The week before you bid.

Your week, in four steps.

1. Today1

   Check it

   • Run a check on the address. Note each line marked Worth asking.
   • Send the check to anyone who gets a say.
   • Ask the agent for the contract and the Section 32, and send them to your conveyancer.
   Check address
2. Inspection day2

   Inspect it

   • Ask your questions, and write down the answers.
   • Stand in the backyard and find north.
   • Open a window and listen for a full minute.
   • Look at the neighbours’ fences, roofs and extensions.
3. Any evening3

   Go back

   • Drive past at 9pm, when the street is itself.
   • Do the commute or the school run at the real time.
   • Walk to the end of the street and back.
4. Before you bid4

   Set your limit

   • Book the building and pest inspection.
   • Hear back from your conveyancer on the contract.
   • Write your limit down, and tell whoever’s bidding with you.

Guides for this week.

• Open home guideSpend the 30 minutes well.
• Open home checklistEverything worth checking, including night visits and the neighbours.
• Building and pest inspectionAbout $500 to $900. Checks structure, termites and moisture. Worth every dollar.
• When do I call a conveyancer?What they check, and why it should happen before you bid.
• How auctions workCooling-off rules, registration, and setting your limit before the day.
• Making a private offerConditions, deposits, time limits and cooling-off periods.
• Apartment build quality checklistEleven checks on the builder, the paperwork and the building itself.
• Settlement stepsWhat happens between signing and getting the keys.

Somewhere else on the way?