A lovely couple had decided to invest in a house together and had signed a contract of sale. In order to make sure there was nothing wrong with the house we were engaged by them to inspect their potential new home.
As we were inspecting the subfloor section of the property, we discovered mud leads and evidence of a past termite attack that had occurred to the property in question.
We then continued our inspection only to discover extensive termite damage to internal areas of the property including the roof void area and including the framing components of the structure.
The purchaser was blown away by the fact that all the damage was concealed and not visible when they had looked at the property. This is the nature of termites; they are elusive and go to great lengths to remain concealed to avoid potential predators.
Once the purchaser had viewed the report and damage we had an extensive conversation with them, discussing the rectification work and potential implications from the previous termite attack. As this was their first home and they were not in the financial position to address the damage and rectification work. They then proceeded to withdraw from the contract of sale, only to find push back and problems from the vendor and agent. As the conditions on the contract of sale referred to Active termites being present at the property, the agent did not believe it constituted withdrawing from the purchase.
Funny how sometimes the agents word the contracts of sale… not to worry as I highlighted to the purchases that the attack had caused major structural damage, and as this was highlighted in the reports as a Major Structural Defect… they were able to withdraw from the sale.
This was such a stressful time for the home buyer, however they were extremely thankful for the work we did for them and that they had not bought a lemon.
I am so glad that they carried out the correct checks and balances…
That is why it is called a BUYER BEWARE MARKET!!!
