Know before you bid
Greg Prentice · Building designer since 1998 · BDAA member · 4.9 ⭐ on Google
You've found your dream house, and you can already see yourself living there. But is it really the right one? Can this house become your forever home?
A building and pest inspection tells you what's physically wrong with a house. It won't tell you whether you'd be allowed to open up the back, add a second storey or build in the yard. Those answers come from the planning controls on that particular block, and they can change from one street to the next.
It's $795, fixed. And if you miss out on the house, the next report is half price.
What we look at
For a fixed fee of $795, before you bid, we'll give you a written report covering:
- The site itself — orientation, levels, access, and anything about the block that's going to shape what's possible
- The council controls that actually apply to it, rather than the ones that apply generally
- A realistic view of what could be built there, including the bits you probably won't get
- Which approval pathway you'd be looking at, and roughly what that means for time and cost
It's the same work that sits behind our Exploration Package. The only real difference is when you get it — before an auction rather than a year into thinking about a renovation.
How quickly we can turn it around
Auctions don't move for anybody, and an early offer often stands the best chance, so we work to whatever time you've actually got. A week is comfortable. If you've only just found the place and it's going under the hammer on Saturday, we've managed it in a couple of days before now — one report went out on a Friday morning for an auction the following day, from an enquiry the previous Wednesday.
"Greg attended a midweek open-for-inspection and, within an hour, delivered a comprehensive report… Although we were ultimately unsuccessful in purchasing the property, Greg's prompt and thorough response gave us clarity about our constraints and enabled us to participate in the bidding process with much greater confidence."
What happens if you don't get the house
It's the first thing most people ask, and it's a fair question. You'd be paying for advice about a house that might well end up being someone else's home.
If you miss out, we offer the next report for half price. By that stage we already know what you're looking for and what sort of thing you're prepared to take on, so the second one takes us less time and costs you less. Many people buy the first house they get advice on, but if you don't, we'd rather stay with you all the way to your home.
What we can tell you, and what we can't
What we report on is permissibility — what the zoning allows on that block, whether complying development is available to you there, and what the controls actually require. That's factual, and it's the part that most affects whether a house is worth what you're about to pay for it.
What we can't do is promise you an approval. We're not the approval body, and anyone who tells you otherwise is guessing. But we can generally tell you whether you're heading in the right direction.
Once you have a clear picture of where you'd be starting from, this is usually enough to allow you to bid with confidence, or to walk away without regretting it.
Are you an Agent?
A few of the reports we've done have come through as referrals from selling agents, which surprised us at first and then stopped surprising us. A buyer who understands what a property could become can act decisively, because doubt is usually what's holding things up. If you've got someone circling a place and hesitating over what they'd be able to do with it, a quick, plain-English answer tends to be worth more than waiting for the next opportunity.
"We have known Greg from Karmatecture for over 30 years… have referred a number of clients across the Inner West, and the feedback has been consistently excellent. Clients describe him as knowledgeable, thorough, and easy to work with. He has a strong understanding of what works in the Inner West, backed by both professional expertise and living locally, which gives him a real edge… We have no hesitation in continuing to recommend Greg to our clients."
Need pre-purchase advice?
Send us the address of the property you're about to bid on and a line or two about what you're thinking, and Greg will get back to you with the next steps.
Not sure yet, or would rather not use a form?
Email Greg at greg@karmatecture.com.au or call 0412 013 627 for a chat. No charge and no obligation.
Already own the property? We can answer all your questions about what is possible.
FAQs
Q01How is this different from a building and pest inspection?
They answer opposite questions and most buyers want both. A building and pest inspection tells you what is physically wrong with the house as it stands — the roof, the piers, the termites. This report tells you what you are most likely allowed to do with it: whether you can extend, add a floor, or change how it is used, and what council would have to say about it. One is about the condition, the other is about the potential.
Q02Do you need access to the property?
It helps enormously, and an open inspection is usually enough — we do not need anything the vendor has to arrange. Where access is not possible before the auction we can still report on the zoning, the controls and what the site allows.
Q03The auction is this Saturday. Is that too late?
Probably not. A week is comfortable, but one report went out on a Friday morning for a Saturday auction from a Wednesday enquiry. Ring rather than email if you are that close, because the answer depends on what else we have on that week.
Q04What if I miss out on the house?
The next (and subsequent) report is half price. Buyers rarely find the right place first time, and the second report is quicker for us anyway — we already know what your hopes and dreams are for your new property.
Q05Will it tell me what the renovation would cost?
This is a more complicated question that needs plans and details. We can generally give an indication of whether your budget for proposed works is realistic, whether the property still makes sense at the price you are contemplating, which is usually the real question. It is not a builder's quote and it cannot be, on a house you do not own yet.
Q06Can I use it to negotiate?
People do. Knowing that a property will not allow what a buyer assumes it will is useful information at a private treaty negotiation. At auction it is less about leverage and more about knowing your own limit, and whether to keep bidding past a number. This is far more important in the current buyers' market.
Q07Do I need the vendor's or the agent's permission?
No. We are reporting on public planning controls and on what can be observed from an inspection or from the street, which is information you are entitled to gather as a prospective buyer. A good few of these reports have actually come through selling agents, who find that a better-informed buyer bids with more confidence.
Q08What if I am looking at more than one property?
Then it is worth a conversation before ordering. Serious buyers often look at several places, which is part of why the repeat report is half price. Tell us what you are weighing up and we will be honest about which ones are worth reporting on and which can be ruled out with a phone call.
Q09Does this replace advice from my solicitor or conveyancer?
No, and it is not meant to. They deal with the contract, the title, easements and the legal side of the purchase. We deal with what the planning controls will let you build. A Section 10.7 certificate from council is also worth obtaining before exchange, and your conveyancer will normally organise that.