After enough inspections across the Gold Coast, Brisbane and Northern NSW, patterns emerge. These are the findings that appear again and again in South-East Queensland homes — and knowing them helps you read any property with sharper eyes.

The usual suspects

  • Wet-area waterproofing past its best — showers and ensuites from the 1990s and 2000s are a constant source of elevated moisture readings
  • Drainage directing water towards the house — garden beds, paving and downpipes discharging against walls
  • Termite-conducive conditions — timber-to-soil contact, stored timber under or against the home, bridged slab edges
  • Roof maintenance items — cracked tiles, deteriorated pointing, corroded fixings on coastal homes
  • Subfloor ventilation restricted by landscaping built up over vents
  • Safety items — missing balustrades, loose decking and aged switchboards flagged for specialist review

Common does not mean trivial

Most of these start as minor, inexpensive maintenance items. Left for years, the same items mature into major defects: decayed floor framing, concealed termite damage, water-affected walls. The value of an inspection — whether pre-purchase or annual — is catching them at the cheap end of that curve.

Every finding in a CYTE report is photographed and explained in plain English, classified in line with AS 4349.1 and AS 4349.3, so you know what needs a tradesperson this month and what simply needs watching.