Question 1

Are you an insured business and do you guarantee your work?

Accepted Answer

Yes, Summerton Building and Inspection holds current Professional Indemnity insurance, Public Liability insurance, and Builders Indemnity insurance policies that provide consumer protection.

Question 2

How did you decide to get into your line of work?

Accepted Answer

I was a building consultant in a boutique company before I started my own business.  I had planned to continue building new residential and commercial homes but was increasingly asked to conduct inspections.  Now inspections are my major focus and building projects are my secondary business.

Question 3

Do you have a favourite customer story you would like to share?

Accepted Answer

Recently I captured some legitimate defects and safety issues in a pre-purchase inspection. My client went ahead with the purchase but reduced their offer in order to rectify the defects. I was then informed by the real estate agent that he had blacklisted me because my report was too detailed! He was used to 2-10 page reports from "their usual inspectors", not the 70+page reports I produce. A few weeks later I attended another inspection and the same agent was assigned to the property. He denied my entrance to the property. I advised my client of this and my client cooled off immediately as a result of the agent's unprofessional conduct. Although unpleasant (and completely unnecessary!) this experience reinforced that I am doing my job properly. I act for you. I am not there to make friends with real estate agents.

Question 4

What do you like most about your job?

Accepted Answer

Every day I meet people from all walks of life in various situations; from first home buyers, retirees, people building new homes, and dilapidation situations. The best part of being a building inspector is having the honour of taking the guess work out of properties for my clients. I love providing my clients with peace of mind that the property is in good condition, or giving them the confidence to enter into negotiations to remedy major defects, or in worst case scenarios, enabling them to make the difficult but sometimes wise decision to cool off all together and avoid a potential money pit.

Question 5

What questions should a customer ask to hire the right service professional?

Accepted Answer

Is your building inspector licensed, ideally as a building works supervisor? Don't take their word for it - run their licence number through the Consumer and Business Services license check page. Is your building inspector insured? Ask for their Certificate of Currency. Is your building inspector a member of the Association of Building Consultants? Has your building inspector built residential and/or commercial builds before? Has your building inspector had specific inspection training / mentoring? Will your building inspector follow the AS4349 Australian Standard?

Question 6

What questions do customers commonly ask and how would you answer them?

Accepted Answer

How long does a building inspection take? 1.5-2 hours (duration based on a standard-sized single storey dwelling). Can I attend? Only at the conclusion; the inspection requires my full attention and I cannot be distracted.  How long are your reports? 70-100 pages or more, replete with photographic images. What kinds of inspections do you do? Pre-purchase, staged progress, handover, and technical. Will you liaise with my builder if you find they are not doing the right thing? Yes, I will if required.

Question 7

What makes you the most reliable and trustworthy person for the job?

Accepted Answer

I am an honest and consistently thorough inspector who treats every property as though they were my own investments. I am insured, hold building work contractor and building works supervisors licenses, and have experience in all aspects of residential and commercial building. I am an elected executive committee member and the Treasurer of the Association of Building Consultants. I also have the honour of being entrusted to conduct pre-purchase inspections for Chris Short of Blue Chip Building Consultants, one of the most prolific and professional established building inspection businesses in SA. I am also a full member of the HIA (Housing Industry Association).

Question 8

Why should a customer hire you over another service provider?

Accepted Answer

I don't take your business for granted, I see it as a privilege. I treat each home I inspect as if I was buying it for my own family. My core mission is to serve you with passion and integrity. I conduct all building inspections personally. I endeavour to not exceed two inspections per day, which at times means turning work down. I would rather do two inspections with 100% thoroughness and accuracy, than rush through an inspection in order to secure another job. This is not always possible due to some inspections being required on the day cooling off expires, however, it is my general booking policy not to accept more than two inspections per day.

Question 9

What are the typical things that you need to know before you can provide a quote to a customer?

Accepted Answer

In order to be able to accurately quote a building inspection, I simply require the location of the property to quickly analyse the property's size and complexity.

Question 10

How can a customer save money before you start the work? Please give 3 tips

Accepted Answer

Getting a qualified building inspector to inspect your property is an investment rather than a cost and can save you thousands. Trusting SBI to conduct your building inspection will result in you being empowered with a large body of information relating to the condition of the property you are looking to buy, giving you the confidence to then decide whether or not to proceed with the purchase, or whether negotiations relating to required remedial works should be considered. When selecting a building inspector always assess their builders licence (via Consumer and Business Services), their insurance, and independent reviews of their service via Oneflare or Google.

Question 11

Are there any special offers you would like to offer to Oneflare customers?

Accepted Answer

As an insured, licensed builder and building works supervisor, operating in an unregulated industry where there are no licencing requirements for building inspectors, I prefer to keep my pricing competitive and inline with other credible building inspection companies. I don’t price match many competitors as I deem them not to be an “apples for apples” comparison regarding the quality of service provided.

Question 12

What makes your pricing competitive?

Accepted Answer

My fee structure is competitively placed against other credible inspection companies, but considering that the industry is unregulated in South Australia, in many cases my fees are higher than that of other competitors who are likely under-qualified and inherently unable to provide a credible inspection service. I believe that the quality of service I provide is second to none and the fee I charge should not be seen as a cost, but rather it should be considered an essential investment.

Question 13

How do you normally charge for your service?

Accepted Answer

My structure varies depending on the location, size, and complexity of the property with inspection services starting at $385 including GST. Please contact me for a quote or visit my website for more information on specific inspection services and prices.

Question 14

Is there a particular aspect of your trade or industry that you specialise in?

Accepted Answer

I specialise in pre-purchase, staged progress and pre-handover building inspections.  I conduct inspections at very short notice (sometimes on the day cooling off expires!) and provide industry-leading same-day reports capturing all of the observed major and minor defects replete with photographic images.

Question 15

What experience, skills, qualifications or training do you have to make you the right person for the job?

Accepted Answer

I am an insured, licensed Builder / Building Works Supervisor and qualified draftsman. In order to obtain a Building Works Supervisor's license an applicant must have demonstrated the supervision of a minimum number of building projects. I am the Managing Director and sole building inspector of Summerton Building & Inspection. I have achieved an Advanced Diploma of Building & Construction (CPCCBC6001B), Diploma of Building and Construction CPC50210; Certificate IV in Building and Construction (Building) CPC40108; Certificate IV in Building and Construction (Site Management) CPC40508; and Certificate IV in Residential Drafting 40357SA.

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