Frequently Asked Questions

The frequently asked questions has been divided into subject groups as listed below:

Q. When should I organise a pre-purchase inspection?

A. Purchaser: as soon as you have decided you want to make an offer or a bid at an auction. Typically this is before you have entered into a contract of sale. If you have entered into a contract subject to a satisfactory property inspection reports, you need to alert us you are in the cooling off period and when it expires.

Seller/vendor: it is recommended to order a vendors building, strata and or pest inspection reports to be aware of any potential items that may be revealed by the intending purchaser’s building inspector. By identifying the problem items you can choose to either fix these items or prepare yourself that the intending purchaser may try and negotiate the price of the property down to cover his/her costs to rectify.

Q. What areas do you service?

A. We service Sydney, Blue Mountains, Central Coast, and Wollongong with our own hand picked team of professional and licensed inspectors. An associated inspection company that has gone through OPR’s quality process covers all other NSW areas.

Q. What type of pre-purchase property inspection reports do you do?

A. OPR has experienced and licensed inspectors who are capable of completing any of the following reports; all types of building, strata scheme records, surveys, valuations and pest inspections.

Q. Give me 3 reasons to order a property inspection report.

A. While the answer is obvious to us in the industry, it isn’t always to you the end client. An inspection report is another step in the due diligence process, the inspection report will:

Inform the condition of the property and any affecting adverse factors.
Enable negotiation of the price down to take into account cost of essential repairs or action the vendor must take to rectify.
Identify if any other specific trade advice and or investigation is required.

A property inspection report will give you a much broader and clearer understanding of the property you are about to purchase, and enable you to make your decision more confidently.

Q. How long until I receive my report, once ordered?

A. Typically less then 48 hours. The inspection is usually booked in the following day (subject to access) with the report following by lunch the day after the inspection. We can arrange for urgent reports and also verbal reports to be done sooner if you matter is urgent.

Q. Do I need to seek professional legal advice to buy property?

A. You have 3 options, you can arrange for either a licensed conveyancer or a lawyer to give you advice or you can do it yourself. However we recommend that you use either a licensed conveyancer or lawyer.

Q. What are the benefits of a pre-purchase property inspection report?

A. The benefits are:

Be aware of any breaches of the Building Code of Australia
Can leverage position to negotiate purchase price
Enable a decision be made about the purchase
For peace of mind
Identify problems areas to be rectified by the vendor prior to settlement
Independent non-emotive advice you can rely upon
Inform if there is an impending special levy
Know if additional monies are required to rectify defective items
Know if you have any unwanted visitors e.g. termite, borers etc.
Know you are buying a structurally sound home and or unit

Q. Can I receive my inspection report via email?

A. Yes. Our reports are generated in PDF format so you will also need to have Adobe Acrobat reader installed. A free version of the reader can be downloaded by clicking here.

Q. How secure is your service?

A. All credit card transactions are serviced over a secure network, so you can be confident your details are secure and will not be accessed during transmission.

Q. What are your operation hours?

A. Our operation hours are 9am – 5.30pm for office support and 8am –5.30pm for inspections Monday to Friday. Other inspection times can be arranged if necessary.

Q. Why do I need a pre-purchase property inspection?

A. To be informed on likely problems and their associated costs. To be able to make a better, informed decision on purchase price and in some cases improve negotiating power. Where problems are significant we will advise the likely affect on the property concerned and if you need to seek further professional advice.

Q. How late can I order a report to have the inspection done the following day?

A. To ensure we your property inspection reports to you quickly, ensure you order (online, fax, email or telephone) by 2pm. All orders received after 2pm will be booked in for the following day if able.

Q. Will OPR staff, inspectors and consultants answer my questions?

A. Yes whether it is prior or after an inspection. Answers to questions are all part of the service.

Q. Can you give verbal reports?

A. We can give verbal reports on all types of strata inspections, building inspections and identification surveys. Verbal reports are given within 2 hours of inspection if required. However, we cannot give verbal reports on pest inspections due to restrictions placed on the industry via the insurance industry

Q. I live overseas; can overseas residents purchase property in Australia?

A. Yes but certain rules apply. Look at www.firb.gov.au for detailed information to Australian requirements.

Q. Can I order my property inspection reports if I am residing interstate or overseas?

A. Yes, OPR specialises in servicing property buyers from interstate and overseas. You can communicate with us via email. While our building reports include digital photos, we can also take photos of the outlook from the different rooms and photos of every room to give you a better perspective of the property you are buying.

Q. How are my property inspection reports delivered?

A. You can choose from email, fax, post and or DX. If receiving your reports via email please note our reports are sent using Adobe Acrobat. A free version of the reader can be downloaded by clicking here.

Q. Does OPR inspect residential and commercial properties?

A. Yes. We have especially picked our team to ensure they are experienced in all facets of residential, commercial and industrial properties.

Q. What payment methods do you accept?

A. We accept Visa, MasterCard, direct debit, Bpay, cheques and money orders.

Q. What professional insurance does OPR carry?

A. Yes OPR is insured through Rapid Solutions and has full comprehensive insurance.

If you have any other questions that aren't answered here please email us your question (click here).