate hard on price and stick to your guns .. buy with your head as already suggested it’s most probably the biggest investment you’ll make .. find a house you and yours are going to be happy in for a few years as is without any costly renovation work needed and ideally your loan will leave spare cash to take advantage of the current low interest rates by paying more back than required .. typically you can redraw on those over payments if need be down the track .

The only other advice would be to be to suss out your potential neighbours and it’s also handy having a decent shed to hide in with a beer fridge and tv for those times when you need to evacuate the house  Good luck 

Buy on a cul de sac or back street. Try to stay off the main roads or roads that are used for short cuts. It really does make a different as I have lived on both and now live in a cul de sac and would never buy on either again. 

 DONT listen to the real estate agent when they say "no he wont accept that offer" etc, they are obliged to submit the offer if you insist

Also remember, NO MATTER how nice/friendly/knowledgable they are, they ARE NOT your agent.

They are the sellers agent, acting on their behalf, paid by them and obliged to tell you very little-even lies are hard to prove later if verbal ("na mate the radioactive waste dump planned on the corner has been canned, my mate on the council told me and the seller doesnt know yet, the price will go up when I tell him tomorrow!")

Owning your own castle is awesome after the scary bit at the beginning-just dont over extend, interest rates wont always be low, the missus may lose her job etc etc
Sink your extra payments into a mortgage offset account-that will be your buffer.

Get your payroll people to direct any payrise you get direct into that so you never see it.

 Man are you in for a steep learning curve. 

Let me start with the fact that we moved around a bit when i was a kid and finish with i'm now living in my 34th house. Not counting shared rentals in my teens/twenties. Been here for 10 years now.

The number 1 rule is LOCATION.  2 and 3 are the same as 1.

Your first house is almost never the house you will be living in later, so, go for something you will be comfortable in but that somebody else will want to buy. That means just because it has (insert thing you love) "good boat access" does not mean living on Mirrabooka ave is where others want to be. Same for interior designs. Try not to go for quirky, go for normal.

Your pre approval is just that, not a loan approval. You can borrow that amount if the bank thinks the house is worth what you are paying for it. If they think your house is worth less then they will not lend you the full amount with the deposit you have put up, so you must put in the offer, Subject to financial approval and stipulate from Comm bank (or whoever your pre is from) because if your bank says no they, the seller, have the right to get you approval from cashconverters at 35% if you dont. That happened to a mate of mine. (not cashconverters)

I think it is law that the seller has to get a current termite inspection done but if you dont trust them you have the right to get your own done at your expence. If you go an older house then that expence is worth it. Be thinking the inspector is working for the real estate agent and will be giving them what they want.. If you argue about it after the purchase the inspector will claim they came in after the sale and you are now in court against a professional in his field.

As mentioned the building inspectors are an almost must have. Again they are working for you so they will not be bullshitting you. 

Finally.  Look on the net at 100. Visit 30. Put an offer on 3. Buy 1.   If your offers are rejected (after the barter)  Look on net at 100.  etc etc.

Location

Location

Location

If possible have fun and enjoy your new place.

 Wow, alot of great info and advice! 

Our home loan was/is being processed directly through Commbank. The person doing the loan application is one of the approval managers in WA and a good family friend. She did mention to us that it is important not to exceed a certain amount. She also made us promise not to sign any paperwork until we have provided details of the property and she gives the green light. This is so she can do her internal checks as to the value of the house etc.

Regarding the location, we have chosen areas that are close to work and family.  We might not live at the potential house for the rest of our lives but we do know that we'll be living there for a good few years or decade. 

Regarding building & pest inspectors. Anyone here offer the service or can recommend someone?

Once again, many many thanks for all the advice guys. I'm listening with open ears (eyes in this case! Haha).  

MadMerv's got it - LOCATION - particularly your first place - you've got to try and get as much capital growth as you can on your first property.

The seller isn''t required to provide a current pest inspection - that's your responsibility to make that a condition of your offer. ie this offer is subject to a pest inspection - but it doesn't say a 'satisfactory' inspection.

Most 'annexures' that agents use specify that if termites are found, the seller has the option to have the termites treated or any structural repairs carried out. You can't always just walk away if there are termites.

Also with building inspections you'll be looking at $500 tp $1000 for a thorough inspection but again you can only get out of the contract if the inspection reveals 'significant structural defects'. That's SIGNIFICANT. Not maintenance issues etc. -

Couple of things to look for:

Check the walls behind any wet areas - bathrooms, laundries etc often the inside wall of a walk in robe will have the bathroom on the other side - check for bubbling in the paint or signs of a recent repair. If the tiles are leaking water from the other side you can be up for a costly repair.

Inspect all the brick work for major cracking - inside and out.

Make sure you know what is staying.

Does the hot water work? What condition is the hot water unit?

Gutters and downpipes - do they need replacing or just painting?

Any apparent water damage in the ceilings?

Go to the council and see what significant infrastructure is in the works in the area - there may not be a 4 lane highway in your back yard today but one might be coming!

Is the property on sewer or septic? Find out where the sewer line is - it may come with an 'easement' that means you can't build on it and it might be just where you planned to put that 6x6 workshop with a concrete pad. Easements are a worry - don't get caught.

