Purchasing Peace
Due to life’s twists and turns I found myself a newly single mum of 3 kids having to move interstate to be able to afford to put a roof over my children’s heads. I knew absolutely nothing about purchasing a home and I couldn’t afford to fly interstate every time I found a house on the market that ticked the boxes. I had my budget, a wish list and my priority list but now what? That’s when I contacted Two42 Building Consultants who were my saving grace. I discussed in depth, my priorities and wishes and I would send the listing of houses that piqued my interest to Dave. He would explain to me about the kind of neighbourhood the house was in with his vast knowledge of Adelaide and surrounds. I was able to judge from his explanations as to whether the suburb I was looking in would suit the lifestyle choices I had in my priority list.
When I was satisfied that the location was perfect for my children and I, Dave would head out to do an inspection on my behalf. He grabbed his ladder, his tape measure, his torch and his camera and walked around and took “real” photos. After working with Two42 Building Consultants, I discovered that the photos you see on the real estate listing is not always reality. There was one house that had massive cracks on one corner that showed that the foundations were moving, and I would be up for major money to fix it. There was another house that had the water mains laying outside on the footpath and in this instance, I received a video from Dave showing me the water pipe moving around like a snake as the water was turned on and off. One place had asbestos fencing and the problems that don’t show on the listings went on. Dave would not only ring me straight after the inspection because he knew I was waiting eagerly for his take on the home, but he would explain in depth in a way I could easily understand why he gave it the report he did and he would back it up with photographic proof. On my budget I knew that I would be getting something that would eventually need renovating, so we weren’t looking at homes that were going to be perfect. Dave would give me advice on what would need doing straight away and what could wait and what price I would be looking at to do a basic renovation of the areas that needed fixing.
When I was to the point of nearly giving up hope that I could find something, I asked Dave to inspect a home that was going under the hammer the very next weekend. I had by-passed this house many times as it was an auction and I thought I would never be able to afford it. When I got the call from Dave that said “I think this is it” I was ecstatic. He told me it is in original 70’s condition but it is rock solid. There are minor renovations that need doing but they can wait until I can afford them. He couldn’t find fault with it structurally and this is what I had been waiting for. I still received Two42’s thorough report that included many photos of chipped paint, cracked tiles and the oven that “came out of the ark” (one of Dave’s many humorous sayings) but he said it was definitely worth me coming out to see it for myself. Long story short, I won the house below asking and I am currently writing this from the comfort of my new structurally sound cosy home.
Two2 Building Consultants took what was an exhausting, stressful and downright scary time in my life and infused it with good humour and Dave’s honest and caring character shone through. He was precious about my money as if it was his own. He cared about the safety of my family as though he was housing his own. He helped me make wise and informed choices as if he was going to be living with the consequences of them. When I ended up signing the contract on my new home, he was there in the room, celebrating with me that the journey was finally over. I know that when it comes time to renovate this beautiful old building, I now call home, I will be leaning on Dave once more for his wisdom, advice, building contacts and to always plant a smile on my face.
Alison
Seacliff Park
