AU| Live In Au | How to avoid scams while building your dream house by Jeff
One of the trendiest themes in recent years is relocating to Australia. In Australia, owning a house has been the norm. Jeff, an Australian resident of Hong Kong, will guide you through the difficulties of home construction and how to avoid them, as well as demonstrate for Hong Kong residents who have never lived in an individually-owned mansion before. Pay attention to Jeff’s Live In Au channel on YouTube and earn some tips from Jeff on how to avoid scams while building a house in Australia!\n\nDriving for around two hours north of Brisbane will take you to NOOSA, a mansion and vacation hotspot that is well-known among Australians.\nHouse Construction Process\nStep 1: Foundation – Estimating water level, anti-termite device\nStep 2: Structure – Plumbing, wiring installation of the house\nStep 3: Exterior Walls – Finishing with Walls, Doors, Windows\nStep 4: Renovation – Installing Wardrobe, Kitchen features, Cabinets, Flooring\nStep 5: Finish – Minor Details, Paints\nAvoiding scams\nScam 1: Details that contract package is not included – driveway, garden, garage, floor, window, window net, air conditioner, fence, physical mailbox\nScam 2: Provide less than you need – the contract has included certain items, but the supplies of these items are found to be insufficient, for example, an air conditioner and a few light bulbs are not enough for the whole family to make use of at the same time.\nScam 3: Keep quiet – construction workers may not tell the owner that after making minor changes in some spots, in fact, some other places should also be changed accordingly.\nScam 4: Being lazy and cheap at the same time – eg. Having it being a relatively cheap house, the builder built the roof with poor insulation materials and cut corners.\nSharing by a 20-years experienced senior builder\nQuestion 1: There are many different builders in the market, how should I select whether who should I hire?\nAnswer: There are a host of factors. First, the builder’s flexibility. Many builders on the market offer rigid services; for instance, they can only afford a certain number of pre-designed units. It’s very hard for them to modify anything, if you want to. The second is communication. Without effective initial communication, the entire process will not be pleasant from the moment you enter the builder’s office. Third, the build’s financial information. The builder must be a reputable business that can guarantee nothing will go wrong and that the client’s money is secure. Fourth, transparency. It is important to explain the entire procedure to the client when they speak with the builder. There are no unanticipated fees. It is crucial for the customer to know about their ultimate fee they are going to pay for.\nQuestion 2: If a client hires you as a builder to build a house, how would the whole process be like?\nAnswer: There are several procedures involved in building a house. The client will first provide us with some basic requirements, a baseline budget, and other details. Next step would be Concept and design. At this stage, we will provide the client with the proposal of the project plan of the entire house, including materials and specifications. The price at this stage ranges from three to five thousand Australian dollars, although there is a chance that it may be refunded to the client or subtracted from the overall cost of the contract in the end. This is a fee associated with the construction procedure, instead of an additional cost. The contract will be signed when the customer approves the aforementioned price and design. Along with the construction timeline and payment schedule, the contract includes all the details that were agreed upon with the client. The completion of all design documentation, including architectural and engineering drawings and other paperwork required by the local administration, is the following step. Next off, waiting for approval . After receiving the approval from relevant authorities, the eagerly anticipated building process starts, with pictures being taken to update the clients on its development. It takes approximately five to eight months to complete the construction work. The settlement phase is the last. The house keys are handed over to clients and they are free to move in once the construction process and exterior work, such as driveways, gardens, etc., are completed.\nQuestion 3: What should be paid attention to in terms of contract content?\nAnswer: The contract follows a well accepted structure. For instance, our company won’t add any terms and will solely use the contract given by Master Builder. The client should pay close attention to the contract’s construction timeline. The builder will have to pay for a fine if the proposed construction date is surpassed and yet the work hasn’t been completed yet.\n1.7 million mansion VS 400,000 cottage\n1) 170,000 Mansion\nTotal land area of 1100 square meters\nIndoor area of 700 square meters\nPrivate swimming pool\nPrivate gym\nGarage for four cars\nSuper high floor to ceiling distance (two and a half floors)\nDue to its proximity to the water (river/lake/sea), the owner has a private marina and yachts\nPrivate garden with three kitchens\n2) 400,000 people-friendly detached houses\nTotal land area of 600 square meters\nIndoor area of 250 square meters\nFour rooms in total\nGarage for 2 cars\nTwo bedrooms\nDining room connected to an open kitchen\nWindows on both sides can be opened, allowing convection effect\nLayout is relatively simple\nPrivate wardrobe in master bedroom\nJeff explained in detail the possible building scams in addition to talking about the house-building process with clients based on his own personal experience. He also invited experienced builders to share their knowledge in building houses. The disparity between a 1.7 million mansion and a 400,000 cottage was also given as an example. In the end, Jeff offered a special discount – providing free-of-charge services to assist foreign customers in monitoring the construction process so that clients could still pay attention to the subtleties of house construction while they were abroad.\nLive In Au information\nA Youtube Channel managed by Australian property management and real estate expert Jeff, who is interested in investigating properties and studying leisure of life. Viewing Australian properties in terms of environmental planning, design taste, user perspective and daily life, etc., while revealing some “exclusive” information that ordinary real estate agents will not tell their clients. Jeff’s main roles are Brisbane and Gold Coast property management, estate agency and tenancy management.\nThis article has been reproduced in text with the permission of the Youtube \n謝夫澳洲看房生活頻道 Live In Au\n\nProperty investment is a long-term game and planning is the key. Watch \nmore videos\n for a better decision!\n \nTo receive more \nproperty information\n relating to the UK, Canada and Hong Kong,\n sign up to our newsletter\n at the bottom of this page.\nFollow us on:\n👉 Facebook:\n https://www.facebook.com/Denzity.io\n \n👉 Instagram:\n https://www.instagram.com/denzity.io/\n \n👉 LinkedIn\n:\n https://www.linkedin.com/company/denzity\n \n# \nDisclaimer\n