Last updated on June 29th, 2023
Meet Mike.
Mike wanted to do a DIY home inspection because he wanted to save money. So he looked at the Open Inspection listings, and it was obvious that the prime time to visit Melbourne for the most rental viewings is Saturday. That worked. He didn’t need to take time off work. He decided to fly down on Friday evening, and be ready for the first 9 am inspection.
Mike allocated the following amount for this trip:
- Flights : $350 return
- Airport parking or taxi’s: $100
- Car Hire for 3 days: $250.00
- Hotel 2 night : $360.00
- Eating out and takeaways: $150.00
- Total $1,210.00
However, Mike decided not to travel alone for this home hunting. He took his wife with him, which meant he had to budget for the extra flight cost and a little romantic dinner at Di Stasio Città, a restaurant his wife had been longing to visit.
Come inspection time, Mike was disappointed to learn the following:
- Saturdays are usually the mop-up of what is left after the inspections during the week did not bring any good applications. In the fast-paced rental market, good quality is snapped up quickly. If something was still available on a Saturday after an open inspection during the week, chances are it’s not as hot a property as it might look on the internet – something was amiss. He flew all the way in and wasted more than just his time.
- Property managers are rarely available on Saturdays. Instead, he met the “part-timer” estate agent who did not know the home at all. He merely had a bunch of keys with a list of inspections times and went around for the day opening doors and taking numbers. Also, Saturday inspections are easy for most people to get to, so his competition was a lot stronger after a Saturday inspection as opposed to a midweek inspection.
- Two of his four scheduled inspections were cancelled, and the agent he chatted with online didn’t notify him. The homes that were open during the week were already awarded to other applicants the day Mike and his wife were flying to Melbourne, which is usually the case. Agents process applications a day or two after the home is awarded to an applicant who has 24 hours to pay the first months rent to secure the home. If a hot property is listed on a weekday, chances are it will not be available by the weekend.
Mike ended up spending a lot of money on the home inspection trip yet going home empty-handed.
Meet Ethan.
Ethan decided to avail of our service, so he could get ahead of the Saturday inspections crowd.
After he shortlisted properties, he gave us the list right away so we can inspect the home on the very first inspection time. Because our consultants live in the areas they work, they can qualify much quicker if the property is worth visiting or not because they understand the local traffic flow, how busy a road might be or if there is construction going on next door.
We also knew immediately if the estate agents used old photos. As we were driving passed the homes on this list, we assessed if the photos are up to date by the size of trees and plants. We also assessed the street and made sure the home is not next to an abandoned home or similar.
How much did it cost Ethan?
*$580.
That’s approximately $1000 less than Mike’s spend.
Ethan purchased a pack of 4 inspections ($580.00) with added benefits such as Rental Application review and pre-qualify checks of each home to get him ahead of the competition and into his dream home quickly.
What made Ethan choose us?
He knows:
- We can inspect a home the very first time the doors are opened and/or use our relationship with the agents to arrange a private or off-market inspection.
- Working with clients ahead of inspections prepares them and highlights their application as a professional using our renowned relocation service.
- We are experienced at inspecting rentals properties and take a very pragmatic view of the home to make sure it aligns with clients’ needs.
What’s more, Ethan enjoyed FREE connection of his electricity, gas and water.
All-round, this solution saved him time, money and secured his dream home—an important step in a new chapter of his life.
With 12 years of experience in relocating international clients and ex-pats, our service gave him peace of mind that he was making important decisions with the right advice.
*Our I4U service starts at $125.00.
