Timing a pre-purchase inspection around a Ballarat auction or private sale
How to fit a building inspection in before auction day or inside a cooling off period on a Ballarat house, and what to send us so it runs on time.
In short: Auctions in Victoria carry no cooling off period, and private sales give you only a few business days. A pre-purchase inspection needs to be planned around that, not squeezed in afterwards.
Auction means inspecting first
If you buy under the hammer in Victoria you cannot walk away for a building problem found later. The inspection has to happen before auction day, which usually means arranging access with the agent during the campaign.
Private sale and cooling off
A private sale normally gives three business days of cooling off, with some exceptions. That is tight. Book as soon as you are serious about a property, not after you have signed, and ask whether a building condition can be written into the contract.
What to send when you book
The address, the agent's name and number, any known access limits such as a locked shed or tenant notice, and your deadline. With that we can usually confirm a time on the first call.
What a buyer often misses
The garden. Retaining walls that bow, trees planted hard against the footings and fences leaning into the neighbour's yard are all outside the house but can cost as much as anything inside. We look at the site within the boundary as part of the inspection.
Reading the report quickly
The summary puts structural items, safety hazards and conditions that lead to damage first. If you have one evening before auction, read that section and ring the inspector with questions.
When to bring in someone else
Where we see movement that needs a structural opinion, or a drain we suspect is blocked, the report says so. Those follow-ups are worth arranging before auction if time allows.
Written by our local inspection team from work carried out in Ballarat. Licensed building practitioners, Building & Plumbing Commission registration CDB-U 53425.
