Inspection List Being Made for Practical Completion

One thing that still puzzles me is the question: "What is practical completion?" 

From what I had been told, 

• there will be no appliances (to minimise theft) 
• possibility that electricals will not be finalised 
• no need to bring ladder and light bulbs (how do I check electrical fittings and which switch, etc.) 
• no need for tools (e.g., spirit level, measuring tape) 
• I'm still bringing them just in case 
• paint touch ups will still need to be done (this I can understand) 

The site supervisor will be walking with us through the house on 1-Sep and hopefully find everything that needs fixing. I have also acquired help from an independent inspector to see the workmanship of the place and to help spot things that I am not trained to do (and that will be most). 

I am compiling a list of things to look out for on a per room basis. It's about 8 pages now and I have only covered 5 out of about 20 spaces. It is going to be a long list from what I can estimate so far. I hope that the inspection remains exciting for us and that it doesn't become chore-like and tedious. Like my mum said, we should go through the whole process like it is an adventure. 

It's pretty late here now and I have a packed Friday and Weekend. I hope I can squeeze some time before Monday to finish this whole list. I also hope that it actually is useful for the inspection. 

As We Approach Practical Completion

We are nearing final completion. This means we will be walking through the house with the site supervisor soon to look for things that are not quite right. After that, we will be invoiced for the final payment. 

I am charged with preparing a room by room check list as we have specified with our builder on the building contract. This should also include the variations that we have added. I am hoping that I can do a complete job so that my list is consistent with the original contract. Otherwise, there will be traceability issues that the builder might then say my listing is unreliable. 

A little bit is troubling me about how we will be forced to pay for the final invoice even before we start claiming for warranty or the maintenance repairs. Once we pay, we will have no more "dangling carrot" powers over the builder. I have to admit that the service we have received has been pretty good. The process is coming to a crunch and perhaps this is why I am feeling a little anxious. 

This is our first build and is a new experience. Like any new experience, there will be unknowns. I hope we have researched enough to discover these unknowns and manage the risks involved with them. I hope that there are no problems with the build that will surface after 5-10 years (especially after 7 when the warranty runs out). 

I have contacted most of the utilities that we have at are current house. Most of them gave a notification lead time of about 2 to 4 weeks. Sydney Water told me that their arrangements will most likely be covered by our solicitor on the contract of sale. They cannot disconnect the service so it will just be a matter of who will start paying after we've settled on the sale and when that new arrangement will start. 

I was appalled with the pricing difference of Telstra for their Broadband offering. 200 GB for $93.00. Good heavens!! That's about $1200 per year as opposed to about $72 now that I pay for both line rental and broadband that I am paying now. This offering is for NBN services which should push up the speed of the link. The only other place I am looking at is Exetel. For now we will most likely sign up for the 25 Mbps link. 

The Next Crunch

With current projections, we are within 2 months before handover. The crunch has started and it is time to get some movement on other aspects of the build. 


Blinds 

I have spoken with a couple of blind providers. We are still leaning towards plantation shutters due to the flexibility they provide in light and temperature control. I was initially skeptical as they will probably collect dust. However, I was told that they will be easier to clean depending on the fabric chosen for a comparable roller blind model. 

So far I have contacted Wynstan and Blindmotion. Please if anyone has experience with these companies let me know. 


Energy Company 

It seems nothing yet has to be done here. I have asked our build coordinator if any actions need to be done with this and awaiting reply. 


NBN/Internet 

I gave a Exetel a call regarding this and they said that it usually takes them 30 days to action this. I will also need to look at what the electrician will be providing so that I am prepared when the NBN company comes around to do some installation. I will most likely be delaying this until the middle of August. 


Water and Gas 

I haven't chased this up yet. Like the energy company, I will wait for the build coordinator for some feedback regarding this. 


Landscaping 

I have received a quote from a landscaping guy and it will cost somewhere close to $40k to get a concrete retaining wall done (as required from our plan). This quote was done via the landscape plan that was submitted to the council by our builder. 

I have emailed a few other companies but have yet to get a reply from them. I'm unsure if their online forms are working correctly. 


Fencing 

Our backyard neighbour has called us to find out if we're ok for him to find some quotes for the back fence. I said I was ok and we agreed on the actual fence type that we will install. This is the timber fence with some metal frames around each panel. As we are restricted from putting up colorbond fences, we will need to put in timber ones. 

First Appraisal

We got our first appraisal. On verbal arrangement, I got told that it can probably go for $410,000. 

There were two agents that came around and suggested that I just need to have a clean up of the outdoors and indoors to try and attract a few more offers. Nothing major was suggested which already fit what I had in mind. 

The main suggestion was to have a look outside the front and ask "what do I need to improve" and move on from there. 

I probably need to see a few more agents to see what they say. I have a feeling that they will have something similar to say. Let's just hope that they are not too late. 

No Show from the "O"

I'm supposed to be having an appraisal with a real estate agent since about 15 minutes ago. I haven't received a call to say otherwise either. This is with OProperty in Rooty Hill.

Are real estate agents like this? Are they like the ones you hear about where they are only helpful when they are about to receive their commission? 

At least that helps me in making a decision on which real estate to go with. One agency down, 5 to go and check out. 

Doorbell has just rang. That's probably the agent.

Brickwork is Complete

We have just paid the invoice for the brickwork. From what we can see, everything seems to be in order. 

Lots of work are being done inside the house now. All the plasterboards are laid in the garage and are slowly sealing up the insides as the insulation is being placed within. Also, the electrical wires have been put through many of the holes and nooks around the house. I can see where the outdoor lights will be coming out of.

I also spotted the area, near the front door, where the intercom will be placed. With that being there, we can plan for a security/screen door for the front of the pivot door that we will be provided with. 

We are getting excited. 

As we approach completion, we need to start making moves for our current home as well. A few months ago, we looked at some open homes to see how local real estate agents do their work. We could clearly tell who is doing their job right and who is so-so at their job. You'll have to PM me for opinions (e.g., I can say that one of the agents was late for their open house). 

Clean ups need to be schedules as well. I anticipate that many of our old things will be gumtree'd, ebay'ed, donated and given to friends and family members. Keep posted with this stuff. 

I still have my house photos on the phone and haven't had a chance to upload them. I hope I get some time before the double move out and sell out processes start. 

Settlement Moved Forward

After some negotiations on our solicitor's part, we have now moved forward the land settlement date to June 4. In doing so, we can start paying for the invoices that have been sent to us by our builder as they have already been building our home for the last few weeks of good weather. 

We drove by the site on Saturday to find that most of the windows and sliding doors are already up. Brickwork has begun and pretty soon we will be slapped with our third invoice. Hopefully, the settlement happens smoothly and that the financing begins. We cannot see any other issues regarding settlement so it should just go through. 

Pictures to be posted soon.