I called into the real estate office to see the documentation on the property. It seemed that the previous owners were considering building an extension to the house, as there were plans for an addition off to one side of the building. I gather they wanted to leave space in the back for a pool. The back yard would certainly have plenty of room for it.
I asked the real estate agent who she considered would be a good conveyancer. She provided a list of conveyancers, short listing a few, and of them all recommended William Heague.
The settlement dates didn’t match perfectly, with our Warrandyte property falling on 16th June and the Canberra house on the 19th June. Something might be able to be done there. They are very close. I can’t determine as yet as to whether we can shift the Warrandyte settlement date to the 19th June. We were both of the view to give the buyer of our house as little regard as she is us. She has not paid the deposit. With such disregard for protocol perhaps we might just stay in the place until we’re ready to quit.
Despite our real estate agent's attempts to contact Melody to see how things are progressing with the deposit, there has been no word. Both S and I have feelings of excitement and concern: looking forward to moving into our new house, and worry that it may not happen if our buyer does not come through with the money.
I keep reassuring myself that she signed contract, is locked it, and there’s nothing to worry about. The solicitor isn’t sure if the bond certificate will be appropriate, and asked me to check it with the bank.
Showing posts with label building report. Show all posts
Showing posts with label building report. Show all posts
13 May 2008
10 May 2008
The Macgregor auction
The Bond Certificate had arrived in the mail the day before.
We were both up bright and early. This was the property we couldn’t bid on because we didn’t get the deposit for our Warrandyte property. But we did bid at the auction. Not because the agent selling this property was going to do anything special for us, like make the sale of our Warrandyte property a condition of purchase. A last reassuring phone call to our agent in Melbourne returned the message that he had good faith in the honesty of our buyer, and the fact that the contract had been signed; despite the fact we were let down rather badly in the deposit part of the deal.
We had arrived early, and were one of the first on the property. It gave us time to wander around the house and yard. I found more things wrong with this property as we were walking around. There were some nasty holes and other damages, and a major structural beam was very badly warped. It looked unsightly even if it happened to be sound, but how do you know, and I don't recall it being mentioned in the building report. There was a general roughness about the place, particularly in the kitchen. The noise from the roadway was also much louder than expected. No doubt from the increased Saturday morning traffic that I hadn’t noticed during the week.
We registered to bid, and went outside to wait. We lingered in the courtyard between the two wings of the building, eventually sitting on the grass in a corner of the garden. I think our sitting on the ground might have confused the auctioneer’s assistants; they like to badger bidders before and during the auction. It’s harassment. We were immune from that, as they probably didn't want to scuff their shoes or crease their suits by bending down to talk to us.
S wanted to bid for the place. I suggested $375,000 be our maximum offer. I found out after the auction that S had $380,000 as her guide as a maximum bid. I also suggested she not open the bidding, but if she did, suggested opening at $300,000. I took a note of the bidding, and this is how it went:
S: $330
other person: $340
S: $350
other person: $355
S: $360
other person: $365
S: $366
other person: $367
S: $368
other person: $369
S: $370
other person: $371
S: $372
other person: $373
S: $374
other person: $375
S: $376
other person: $377
S: $378
other person: $380
S: $381
other person: $382
S: $383
other person: $384
S: $385
other person: $385 and a half
S: $386
other person: $386 and a half
The auctioneer called for more bids, but we were done. So that was it. The other guy got it for $386,500.
The final bid seemed much too high. S crossed the yard to congratulate the guy and shook his hand. He said, “Sorry.” Afterwards, we were both wondering if he would be feeling sorrier for himself than for us. S thought she had gone too high herself, and was carried away by the excitement of it.
