This is a guest post by Paul Cable, licensed building inspector, registered builder and director of Broad Building Inspections.

Buying your first home in Perth is a massive milestone, but it’s easy to let emotion distract you from potentially costly building defects.

When walking through a beautifully presented home, it’s easy to focus on the stone benchtops and fresh paint and miss cracking to the brickwork outside.

Brickwork Cracking: What Should You Look For?

Cracking in brickwork is relatively common, but not all cracks have the same cause or significance.

Vertical, horizontal and stepped cracks can result from foundation movement, material movement, inadequate articulation or other building defects. The direction of the crack alone does not determine whether it is structural.

Look for wider or progressive cracking, stepped cracks through mortar joints, displaced or bulging brickwork, or cracking accompanied by doors and windows that no longer operate correctly.

These are warning signs that warrant further investigation.

A pre-purchase building inspection can help determine whether observed cracking is minor or evidence of a more significant defect.

The Coastal Creep: Salt & Corrosion

If you are looking at properties in coastal pockets like Scarborough, Fremantle or Ocean Reef, exposure to salt-laden air can accelerate the deterioration and corrosion of some building materials.

Look closely at brickwork and mortar, particularly around the base of walls. Crumbling or fretting mortar and masonry can be associated with prolonged moisture and salt exposure and should be investigated rather than simply patched over.

Check exposed metalwork, including structural supports, lintels over windows and patio structures. Coastal exposure can accelerate corrosion, particularly where protective coatings have deteriorated.

Significant corrosion and loss of metal section can eventually affect the serviceability or structural capacity of building components.

Sagging Ceiling Lines

Don’t just look at the floors. Also look straight up! In older Perth homes, plasterboard ceilings can begin to sag or separate from the supporting ceiling framing due to deterioration or failure of fixings and adhesive, moisture ingress, or other installation and building-related issues.

Look for visible sagging between ceiling supports, popped fixings, cracking, water staining, or separation where the ceiling meets the cornices.

These signs may indicate that sections of the ceiling are becoming inadequately supported and should be professionally assessed.

A significantly detached or unstable plasterboard ceiling can present a serious safety hazard if it falls and may require substantial repairs.

Retaining Walls and Drainage

Properties on sloping sites, particularly through Perth’s hills and other areas with significant changes in ground level, often rely on retaining walls to support soil around the property.

Walk the perimeter of the block.

• Are retaining walls leaning, bulging or significantly cracked?

• Is there evidence of persistent moisture or staining?

• Is water able to drain away from the house and retaining walls?

Poor site drainage can result in water ponding around the building and increased moisture within the surrounding soil. It can also increase pressure behind retaining walls and, depending on the site and soil conditions, contribute to erosion or foundation movement.

Significant movement or deterioration of a retaining wall should be investigated before you buy.

Fresh Paint in Strange Places

A freshly painted home can look great, but pay attention if one wall or a small section has recently been painted while the surrounding areas have not.

Fresh paint may simply be maintenance, but it can also conceal previous staining, cracking, water damage or other repairs.

Look closely for bubbling, blistering or peeling paint, staining and differences in the wall surface. These can be signs of previous or ongoing moisture problems, although further investigation is needed to determine the cause.

If something looks recently repaired or painted, ask why the work was carried out.

How to Protect Yourself Before Signing

Spotting these signs doesn’t necessarily mean you should walk away from a property, but they are good reasons to make sure your offer includes an appropriate building inspection condition.

The wording of that condition is important. In WA, the building inspection is commonly carried out after the contract has been signed and finance approved, so understand exactly what your inspection condition allows before signing.

Engaging an experienced building inspector who is also a registered builder can identify major structural defects and other significant defects that may not be obvious during a home open.

Where a major structural defect is identified, the seller may be required to rectify it before settlement, depending on the terms of the contract.

A pre-purchase building inspection can also identify other defects and maintenance issues that may not trigger the building inspection condition but are useful to know about before taking ownership.