Beforeyoubuy Arvostelua 

I purchased the strata report on Friday 22 May because it was promoted through realestate.com.au and thought it would be reliable. The experience was extremely disappointing and unprofessional from start to finish.

By Tuesday, I still had not received the report, despite my cooling-off period ending on Friday. I followed up due to the urgency and was advised by Amanda:
“I sent them an email, they haven’t responded. I’ll send them another email.”

I then readvised cooling-off period was ending Friday 29th May and that I really need the report by Wednesday so I’ll have time to go through it.

Amanda’s response was:
“Happy for you to ring Area Strata as well to push them along as they haven’t answered my emails.” Sent 4:48pm on the Tuesday

I found this response completely unprofessional. I paid approximately $300 for your company to manage the process and obtain the strata records — not to be told to chase the strata company myself. Passing the responsibility back onto the customer demonstrates a complete lack of ownership, urgency, and professionalism.

This was a time-sensitive matter involving contractual deadlines, yet there appeared to be no escalation process, no proactive communication, and no genuine attempt to prioritise the order. Sending a couple of emails with no urgency and then asking the customer to do the follow-up work themselves is simply poor service.

Due to the lack of professionalism and failure to deliver within a reasonable timeframe, I asked to cancel the order immediately. I then engaged Clearly Strata Reports, who were able to provide the report within 24 hours without issue.

Extremely poor experience overall and not a service I would recommend.

Very disappointing experience. These building reports are extremely light, generic and feel rushed, with vague copy-paste comments and endless disclaimers instead of real analysis. You pay expecting professional advice before one of the biggest purchases of your life, but you receive a document with very little practical value and almost no accountability.
As many other reviews mention, communication is poor, answers are vague, additional costs appear later, and everything seems designed to protect the company rather than help the buyer. Under the pressure and stress of buying a property, many buyers simply trust and pay without realising how superficial these reports are.
Honestly, I also question why so many real estate agents keep pushing buyers toward these services. It certainly does not feel like the buyer’s interests come first.
The smartest thing is to pay an experienced independent builder for a real inspection. At least you will get honest, useful advice for your money.

I had a very disappointing experience with Before You Buy inspections.
I booked and paid for a building and pest inspection based on the quoted price. After the booking was already confirmed and the inspection scheduled, I was suddenly told I had to pay an additional $265 because the property was “too large”.
The problem is not only the extra charge — it’s the way it was handled. There was no clear warning about possible additional costs before payment, and once the inspection was scheduled, I was told it was “too late to cancel”. This felt very unfair and put unnecessary pressure on me as a customer.
Their terms and conditions are extremely one-sided and protect the company from almost everything, while the customer carries all the risk.
If the property required extra fees, this should have been disclosed upfront before taking payment and booking the inspection.
Overall, the experience felt unprofessional, poorly communicated, and lacking transparency. I would recommend future customers confirm the FINAL price in writing before paying anything.

Essentially, you need a report to purchase. It’d be stupid not to. God forbid you have to before these incompetent fools. Ask a few questions about the report, to the person who pulled it together; nope. Can’t answer that. Need to ask the strata mangers… wait a week, don’t get a single response.
The customer service folks are amazingly considerate and polite but reporters like S.M. Are hopeless

Glorified Scammers! My experience with Before You Buy was extremely disappointing and distressing. The strata report I received did not meet my expectations in terms of clarity, depth or meaningful analysis. I raised concerns with the company. Rather than addressing those concerns constructively, the response I received escalated the situation. Following my complaint, I was informed that unless I withdrew my complaint, additional charges could be applied in connection with what they described as a “second charge” to my card. I found this communication deeply concerning. I believe I should not have been placed in a position where further financial charges were implied or referenced in response to a complaint. The tone of the correspondence felt intimidating, bullying and pressure-based rather than solution-oriented. Instead of resolving the matter fairly, I was left threatened amd bullied. Because of this experience, I will be lodging a formal complaint with the appropriate consumer authorities and Ombudsman. I believe customers should be able to raise concerns about paid services without fear of financial pressure or escalation. I strongly encourage anyone considering this company NOT to use them.

Incomplete / misleading report, Defects section of the report had nil defects listed. NSW Building Commissioner's had a work order on so many defects, Building has been in the media for years. DO NOT use them. either negligent and / or deliberately withed information. not helpful, besides complaining and specifically asking multiple times, they just were not willing to help and wanted more money. Report Author: Tiana from ClarifiedPropertyInspectionsAndReports.com.au

We purchased a building and pest report for a property in Hopetoun Wa, waited 2 days and still no report, checked the status and it said canceled, I emailed and asked why it was cancelled as we needed it for the property, I got no response, I have now called them and the said reason they cancelled it was because they have no one in Hopetoun to do the report and no one would drive 6 hours to do the report, they said they refunded the money straight away but still waiting, they didn’t call or email to let me know they couldn’t do it, I had to chase them up. If we don’t get our money back my bank will dispute it.

Very slow. Paid $300+ for a strata report for it to come more than a week later. Ended up not making it in time and having to take a huge risk on an investment. And they will blame you for not letting them know about the cooling off period. I'd consider other strata report services out there in the market.

Their report is poor, they do not take responsibility for anything., they rip you off
and charge you a hefty cost after purchase with all these embedded clauses.

A fiasco. They took my money. The builder wouldn't take my job. The real estate is getting the sh*ts with me. They said they emailed but they bullsh*tted, no emails in any folders except the one to say hey got my cash. Their portal doesn't work for online messaging someone. They didnt email/message me in their portal. A sh*t phone service when it takes you dozens of options to finally talk to someone where you hear multiple conversations at once and cant communicate effectively. They are utter crooks and now Im trying to get a refund for a service I never got. Will have to reverse charges through my bank.

**Buyer Beware: Unlicensed/Unregistered Building Inspector Experience with "Before You Buy"**

I had a negative experience with "Before You Buy" and want to share my cautionary tale. Although I booked their services through a "Real Estate" website, the building inspector they sent was **not registered**.

It's crucial to confirm that any building inspector you hire is **licensed and registered**. "Before You Buy" might try to tell you that it's not mandatory in Victoria for private house inspections, but this can be misleading. Often, your property's **"Contract of Sale"** will stipulate that you need a licensed inspector.

I ended up wasting my money and was unable to get a refund from "Before You Buy." They claimed no responsibility since it's "not mandated by law." Based on my experience, I **would not recommend** using "Before You Buy."

I hope this helps you avoid a similar situation.

Just a heads up if you use beforeyoubuy.com.au. As the seller,

If you dont sell; they hit you with a mystery $200 fee 6 months later. NOTHING in their Ts and Cs. Just a small check box at the time of make payment. No other info about this on their website or literature.

Also if you are the buyer, and you purchased a copy for $70... YOU get the $200 bill if you go through and buy the premises.

I've questioned them about it not being on there web or anything.... kiss that money goodbye. Nothing like paying a good friendly builder to do a B and P... they know the more they find the more work they will get later.

Deceptive,unethical and untrustworthy business.