S was wondering if the guy didn’t want to lose to a woman (S was the only other bidder). I had been wondering if he was showing off in front of his son. We both felt happy to have lost it at that price, and were wondering if it wasn’t such a bad thing that we’d failed to take the winning bid. There was a lot wrong with the place and the bidding did go rather high. I feel so glad he put in that last bid. Mind you, if he hadn’t shown up we might have got it for a lot less, as we would (likely) have been the only bidder. So we spent the rest of the day looking at other properties. But in the mean time we took a break in a coffee shop.
With a coffee in front of us, I was flicking through the real estate pages and spotted a property advertised for $340k to $360k. The ad in the newspaper had a very nice photograph of the place. So, I flicked the page around to S and asked what she thought of it. She liked it but thought it looked small. It had a Queensland, on stilts look, to it. S thought it had a bit of a colonial look to it. I rang the real estate agent, and arranged to see the place, which wasn’t as easy as I’d imagined.
The agent said the house had been advertised too early. She said the owners were finishing renovations, and weren’t allowing inspections until the following week. I had explained that S was in Canberra from Melbourne and would only have the weekend here. Anyway, an inspection was arranged. (It must be difficult for an agent to knock back punters.)
I also rang Manuel, another real estate agent who had a property for sale not far from the Macgregor auction. This property had been advertised for $325k. It was a 4br dump with a reasonable sized lounge, but most everything else was on the small side. This property was supposed to have sold last weekend, but there was trouble with finance, and the deal fell through. It was put back on the market, but missed getting into the newspaper. Manuel said it sold for the advertised price. He may have been fibbing. There would be a lot of renovating to do with this one, but it had potential. We were considering making an offer.
We were both up bright and early. This was the property we couldn’t bid on because we didn’t get the deposit for our Warrandyte property. But we did bid at the auction. Not because the agent selling this property was going to do anything special for us, like make the sale of our Warrandyte property a condition of purchase. A last reassuring phone call to our agent in Melbourne returned the message that he had good faith in the honesty of our buyer, and the fact that the contract had been signed; despite the fact we were let down rather badly in the deposit part of the deal.
We had arrived early, and were one of the first on the property. It gave us time to wander around the house and yard. I found more things wrong with this property as we were walking around. There were some nasty holes and other damages, and a major structural beam was very badly warped. It looked unsightly even if it happened to be sound, but how do you know, and I don't recall it being mentioned in the building report. There was a general roughness about the place, particularly in the kitchen. The noise from the roadway was also much louder than expected. No doubt from the increased Saturday morning traffic that I hadn’t noticed during the week.
We registered to bid, and went outside to wait. We lingered in the courtyard between the two wings of the building, eventually sitting on the grass in a corner of the garden. I think our sitting on the ground might have confused the auctioneer’s assistants; they like to badger bidders before and during the auction. It’s harassment. We were immune from that, as they probably didn't want to scuff their shoes or crease their suits by bending down to talk to us.
S wanted to bid for the place. I suggested $375,000 be our maximum offer. I found out after the auction that S had $380,000 as her guide as a maximum bid. I also suggested she not open the bidding, but if she did, suggested opening at $300,000. I took a note of the bidding, and this is how it went:
S: $330
other person: $340
S: $350
other person: $355
S: $360
other person: $365
S: $366
other person: $367
S: $368
other person: $369
S: $370
other person: $371
S: $372
other person: $373
S: $374
other person: $375
S: $376
other person: $377
S: $378
other person: $380
S: $381
other person: $382
S: $383
other person: $384
S: $385
other person: $385 and a half
S: $386
other person: $386 and a half
The auctioneer called for more bids, but we were done. So that was it. The other guy got it for $386,500.
The final bid seemed much too high. S crossed the yard to congratulate the guy and shook his hand. He said, “Sorry.” Afterwards, we were both wondering if he would be feeling sorrier for himself than for us. S thought she had gone too high herself, and was carried away by the excitement of it.
