WHO SHOULD HAVE AN INSPECTION?
The SOMABAYE Inspection consist of a 200 point inspection and is for new and old buildings, affecting the buyer, seller, estate agent, letting agents, builder, landlord and tenant alike.
BUYERS
The advantages to the buyer are clear; soon every buyer will insist on an inspection before they purchase. Already some buyers won’t even look at a property unless it has had a thorough, unbiased inspection. The inspection information could save you from a great deal of loss – financially and personally. An exploding geyser is a lethally dangerous thing, and who would put new carpets down knowing they’d be flooded and ruined in a month’s time because of faulty plumbing? Thousands of Rands can be wasted on painting before discovering rising damp, roof leaks and cracks due to shifting foundations. New buildings are actually the ones that mostly have the defects due to fly-by-night contractors that are not properly monitored by existing building registration councils. Insist on an inspection before you commit yourself to buying.
SELLERS AND ESTATE AGENTS
Not only buyers gain from home inspections. The sellers’ marketing advantages of having a pre-sale inspection are tremendous. You can confidently declare your house problem-free and price it with assurance. Creating an open, trusting atmosphere between yourself and the buyer speeds up the sale unbelievably. The more information everyone has up-front, the better your chances are of ensuring a quick and painless process and reducing the risk of the buyer changing his or her mind. If you do not want to make the necessary repairs, these aspects can be stated in the sale agreement so that there are no nasty surprises that could abort the sale.
TENANTS, LANDLORDS AND LETTING AGENTS
If you are renting or letting, an inspection is done at the beginning and end of every lease, so there can be no blame-shifting or bad relations between tenants and landlords. This is equally as important to landlords as it is to tenants. To prevent any moneys being withheld or malicious damage to property occurring, safeguard your investment by making good use of SOMABAYE SERVICES. Their inspection reports and full digital photo galleries provide visual proof of the state of the property before occupancy and after departure.
BUILDERS AND CONTRACTORS
The majority of building defects are actually found not in the older but in the newer buildings. With the rapid rate of development in South Africa, buildings are going up fast and flimsy. Boost and protect your good name as a builder or contractor by having the SOMABAYE SERVICES stamp of approval. Protect yourself from the bad reputation and shoddy workmanship of slapdash contractors and subcontractors.
REAL ESTATE INSPECTION VERSUS VOETSTOETS
The infamous “voetstoets” clause only covers the seller for those defects known to the seller. If you can prove that the seller knew of other defects you may eventually get them to pay, but usually sellers are genuinely unaware of the problems.
A borer beetle certificate and an electrical certificate are the only clearance aspects required by South African law upon sale. The legally-required electrical certificate doesn’t include checking the wiring up to the light fittings, which could be faulty due to inevitable wear and tear (age), bad installation or even exposed by gnawing roof rats.