Identify priority risks
Surface issues that may deserve closer attention before committing. Drainage, structure, subfloor, wet areas and other risk signals are evaluated from what you describe.
Pre-Offer Property Intelligence
Know what's known. Surface what isn't. Investigate what matters.
Sonsie organises the information you have about a property, makes important gaps and uncertainty visible, and gives you practical, trade-informed questions and investigation steps before you decide.
Built for pre-offer and pre-auction decisions — not a valuation, not a building inspection.
Address, listing link, photo or screenshot — one is enough to start.
Important: This tool provides preliminary decision support based on user-provided information. It is not a building inspection, engineering report or professional advice.
Example investigation dimensions
Pre-Offer Property Intelligence
Priority Risk
Drainage concern
Evidence Confidence
Limited
Important Unknown
Subfloor condition
Next Investigation
Inspect subfloor
Decision Effect
Further investigation recommended before making an offer
What Dan Would Check
Roof, drainage, subfloor
First public product
Built for pre-offer and pre-auction decisions.
The Buyer Risk Snapshot is designed to surface what matters before you commit to a property — not after.
Make unknowns visible
Treat missing information and uncertainty as decision-relevant — not as a positive result. An unknown subfloor condition remains an important uncertainty until it can be verified.
Know what to investigate next
Translate observations into practical next questions, checks and professional referrals — so you know where to direct a building inspector, pest inspector or tradesperson.
Improve the decision basis
Understand what may affect price, timing, negotiation, further investigation or whether to proceed — before the offer is signed or the hammer falls.
About the method
Built from real renovation experience — not a database or a chatbot.
The Sonsie methodology was created by Dan Sonsie — founder of Sonsie Property Intelligence, an experienced Victorian renovation carpenter and a practical property-intelligence specialist.
As a second-opinion practitioner, Dan developed the Sonsie methodology to help active buyers understand what to investigate before committing serious money. He is not an engineer, building surveyor, statutory inspector, lawyer or regulator and does not certify compliance.
The aim is simple: help you identify the risks, the unknowns and the next investigation steps before you make an offer or bid at auction.
How Sonsie thinks
The intelligence system behind better property decisions.
Human Intelligence
Who is this decision for? A first-home buyer, investor, family, downsizer or seller all need different advice.
Property DNA
What kind of house is this? Era, structure, materials, services, maintenance and likely hidden risks.
Experience Intelligence
What would an experienced renovator notice? Clues, patterns, workmanship, shortcuts and hidden variables.
Decision Intelligence
How might the available evidence, risks and unknowns affect the decision to proceed, negotiate or investigate further?
Start here — active buyers
Know what to investigate before you make an offer.
Answer the questions below. The system will identify risks, unknowns and what to investigate next — before you offer or bid.
Live report
Your Buyer Risk Snapshot Report.
Decision Effect
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Complete the Property Snapshot to generate your Buyer Risk Snapshot Report.
Risk Level
Pending
Risk signals will appear here.
Opportunity
Pending
Opportunity signals will appear here.
LifeFit
Pending
LifeFit considers how well the property may suit the user's stated needs and intended future use.
Next Investigation
Complete the Property Snapshot
The first investigation recommendation will appear here after the assessment has processed the answers.
Snapshot outputs
What the Buyer Risk Snapshot gives you.
The current snapshot is designed to surface priority risks, uncertainty and next investigations. The reporting architecture is continuing to develop toward the full decision framework.
Priority risks
Issues that may deserve closer attention before committing — drainage, structure, wet areas, subfloor, roof and more.
Evidence confidence
How much is known versus unknown from the information provided. Low confidence is a risk signal, not a neutral outcome.
Unknowns and uncertainty
Missing information and unresolved conditions are surfaced explicitly — so uncertainty is visible before the decision is made.
Renovation and maintenance burden
An initial read of the cost pressure profile — what areas may carry more work or cost than the presentation suggests.
What Dan would investigate next
Practical next questions, checks and professional referrals based on what has been described — before money is committed.
Potential effect on the buying decision
A decision effect indicator — whether findings suggest proceeding with caution, investigating further, or requesting specialist review before any offer.
The broader platform
More than buyer decision support.
The broader Sonsie platform is being developed to support renovation planning, repair decisions, quote evaluation and long-term property records. The first public product is focused on buyer decision support.
SECONDARY PATHWAY — OWNER BUILDER READINESS
Thinking of becoming an owner-builder?
Before you take responsibility for permits, trades, site safety, contracts, inspections, insurance questions and hidden cost risk, run a practical owner-builder readiness check. Sonsie does not replace official owner-builder training, BPC requirements, building surveyors, legal advice or registered practitioners. It helps you understand what to question before you commit.
Founding Trial — Ten places
Founding Trial
Sonsie Property Intelligence is preparing a controlled ten-person trial of the Buyer Risk Snapshot. Trial participants will test the assessment and report, then provide structured feedback before public payments are activated.
Founding Trial — No charge
Buyer Risk Snapshot
Indicative future price
Expected future price: $89 including GST
- Guided property assessment
- Buyer Risk Snapshot Report
- Priority risk signals
- Important unknowns and evidence gaps
- Practical next investigations
- Questions to raise with inspectors, agents or relevant professionals
- Potential effects on the next property decision
Practitioner Review Trial — Invitation only
Buyer Risk Snapshot + Dan Review
Indicative future price
Expected future price: $299 including GST
- Everything in the Buyer Risk Snapshot
- Review of supplied information and the generated report by Dan Sonsie
- Concise practitioner commentary
- Three priority next investigations
- Identification of anything potentially underweighted
- One limited clarification round
Planned after trial
Future options
Future options may include a multi-property buyer pass and a deeper practitioner advisory review. These concepts remain subject to trial evidence, operating capacity and final pricing.
Concept only
Multi-property buyer pass
A possible way to review several shortlisted properties during one buying campaign.
Concept only
Practitioner advisory review
A possible higher-touch service for buyers needing tailored investigation priorities and practical commentary.
Indicative future prices are displayed for trial research only. Pricing may change following user testing, operational review and further product development.
No payment, card details or financial information will be requested during the Founding Trial.
The Buyer Risk Snapshot is preliminary property decision support based on user-provided information. It is not a building inspection, engineering report, pest inspection, legal review, financial advice or formal valuation.
Submitting an expression of interest does not guarantee selection for the Founding Trial.
View Sample Buyer Risk Snapshot — see what the output looks like
Know before you offer
Do not commit money until the uncertainty is understood.
Sonsie Property Intelligence helps active buyers identify priority risks, important unknowns and the next investigations to consider — before making an offer or bidding at auction.
Not a valuation. Not a building inspection. A practical second opinion.
Start the Buyer Risk Snapshot