S was wondering if the guy didn’t want to lose to a woman (S was the only other bidder). I had been wondering if he was showing off in front of his son. We both felt happy to have lost it at that price, and were wondering if it wasn’t such a bad thing that we’d failed to take the winning bid. There was a lot wrong with the place and the bidding did go rather high. I feel so glad he put in that last bid. Mind you, if he hadn’t shown up we might have got it for a lot less, as we would (likely) have been the only bidder. So we spent the rest of the day looking at other properties. But in the mean time we took a break in a coffee shop.
With a coffee in front of us, I was flicking through the real estate pages and spotted a property advertised for $340k to $360k. The ad in the newspaper had a very nice photograph of the place. So, I flicked the page around to S and asked what she thought of it. She liked it but thought it looked small. It had a Queensland, on stilts look, to it. S thought it had a bit of a colonial look to it. I rang the real estate agent, and arranged to see the place, which wasn’t as easy as I’d imagined.
The agent said the house had been advertised too early. She said the owners were finishing renovations, and weren’t allowing inspections until the following week. I had explained that S was in Canberra from Melbourne and would only have the weekend here. Anyway, an inspection was arranged. (It must be difficult for an agent to knock back punters.)
I also rang Manuel, another real estate agent who had a property for sale not far from the Macgregor auction. This property had been advertised for $325k. It was a 4br dump with a reasonable sized lounge, but most everything else was on the small side. This property was supposed to have sold last weekend, but there was trouble with finance, and the deal fell through. It was put back on the market, but missed getting into the newspaper. Manuel said it sold for the advertised price. He may have been fibbing. There would be a lot of renovating to do with this one, but it had potential. We were considering making an offer.
05 May 2008
The Macgregor property
I got a copy of the building report for the Macgregor property. There was nothing particularly horrible in the report that I noticed. It was a larger block of land than I’d thought, and there might be advantages to it being a corner block. The previous owner had plans for an extension that still fell within the time limit; which could be useful. The building report showed it as being one of the larger blocks of land in the vicinity, with an area of 951 sq m. Could this be our new home?
The real estate agent in Melbourne is faxing me documents to sign as part of our sale. It’s all a bit cumbersome with S and the house in Melbourne and me in Canberra.
The real estate agent in Melbourne is faxing me documents to sign as part of our sale. It’s all a bit cumbersome with S and the house in Melbourne and me in Canberra.
Sold
An offer of $355,000 was made. This was the figure S and I discussed when considering what would be acceptable. So, that’s it. Sold! According to our real estate agent our buyer is a nurse, she liked the garden, and also liked the property because of its proximity to her work.
She paid $1000 in cash on signing the contract, promising the remainder of the deposit on Friday, with Settlement set to be on the 16th June. So, that’s it. At last. Home and hosed. What a relief. No more fretting. No more house cleaning for inspections. All we need now is place to live, and shift our stuff.
S had a look on the web at the house I’d spotted in Macgregor, and liked it. I rang the agent to arrange another inspection for me, and if I still liked it I’d check out the building report. If the building report was mostly okay, S would drive up to Canberra for the auction on Saturday.
Things are getting exciting!
She paid $1000 in cash on signing the contract, promising the remainder of the deposit on Friday, with Settlement set to be on the 16th June. So, that’s it. At last. Home and hosed. What a relief. No more fretting. No more house cleaning for inspections. All we need now is place to live, and shift our stuff.
S had a look on the web at the house I’d spotted in Macgregor, and liked it. I rang the agent to arrange another inspection for me, and if I still liked it I’d check out the building report. If the building report was mostly okay, S would drive up to Canberra for the auction on Saturday.
Things are getting exciting!
21 April 2008
A nibble on the line
Spotted a property in Calwell, south of Canberra. It is a good sized house with four bedrooms on a relatively small block, but it did have some views of the distant hills. It had an amazingly large kitchen with a huge bench surface and great kitchen storage. S liked the size of the kitchen when spotted on the web. It must have had about six metres of bench space down one side. Though, the rooms seemed on the smallish side. I got the building report. It has villaboard, like the Bonython place we liked a few months ago. We may need to put up with asbestos. Villaboard is asbestos.
