Blogs

Depending on the length of contract until settlement, we recommend you leave a minimum of 14 days to have an answer – not because it takes this long to book an inspection, but you still need to consider the outcome of the inspection. If you find there are queries that you want answers to, or negotiations […]

The property market in Brisbane’s northern suburbs has recovered and it’s definitely a seller’s market. Remarkably the average time for a property to be listed is currently only 8 days whereas two years ago it was 90 days (as stated on Channel 7 News – March 5, 2014).  With roughly between 15 and 90 people […]

As of December 2013 the Queensland Building Services Authority will be replaced by the Queensland Building and Construction Commission (QBCC) as the regulator for the Queensland building industry. As one of the largest overseers of employers in Queensland, the biggest reform in 20 years will see the creation of the QBCC. Reflecting the sector’s large […]

From December 20, 2013 the Department of Housing and Public Works revised the Building Regulation 2006 (BR) and schedule 7 of the Sustainable Planning Regulation 2009 to give a more consistent approach to buildings in flood hazard areas. You can find more information and factsheets on the Department’s website: www.hpw.qld.gov.au or read the Building and Other […]

Top 10 building defects Each month, the Building Services Authority (BSA) releases a list of the ‘Top 10 defects’ reported in the Queensland building and construction industry. Note: the ‘number of defects’ figure accumulates over the financial year and begins again at ‘0’ each year from 1 July. The June defect report was: Rank Defect […]

Over the past 15 years and thousands of inspections, ABIS have researched numerous technologies. In recent years, we have adopted thermal imaging which has proven to be a very useful tool in improving the quality of our inspections. However, due to recent outrageous claims from unscrupulous inspectors, we feel compelled to do some “myth busting”. […]

According to Cabe, the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment which surveyed residents of homes built between 2003 and 2006 within an hour’s travel of London, the UK builds the smallest homes in Europe so the British are now probably sleeping standing up.  The average room in a newly built dwelling in France is […]

Here’s your chance to grab an eternity of fame next to Marilyn Monroe according to the Telegraph. A burial plot next to the late starlet is up for sale on eBay for with bids starting at $710,000. The crypt is located in Westwood Village Memorial Park, where Natalie Wood, Dean Martin and the recently passed […]

Here’s an unusual feel-good foreclosure story from Diane Tuman, Zillow Content Manager that may have a positive ending and perhaps create an entirely new career for an American woman who is an actress and divorced mother of three. In a creative measure to save her house from foreclosure, she held a bake sale with her goal […]

Overseas, million-dollar homes are being turned into nightclubs by teenagers, unbeknownst to their owners until police arrive to break them up. This is how it works. The teens first spot homes with for sale signs. Then they call the listing agent to confirm the homes are vacant which allows them to gain access undetected. In […]