Your house inspection checklist for buying a home in Australia

A house inspection checklist is the simple tool that turns a hopeful walk-through into a clear-eyed decision. Before you commit to a property, you want to know what you are really buying, from the structure and the pests to the contract and your finance. This house inspection checklist sets out what to look at, when to bring in a professional, and how the timing ties back to your offer, so you can move forward with confidence rather than guesswork.

If you want the finance side sorted before you start inspecting, our home loans page covers your options. The rest of this guide focuses on the property itself.

Why a house inspection checklist matters

The walk-through you do as a buyer is not the same as a professional inspection, and both have a place. Your own checklist helps you compare properties and spot obvious concerns early. A professional report then digs into the things you cannot see, which is where the costly surprises tend to hide.

According to Moneysmart, a building inspection looks for structural issues, damp, electrical safety, and the cost of maintenance or repairs. A pest inspection looks for things like termite activity or any other pest issues. These two reports answer the question that matters most: is this a sound home, or one that will cost you far more than the purchase price suggests?

Your buyer walk-through checklist

When you visit a property, work through the same points each time. A consistent home inspection checklist makes it easier to compare one place against another and to remember what you saw.

• Walls, ceilings and floors: look for cracks, sagging, water stains, or uneven surfaces.
• Damp and mould: check bathrooms, laundries, under sinks, and around windows for signs of moisture.
• Roof and gutters: note the condition from the ground, and look for sagging lines or missing tiles.
• Windows and doors: open and close them to check they sit square and seal properly.
• Electrical and plumbing: test taps and light switches, and look at the age of the switchboard.
• Outside and grounds: check fences, retaining walls, drainage, and any signs of pests or rot.
• Storage and space: confirm the layout works for how you actually live.

This property inspection checklist is a starting filter, not a verdict. Anything you flag here is worth raising with a professional inspector before you commit.

When to bring in a professional inspection

Once you have found a property you like and made a conditional offer, Moneysmart advises that you can use the cooling-off period to get a building and pest report done by a professional. This is the stage where your own checklist hands over to an expert who can assess what sits behind the walls.

Timing depends on how the property is being sold.

For a private sale, you usually have a short cooling-off period in most states and territories, and you can get the building and pest report done within that window. According to Moneysmart, you can usually get out of the contract and get most of your deposit back if you give written notice during the cooling-off period.

For an auction, the timing is different and the stakes are higher. There is no cooling-off period if you buy at auction, which means the sale is final and is not subject to finance or a building or pest inspection. Because of this, if you are planning to bid at an auction you may be able to arrange the building and pest inspection before the auction, so you go in with the full picture.

How inspections connect to your offer and finance

A house inspection is only one part of buying well. The report tells you about the condition of the home; your finance tells you whether the purchase fits your circumstances. The two work together.

How much deposit you bring shapes the cost of the loan behind your purchase. A deposit of 20% or more can help you avoid paying lenders mortgage insurance (LMI), which is a one-off cost some lenders charge when your deposit is smaller. Whether a smaller deposit works for you depends on your circumstances and lender criteria, so it is worth talking through your numbers early.

If you are buying at auction, you can expect to pay a deposit immediately, for example 10% of the purchase price, so your finance needs to be ready before you raise your hand. Getting pre-approval first helps here. Pre-approval typically lasts between 3 and 6 months and lets you set a price range you can fund with confidence.

A calculator helps you sense-check a purchase price against your budget. You can try our borrowing power calculator to see how a given price sits against what you may be able to borrow, which is useful once an inspection has confirmed a property is worth pursuing.

Putting your house inspection checklist into action

Bring the pieces together in order so nothing slips. The aim is to inspect, decide, and act in a sequence that protects you.

Working in this order keeps your inspection findings and your finance moving in step, so you are never committing to a home you have not properly checked. For more on the steps that follow, see our guide to making an offer.

Where Finance Lab fits in

Inspections tell you about the property. We help you get the finance behind it right. If you would like to talk through your deposit, pre-approval, and how a purchase price fits your circumstances, the team at Finance Lab is here to help. Sorting your finance early means that when the right property passes your inspection, you are ready to act.

Frequently asked questions