Selling a home

Why check before you list

Every buyer wants to know what they're taking on. If damp, poor ventilation or a hidden defect only comes to light after an offer, it can lead to renegotiation or a dispute after transfer.

I offer an independent, measured assessment of how your home behaves over day and night: damp, condensation, ventilation, temperature, particles and disturbance. I have a background in building surveying and construction, a PhD in building performance and published research on indoor environments.

I don't sell or quote for any repair work, so my only interest is giving you clear evidence. Knowing first gives you the chance to fix problems or disclose them properly, which leaves less room for renegotiation and fewer disputes later.

Who it's for

• Sellers, and their estate agents, before a home goes on the market.

• Owners of older homes or homes near the coast.

• Homes with a history of damp.

• Vacant homes and deceased-estate properties.

When to book

• As soon as you've decided to sell, ideally 2 to 6 weeks before the listing photos are taken.

• Before you complete the mandatory disclosure form (see below).

• Before any buyer inspects the property.

I'll book the visit at a time that suits you. The report follows within 3 working days of collection, so the evidence is ready before photos and marketing.

The disclosure form

Under section 67 of the Property Practitioners Act, a seller has to complete a mandatory disclosure form. It asks about known defects in the property, such as roof leaks, damp and drainage problems.

My assessment is organised around the items on that form, and I map my findings to it so you can complete it accurately. The form remains your own declaration, and my report is not legal advice on what to disclose.

How it works

1. Inspect: a non-invasive visual inspection of moisture sources, ventilation, the building's outer shell (roof, walls, windows and floors) and services, plus a condition walk-through.

2. Measure: Atmocube monitors log conditions in key rooms overnight, or for up to 48 hours.

3. Interpret: I read the measured trends alongside how each room is used, the weather, the season and what I saw on site.

4. Advise: I set out what to repair, what to disclose, indicative cost ranges and clear next steps.

The standard format is simple. I inspect and set up the monitors one afternoon and collect them the next morning, which gives about 20 hours of data over one night. Where access allows, I extend this to 48 hours.

Before every job, I check all the monitors side by side against the outdoor air, so I know they agree with each other before they go into your home.

What I check and measure

Everything in my buyer assessment, plus:

• A whole-home condition walk-through organised around the items on the disclosure form: roof leaks, damp, drainage and defects you already know about.

• A cross-check of your draft disclosure answers against what I observe and measure.

• A photographic record of the property's condition on the inspection date.

The buyer assessment covers:

• Moisture-meter and surface-temperature readings at suspect areas, to see whether surfaces are cold enough for condensation to form, with thermal imaging where available.

• The roof space and sub-floor vents where they can be reached safely.

• Gutters, downpipes, ground levels against the walls and the damp-proof course line (the barrier near the base of the walls that stops damp rising from the ground).

• Extractor fans, trickle vents (small vents built into window frames) and how much of each window can open, checked against SANS 10400-O, the national building regulations for ventilation.

I place up to 5 Atmocube monitors in key rooms, such as the bedrooms, the living area, near the kitchen and any room where damp is suspected. They record:

• Fine and coarse particles (PM1, PM2.5 and PM10).

• Carbon dioxide (CO₂).

• TVOC (volatile organic compounds, released by things like paints, cleaning products and furnishings).

• Formaldehyde.

• Temperature and humidity.

• Air pressure.

• Light.

• Noise.

The monitors are RESET Grade B devices. Overnight monitoring is standard. For vacant homes I recommend 48 hours, which is usually easier to arrange before a home is listed.

I also run a CO₂ decay test in the main bedroom and one living space. In simple terms, I watch how quickly CO₂ levels fall once a room is empty, which gives an estimate of how often the air in the room is replaced with fresh air. This is essential in an empty home, because with no one living there, everyday CO₂ readings say nothing about ventilation.

What you receive

• An environment profile: a room-by-room traffic-light summary against named benchmarks, such as the World Health Organization's guideline for PM2.5, CO₂ as a sign of how well a room is ventilated, and humidity bands. These describe how the home performs, not whether it is good or bad for your health.

• Risk priorities: each finding is marked as minor, material, or needing a specialist investigation.

• A pre-listing fix list: what to repair before listing, what to disclose, and indicative cost ranges where these can be responsibly estimated. I always give a range, never a single figure.

• A disclosure evidence schedule: my findings mapped to the section 67 disclosure form, to help you complete it accurately.

• A 2-page summary written for buyers, which your agent can share with them for information only.

The decisions about what to fix and how to market your home stay with you.

Options and prices

• Pre-listing environment and condition report: R5,500.

• Pre-listing report with a re-test after repairs, booked together: R7,200. The re-test gives you a before-and-after comparison of the same rooms once the repairs are done.

Optional extras

• Re-test after remediation: R2,200. Overnight monitoring of the same rooms after repairs, with a letter comparing before and after.

• Extended monitoring to 48 hours: R750, where not already included.

• Retrofit and energy consultation (90 minutes): R1,800. A session turning the findings into a prioritised plan for ventilation, insulation and energy upgrades.

Prices are for addresses in Port Elizabeth and surrounds. Travel further afield is charged extra. Payment is upfront.

What this is not

• It isn't legal advice on disclosure. The disclosure form remains your own declaration.

• It isn't a guarantee against latent defects (hidden defects that can't reasonably be found during a non-invasive inspection).

• Buyers can't rely on the report. The buyer-facing summary is shared for information only.

• It isn't a structural survey or an engineer's report.

• It isn't a mould laboratory test. Humidity readings can't confirm mould, so if I suspect mould, I'll recommend laboratory sampling.

• It isn't an acoustic certification. The monitors can't measure sounds quieter than about 37 dB, which is louder than the 35 dBA night-time bedroom level in SANS 10103, the national standard for noise. So noise readings only flag disturbances.

• It isn't a medical or health opinion. I don't label homes "healthy" or "unhealthy".

• It isn't a compliance certificate for electrical, gas, plumbing, beetle or building regulations.

• There is no invasive or destructive testing, and I don't sell or quote for any repair work.

Related assessments

The monitoring in this report uses the same equipment and approach as my indoor air quality assessment. If you’d like to show buyers how the home uses energy, my energy performance assessment looks at that in more depth. Buying your next home? See buying a home.

If you're getting ready to sell, get in touch and tell me about the property and when you plan to list.