Checklist for looking at possible renno purchase

Hi all, im looking to buy renno project and when looking threw the houses im just making notes on the back of the flyer the agent gives me,
Dose anyone have a good checklist that i can print of for each property and fill in as i walk around?
Can you buy the jane slack smith ones etc or is it only part of the full "package"

thanks

 

The best renovations are done to a budget. Buying a checklist seems like a waste of money to me.

How much work do you want to do yourself? I like properties that are in poor condition cosmetically but are structurally sound and won't require a lot of $$$$. If I can't visualise how it'll look when I'm done, I steer clear.

A few things I look for (off the top of my head) are:

Excessive moisture in wet areas (including condition of tiles/grout/etc and presence of mould) and condition of walls/flooring/roofs and adjacent rooms.. there could be plumbing problems or worse. Water attracts termites.

Condition of roofing (cracked tiles or rust) and gutters.. roof repair can be costly. If you do opt to get someone to fix it, remember they can usually do it for about 50% of the original price.

Outdated or ugly paint/flooring/curtains/blinds/windows/doors/tiles. Replacing these is easy.

Holes in walls. This can make finance difficult but they can be an easy fix if there's no related problems

Garden beds that are up against the house - an open invitation to termites. Landscape the front yard to make it look a bit less ****.

Any other general maintenance items that you can do yourself are always a plus. If you fix all of the little problems PROPERLY in the beginning, you will be rewarded with fewer maintenance problems down the road. It can cost over $100 to get a plumber out to fix a dripping tap!!

Also test if all appliances are working.. these can cost a bit to fix, but doesn't really add value.

Of course, if you want to remove walls and add bedrooms then that's a whole other ball game.

 

Thanks mate some good info there.
I'm happy to spend money on stuff like that I I think it would save me a lot more in mistakes.
I'm unlikely to get round to doing one for myself so happy to pay for one that a pro has put together and uses themselfs.

 

Checking for leaks from wet areas is extremely important. Some people go to great lengths to hide moisture problems/leaks from being visible. An example from a home I recently saw (I work in supplying products for homes/renos) is where they had added timber over the gyprock walls and then covered/painted over them to hide the massive water damage in the gyprock and between studs. The people who bought the home were quite shocked at just how much reno work needed to be done, something they found out well after signing the dotted lines.