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Imagine if you could live mortgage free. According to Heather Shearer of The Conversation (November 5, 2015), Australian families are doing just that by building tiny homes on wheels that measure just 10 square metres or 7m long by 2½m wide... for less than $40,000.

The world's most destructive termite species, Formosan subterranean termites (Coptotermes formosanus) and Asian subterranean termites (Coptotermes gestroi), were previously thought by scientists to be prevented from interbreeding due to their distinct, separate swarming seasons. However, with climate change and human activity, they have recently been observed to swarm simultaneously in South Florida.

You've just signed your contract and you're flushed with the excitement of purchasing the home of your dreams. However, did you know that safety hazards may be lurking within your dream home?

Up until now, the quality of your build has often been negatively affected by subcontractors employed and supervised by your builder not being incentivised to deliver the quality both you and your builder require. Only the principal contractor and not their subcontractors were held to be responsible for work. Disputes involving untradesmanlike work and unmet schedules have become rife within the residential building industry .

Understandably, many vendors are anxious to sell so that they can get on with the next phase in their lives, perhaps even on to their next home, pending the sale of their current property. Unfortunately, in their eagerness to sell, vendors may behave rashly in an attempt to present their property in its best possible light. As a buyer then, you need to be constantly on your guard for these tricks including:

If you've just purchased a property, no doubt you're nervously awaiting the results of your building and pest inspection. But there may be yet another inspection you need to have done particularly if the property has a pool or spa, a pool safety inspection is not normally included as part of a pre-purchase building and pest inspection as it must be conducted by a specialist licensed pool safety inspector.

When purchasing a property you need to be mindful that severe weather events are becoming a fact of life in Brisbane which, being built upon a flood plain is prone to flooding especially during the summer storm season from November through to March. 

While you're doing your pre-purchase due diligence you might also like to consider Brisbane City Council's range of free tools and information to help you understand the property's potential flood risk.

According to the Queensland Building and Construction Commission, on "20 June 2014, the Queensland Building and Construction Board made the Rectification of Building Work Policy.

For you, this means that if your building contractor has carried out defective building work they should be required to rectify that work irrespective of whether they did or did not comply with the contracted plans and specifications for your work.

If you’re building a new home – keep in mind that you need a number of inspections at different stages of build to ensure that you’re happy with the way the house is being built.

Foundation Stage Inspection: immediately before the slab is poured.