Gear up for summer property inspections in 3 steps

‘Tis the season to be jolly, and for some lucky Aussies, that’ll be because they’ve bought their dream home. But whether you’re looking for properties before or after Santa Claus arrives, there are some things you need to know to prepare for summer time property inspections.

We sat down with Mozo Property Expert Steve Jovcevski who gave his expert tips on how to make the most of open houses this summer, putting you one step closer to finding a great home.

1. Get pre approval before making a move.

No matter the time of year, if you’re a serious buyer, you’ll want to get pre approval. But according to Jovcevski, the pre-Christmas market is especially fast-moving, so knowing which properties to look at, and which to give a miss, will only give you a leg up.

“Having pre-approval sets the benchmark for the properties you should be looking at,” he said.

“Before Christmas when properties are selling quickly as sellers attempt to get out of the market, it’ll free up your time to focus on the properties within your budget.”

Jovcevski stressed that while getting pre approved for a loan is a good idea, it doesn’t mean you’re stuck with the lender you first chose.

“Pre approval isn’t a binding contract, so if you find a better summer home loan deal after you’ve been pre approved, there’s nothing stopping you from jumping ship and going for the best offer.”

2. Pay close attention to detail to the property itself.

With flourishing flower-filled front gardens and naturally bright living rooms everywhere you turn, it’s easy to fall in love with homes in the summer.

But Jovcevski has urged the importance of being your own property inspector, reminding you to keep an eye out for any defects that could cost you down the track.

“You’ll want to pay attention to a few things: whether there’s good natural light- which will come in handy come winter- any cracks on the walls, how recently the space has been painted or renovated and whether there are any strange smells,” he said.

“But it doesn’t stop there, check the bathrooms for mould or rust damage, any wooden furnishings for rotting and what the water pressure is like on the taps.”

He also suggested doing a lap of the property to inspect the outside of the house.

“On the exterior of the house, look for chipped paint that may not withstand harsh colder temperatures, proper drainage for those rainy winter months and a roof in tip top shape,” Jovcevski said.

“It goes without saying you’ll get a property inspection report before you settle, but it’ll save you time and money already knowing what to look out for.”

3. Visit multiple properties in the same neighbourhood.

So you’ve got pre approval, you’ve removed your rose coloured (sun)glasses and you’re just about ready to dive in and put your deposit down.

Before you take the plunge, Jovcevski has mentioned that if you really want to snag the best deal, a dual benefit comes from checking out other homes in your area of interest.

“The first is you’ll be spending more time there, at multiple times of the day, and will get a better picture of what the neighbourhood looks like- what the neighbours are like, how much traffic there is and access to facilities are all things to take into account,” he said.  

“The second benefit is that in an inconsistent market, you never know what a similar property down the street could go for, so it doesn’t hurt to look.”

But before you start organising inspections for your bookmarked properties on Domain, you’ll want to revisit step one and get home loan pre approval.

Find a great home loan with a competitive, low rate and handy features like the ones below, or head to our home loan comparison tables to compare over 500 deals available in Australia.