I also came across a property at Macgregor that caught my eye. It was advertised for auction and the agent thought it would go for between $330 - $400k. This was an older house and not as well cared for as the previous one, but this is a house with style. It had a very large lounge and four bedrooms on separate wings; three on one wing and the main and ensuite on the other wing. The design left an area between the two wings that might be large enough for a small pool or secluded garden. There was little in the way of views from this house, but definitely a house with a difference. Some of the doors and walls had been knocked about, and the kitchen looked like it needed to be ripped out and started again. But for all that, there was something about the place that clicked. The trouble in favouring unusual properties is that they may be more difficult to sell.
In Melbourne, S came home after an inspection, and found a strange car parked in her spot. It looks like someone was testing the drive. We did this before we bought the place all those years ago. In fact, there was no way I was going to buy the property until I tested the driveway. I actually wondered if the car could make it up, as the grade was so steep. Of course it did, but the driveway gave troubles in winter as on the steeper sections the car would loose traction when it was wet. So, someone else is going through the same thought processes. This is good!
According to our agent, there are two punters nibbling at the bait: a mother and daughter pair, and another interested party operating through an agent-friend. Eventually, our agent phoned to say they were offering $345k. Apparently, he said, we had earlier knocked back an offer that was below $350k, which wasn’t true. The agent-fiend would probably suspect this to be a lie. It’s a game this negotiation. By their previous experience, the mother-daughter won’t buy as they’ve been looking in the area for 5 years. Russell says the others are dream buyers, with the money in the bank. If they raise their offer to $355k well take it. He’s concerned about interest rates restricting the market. Our advertising bill is $5,000, so far.
I also came across a property at Macgregor that caught my eye. It was advertised for auction and the agent thought it would go for between $330 - $400k. This was an older house and not as well cared for as the previous one, but this is a house with style. It had a very large lounge and four bedrooms on separate wings; three on one wing and the main and ensuite on the other wing. The design left an area between the two wings that might be large enough for a small pool or secluded garden. There was little in the way of views from this house, but definitely a house with a difference. Some of the doors and walls had been knocked about, and the kitchen looked like it needed to be ripped out and started again. But for all that, there was something about the place that clicked. The trouble in favouring unusual properties is that they may be more difficult to sell.
In Melbourne, S came home after an inspection, and found a strange car parked in her spot. It looks like someone was testing the drive. We did this before we bought the place all those years ago. In fact, there was no way I was going to buy the property until I tested the driveway. I actually wondered if the car could make it up, as the grade was so steep. Of course it did, but the driveway gave troubles in winter as on the steeper sections the car would loose traction when it was wet. So, someone else is going through the same thought processes. This is good!
According to our agent, there are two punters nibbling at the bait: a mother and daughter pair, and another interested party operating through an agent-friend. Eventually, our agent phoned to say they were offering $345k. Apparently, he said, we had earlier knocked back an offer that was below $350k, which wasn’t true. The agent-fiend would probably suspect this to be a lie. It’s a game this negotiation. By their previous experience, the mother-daughter won’t buy as they’ve been looking in the area for 5 years. Russell says the others are dream buyers, with the money in the bank. If they raise their offer to $355k well take it. He’s concerned about interest rates restricting the market. Our advertising bill is $5,000, so far.
08 February 2008
How do you tell if you have asbestos?
The simple answer to that is that you can’t tell. Well, not easily. You could take a sample of the suspect material and have it analysed. You could try to find the original plans and specifications for the building. There may be notes that indicate what materials were used. This is of course almost wishful thinking.
I gather calculating the material’s density can determine what substance is used in the building. There are probably other tests. However, no house owner is going to let you take samples, and would you want to do this anyway? Drilling or cutting asbestos is the last thing you should do. Have a look at this guy in the picture taking a sample. I’m not prepared to do this, are you? And this guy in the photo is protecting himself. There is no accounting for the dust that goes floating around the room for other people to breathe.
