Friday 22 July 2016

SHOULD YOU METH TEST YOUR NEW HOME?

Buying a New Home?
So you’ve entered into a contract to buy a new home. Buyers will be aware of the range of conditions which are traditionally inserted in a contract for their protection. These include things such as confirmation of finance, approval of a Land Information Memorandum and a building report.
What About Meth Testing?
With recent coverage in the press, people are becoming increasingly aware of the danger of buying a home which has been used for the production, or even recreational use of methamphetamine (meth). If meth has been smoked or manufactured in a home, the cost of repairing the home to a standard which is safe for habitation can be considerable.
How Does Meth Affect a House?
Traces of meth can stay in a property for many years. It gets absorbed into the gib board, insulation, framing, carpets and fittings. In some cases the solution will be to strip the lining, insulation and possibly even the framing. It could amount to many thousands of dollars. In extreme cases where meth has been baked in a home, demolition may be the only solution!
What Should You Do About This?
We believe that the time has come when a special condition needs to be included in a contract for any conveyance of property in New Zealand to allow a purchaser to obtain a meth test report. When going to auction, it could even become standard practice for a vendor to supply a meth test report to give buyers peace of mind.
What Would a Meth Test Tell Us?
A meth report will tell you the sites where sample were taken. Traditionally this will be in areas such as the kitchen, bedrooms and living areas. The report will disclose any traces of meth found, the results compared to known safe levels and a recommendation on what you would need to do to fix the problem, if one exists.

If you would like to know more about including a condition in your purchase contract for meth testing, contact your conveyancing lawyer for assistance. We have many years’ experience in assisting purchaser’s with the conveyance of their home.

Monday 18 July 2016

WHAT'S THAT YOU SAY, FREE AUCTION REPORTS?

FREE AUCTION REPORTS

In this day nothing is free. Right? Actually, in this case there is still one thing you can get from your Christchurch conveyancing lawyer FREE.

WHY FREE

Buying at auction can be expensive. If you do not succeed you may still have incurred cost. This can include a valuation, a building report and lawyers fees. The cost can quickly add up and if you fail at auction twice or even three times it can hurt the pocket.

OUR OFFER

Because we know how costly it can be, what we offer is a FREE written report on the property you are looking at buying. Just send us the auction pack and we will give you a FREE written report on all aspects of the pack within days.

OUR GUARANTEE

What we guarantee is that if you do not succeed at auction we WILL NOT send you a bill for this report. If you are successful we also have a fixed fee structure. That's right, once we quote you a fee, that's it. We do not record every phone call and letter like most conveyancing lawyers. Once quoted, our fee is guaranteed.

CONTACT US

To get your free auction report, contact Brent Selwyn on our contact page, or call him on 03 377-4421.