Go to real estate.com.au and reiwa and set up a 'property alert'. You can set the parameteres in regard to price, location etc and they will send you an email as soon as new properties hit the market. Don't be fooled by all the BS about the state of the market - there are always buyers around for good value well located properties and you need to move quickly if you want to get the home you want.

oh yeah  did we mention location?

Hope this helps

 Have u thought about koondoola or girrawheen  it's near mirrabooka and Landsdale  might of missed the boat tho as they are rezoning in next few years..but still room for prices to go up. we  scored an r60 block cheap as chips a few years ago. 780m2 block Massive powered shed can park heaps of cars. And boats ect ect it's a 3x1 not my ideal house but my 1st house  and its scrubbed up alright after a bit of work...we mainly bought as investment .... but going to friends houses in new developed areas I think To myself... Man where would I put all my stuff !! No room for toys, trailers cars and visitors.

Termite inspections will only tell you if there are ACTIVE termites not that they have been and gone just leaving a shell behind. That is where the builders inspection is needed, he can tell you what damage or faults are there that you might not see or know what to look for

 i do termite inspections almost weekly,i tell potencial buyers with a full report,i inspect the house,grounds etc i wouldnt buy no heritage houses at all all termite festivals imo,plenty of maintanance,most houses with floorboards are potential termite attracting devices unless termite inspections plus barriers are done frequentlyless than 10 yrs,if house is not checked frequently u are not covered by insurance period.tell tell signs of water leakage near wet areas are bubling paint in walls plus mouldy smells,look at ceilings for stains that also gives away leaks in the roof aswell,moisture also attracts termites,plus roaches,to be safe buy a concrette based house,no drywall/brickveneer house,mulch banked up above floor level(potencial to breech the termite barrier)plus attracts ants roaches etc

 Thanks guys for the indepth termite stuff!  Joe, I'll pm you. Thanks

Make sure any extra money is placed in an offset account.  Dont get trapped into paying off the loan as fast as possible.  An offset account in essence is like paying off your loan, but you can redraw this money if required and if you ever move on and decide to rent out your property you can then claim all the interest payments as tax deduction!   Very important you understand this!

 Hi guys.  My wife and I would like to thank everyone for their advice on buying a house and what to look for etc.

Over the last week or so, we have looked at literally 80-90 homes on realestate.com.au and reiwa.  Have physically viewed 6 which fits into our criteria and requirements.  Today we have put an offer on a newly renovated home thats in a cul-de-sac and has open plan living, new kitchen, good size yard with full length covered patio, enclosed car port (for the boat!) etc.  Part of the clause in the offer is "finance, building & termite inspections must be satisfactory".

I have also looked at pretty much every inch of the house and there seems to be no soft/wet/dodgey spots. No signs of mould in the bathroom either nor any signs of patching to hide any mould.

The house is double brick and is located in Kiara (in between Morley and Beechboro). So its close to the major shopping, major roads etc.

Hopefully the owner accepts our offer so we can proceed with buying our "home". 

 CBA pre approval - just remember if you have less than 20% deposit the lenders Mortgage insurance company will still have to approve it. Even though CBA have given pre approval does not mean you are 100% guaranteed the loan. LMI will not look at the deal until you find a property.

I have known Lenders mortgage insurance companies  to decline a loan after a bank has given pre approval.

 Thanks for the info, iceman. We have the 20% deposit ready to go.

Our offer for the house in Kiara was declined.  The seller wants 25k more. No thank you!  The search continues!

 Our initial offer was based on similiar properties in the area that were sold recently and also our budget.  

My wife absolutely loves that house!  So she spoke to her friend at Commbank who authorised an extra 10k. We have added an extra 10k to our offer.  The seller is now really considering.. haha!

Will find out in the next day or so.. fingers crossed!

 Yeah, I'll be sure to remind my wife about the 10k when I put a request forward for a new fishfinder/gps to replace the aging furuno on my boat! 2K will be a bargain compared to 10k! Haha!

Thank f#%k that house has a new kitchen and decent bathroom!! 

 Hi guys. Our new offer was accepted!!  The wife is estactic!

Anyone know any good building and pest/termite inspectors?

Mate sounds like you will be living around the corner from me! am in Kiara as well.

One thing to look at is any patio or shed, check to make sure they meet regulations ie: not too close to fences, too high etc. Last thing you want to do is buy someone else's problem.

If it has a Bore, make sure the pump operates.

When you have the house warming party, don't (repeat) advertise it on face book or any of the other social net works. Just put the time date and place up here and we will all keep mum about it. yeah right LOL

And for good reasons

 Home loan has been officially approved, settlement agent has been organised, building/pest inspection has been booked etc etc.

Looks like I'll be moving in about 3 weeks!

Man, I have learnt shitloads in the last week or so! 

 Advice is almost never too late mate.  Life is about learning.

We used a settlement agent that CBA recommended.  They're a well established company and worked about to be about $200 cheaper than other quotes. They have special rates for CBA customers! 

 Hi guys.  Just a quick update.

The process went quite smooth. House was in smick condition when we got the keys.  Have moved in.  Now to start unpacking boxes etc.  

Bodie, you're right. Kiara is an awesome suburb. My neighbours are so friendly!  Also good to see kids riding bikes around without worry!