Asbestos sheets, as well as any other structural
sheets, will have identification of some kind stamped on the sides. If you can read the label you should be able to determine what you’ve got. Though, the term Villaboard doesn’t really scream danger to anyone. The trouble is that the eaves will probably be painted, obscuring any labelling. You could climb onto the roof, remove a few tiles and look for the label on the unpainted in-roof side of the eaves. Once again, the owner is unlikely to allow this. And if the roof has been constructed from sheet metal your only option might be an in roof inspection, but if you climb into the attic you will find that the roof line intersects with the external walls, allowing only a gap of a few inches clearance. The clearance is essentially the dimensions of the roof trusses; a gap not nearly wide enough to squeeze your head and shoulders through to have a look. The only way of inspecting the eaves would be with some sort of remote video camera, possibly along the lines of what surgeons use in key-hole surgery. The chances of being able to read any labelling would be made difficult due to the build up of dirt and dust that’s in the roof space.
It’s all very depressing.
I gather calculating the material’s density can determine what substance is used in the building. There are probably other tests. However, no house owner is going to let you take samples, and would you want to do this anyway? Drilling or cutting asbestos is the last thing you should do. Have a look at this guy in the picture taking a sample. I’m not prepared to do this, are you? And this guy in the photo is protecting himself. There is no accounting for the dust that goes floating around the room for other people to breathe.
Asbestos sheets, as well as any other structural
sheets, will have identification of some kind stamped on the sides. If you can read the label you should be able to determine what you’ve got. Though, the term Villaboard doesn’t really scream danger to anyone. The trouble is that the eaves will probably be painted, obscuring any labelling. You could climb onto the roof, remove a few tiles and look for the label on the unpainted in-roof side of the eaves. Once again, the owner is unlikely to allow this. And if the roof has been constructed from sheet metal your only option might be an in roof inspection, but if you climb into the attic you will find that the roof line intersects with the external walls, allowing only a gap of a few inches clearance. The clearance is essentially the dimensions of the roof trusses; a gap not nearly wide enough to squeeze your head and shoulders through to have a look. The only way of inspecting the eaves would be with some sort of remote video camera, possibly along the lines of what surgeons use in key-hole surgery. The chances of being able to read any labelling would be made difficult due to the build up of dirt and dust that’s in the roof space.It’s all very depressing.
06 February 2008
Asbestos
I had an interesting dialogue going on by email with the agent over the house I’d spotted in Bonython, when I was in Melbourne. There is asbestos in the house, which ruled it out for us. I’d prefer not to have a house built using asbestos if it can be avoided.
Interestingly, whilst its use in the building industry has been discouraged for about the last 15 years, and even though the house was built in 1992, it has asbestos in it. I was surprised to learn that in Australia, asbestos has only been banned for the last few years. A new (or newer) house is to be considered.
Is there asbestos in your house? Yes? No? Are you sure? Have a look at this web site.
This Bonython exercise has been quite an eye opener. In Canberra, building reports are mandatory. A very comprehensive report has to be made available to prospective buyers. This is an excellent service. The report for the Bonython property included a statement from the owner saying with words to the effect that there was no asbestos in the building as far as they were aware. Well, that qualifier leaves the issue wide open. It’s a pointless statement. A waste of paper. If the content of these reports provides limited information the value of the report is diminished. Similar statements regarding asbestos came up in the report at various places, all of which generally noted a supposed absence of asbestos. Then I made an interesting observation in the report.
There were some building plans included in the report. Building plans are generally large sheets of paper. Well, the ones I’ve seen are. Think: architect’s easel. But the copy in the report had been photo reduced to the standard A4 paper size. Consequently, the hand written text was faint and difficult to read. But with a magnifying glass, and a sense of Sherlock Holmes about me, I managed to make out the word: Villaboard.
The eaves were labelled in the plan to have been constructed of Villaboard. Some sort of sheeting used to build villas? I don’t think so. A trade name obviously, but what is it? The web comes into its own, at times. Villaboard is an asbestos product manufactured by James Hardy.
It’s easy to imagine builders having large stocks of asbestos sheeting back in the mid-1980s being hesitant to dump their stocks simply because its use was being discouraged. No one willingly throws away money. And if you can afford to buy bulk to save costs, why wouldn’t you? Builders would be using up their old stock. So, with a ban only taking effect from 2004 onwards there is a chance that any house built earlier than 2004 will contain asbestos. An unpleasant thought. No doubt the closer to 2004 the construction date of your house was, the less likely you are of having asbestos in the house, but it is possible.
And have you been thinking about newer properties; perhaps an apartment? Think again. I was surprised to see a note on the ACT govt web site that “the first compliance date is on 1 September 2008 for multi-storey buildings.” So much for anyone considering moving into a high rise apartment building as a way of escaping asbestos. There is a good chance you’ll still be living with asbestos for years to come. The legislation will affect different types of structures in stages. The legislation will come into effect progressively in the coming years, with community or recreational premises not being obliged to be constructed without asbestos until late in 2010.
I feel quite depressed, now. There's plenty on the web on asbestos. Try this.
Interestingly, whilst its use in the building industry has been discouraged for about the last 15 years, and even though the house was built in 1992, it has asbestos in it. I was surprised to learn that in Australia, asbestos has only been banned for the last few years. A new (or newer) house is to be considered.
Is there asbestos in your house? Yes? No? Are you sure? Have a look at this web site.
This Bonython exercise has been quite an eye opener. In Canberra, building reports are mandatory. A very comprehensive report has to be made available to prospective buyers. This is an excellent service. The report for the Bonython property included a statement from the owner saying with words to the effect that there was no asbestos in the building as far as they were aware. Well, that qualifier leaves the issue wide open. It’s a pointless statement. A waste of paper. If the content of these reports provides limited information the value of the report is diminished. Similar statements regarding asbestos came up in the report at various places, all of which generally noted a supposed absence of asbestos. Then I made an interesting observation in the report.
There were some building plans included in the report. Building plans are generally large sheets of paper. Well, the ones I’ve seen are. Think: architect’s easel. But the copy in the report had been photo reduced to the standard A4 paper size. Consequently, the hand written text was faint and difficult to read. But with a magnifying glass, and a sense of Sherlock Holmes about me, I managed to make out the word: Villaboard.
The eaves were labelled in the plan to have been constructed of Villaboard. Some sort of sheeting used to build villas? I don’t think so. A trade name obviously, but what is it? The web comes into its own, at times. Villaboard is an asbestos product manufactured by James Hardy.
It’s easy to imagine builders having large stocks of asbestos sheeting back in the mid-1980s being hesitant to dump their stocks simply because its use was being discouraged. No one willingly throws away money. And if you can afford to buy bulk to save costs, why wouldn’t you? Builders would be using up their old stock. So, with a ban only taking effect from 2004 onwards there is a chance that any house built earlier than 2004 will contain asbestos. An unpleasant thought. No doubt the closer to 2004 the construction date of your house was, the less likely you are of having asbestos in the house, but it is possible.
And have you been thinking about newer properties; perhaps an apartment? Think again. I was surprised to see a note on the ACT govt web site that “the first compliance date is on 1 September 2008 for multi-storey buildings.” So much for anyone considering moving into a high rise apartment building as a way of escaping asbestos. There is a good chance you’ll still be living with asbestos for years to come. The legislation will affect different types of structures in stages. The legislation will come into effect progressively in the coming years, with community or recreational premises not being obliged to be constructed without asbestos until late in 2010.
I feel quite depressed, now. There's plenty on the web on asbestos. Try this.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
