Building Survey

[skybluescooby]

Hello All,
Just had a home buyer survey done on my house as im selling up and the new owners have instructed this survey.
Does anyone know what these guys look for as he was here over an hour , asked me to let him take a look around the house on his own and took a few pictures etc,
The house is 10 yr old, no extensions, no major work or insurance claims over the past 8 years and is a 2 bed semi.
I asked him how it went and he just said i cannot tell you. Surely if it was ok he would have said , nothing to worry about or is he just trying to justify the high price they demand ??
Antone ?

 

[joe-90]

Nearly all surveys are the same. They fill the thing with bumph to make it look like they've worked hard.

They don't lift carpets or get in the loft or under the floor.

They usually read the paper when you can't see them.




joe

 

[skybluescooby]

This one didnt, i could hear him rooting about in the loft and stamping his feet on the upstairs floors, he also paid a lot of attention to the side of the house, the gable end, he took photos but theres nothing i can see that looks like a problem.

 

[jbonding]

This one didnt, i could hear him rooting about in the loft and stamping his feet on the upstairs floors, he also paid a lot of attention to the side of the house, the gable end, he took photos but theres nothing i can see that looks like a problem.

probably getting the dust off his shoes

 

[Static]

Stamping is feet is a way of checking the integrity of the floor. If it bounces like a trampoline then there may be some issues with rot in the floor joists etc etc..
Most surveyors wont enter the loft unless asked by the buyer. Some surveyors also lift manholes and check drainage.

Mainly the survey is to put the mind of an otherwise clueless person at rest about maintenance/structural issues in a property. Most people dont want to move into a house to find out the roof needs replacing in 2 years or the wall ties need doing etc. But as you say as far as you know the property is ok no major issues, so the survey will probably just come back with simple/standard stuff. Be warned thou if it does flag up any major issues the buyer may ask for reduction in sale price.

 

[skybluescooby]

Cheers for that static,
I will await the buyers phone call and promptly make my excuses and leave if they ask for a reduction.
Already knocked 6 grand off as im wanting a quick sale and they were first through the door.
strums fingers..........

 

[Deluks]

A friend of mine bought a house about 5 years ago, and as her husband was a builder, he didn't want to fork out on surveys. Insisting that "he knows his stuff and he'd notice if anything was wrong".

Well last year the house was sold, and it turns out that the previous owner (another builder) had no planning/building permission to install the conservatory, loft conversion and remove a wall downstairs. This all came out in the survey that the new buyer had done, and they had to rebuild the wall between kitchen/conservatory, and the loft was simply listed as storage only. It was probably done to a high standard but as no plans were submitted originally...

Had they had the survey done when they bought the house they could have had these problems flagged themselves and saved a few grand.
As it turns out they had to fork out to remedy the issues and take out a £500 indemnity policy in order to get a sale.

Never skimp on a survey!

There are also several types of survey, the cheapest being a few hundred quid, much better spend a bit extra to get a more thorough survey done.


If your house is as you said then I don't think anything dodgy will show up.

 

[joe-90]

I wish I could kook at a conservatory/loft and know that it hadn't got (or needed) PP. What about the PDR?

Surveys are for mugs.

joe

 

[noseall]

home buyers surveys today involve the legitimacy of a buildings construction history more than ever nowadays.
issues such as the condition of drains, floor and roof timbers, brickwork, joinery etc, still feature strongly.
however, there is a greater emphasis placed upon wether the vendor sought building control approval or planning permission on any changes or additions to a property.

a good survey is worth its weight in gold.

 

[joe-90]

They won't even lift a carpet!

Waste of time and money.


joe

 

[jono_h]

ref deluks post;

Surey it's the job of the solicitor to check that all Planning Permissions and Building Regs Cetificates are available? I know that when I sold in November I had to supply all of the paperwork to my solicitor, who sent it to the Buyers solicitor, who would have cross-checked it against the Local Authority searches.

Anyway as for the Homebuyers report, my opinion is that it is over-rated. There never seems to be any commitment to an actual problem - it's just "There may be a problem woith the roof which needs further investigation". If I'd paid £400 for a survey I'd want the investiogation included.

 

[Static]

If you have a good solicitor then they will.

If you know little to nothing about houses then a home buyers survey can save you alot of money.

 

[Deluks]

I completely agree that surveys seem a total rip-off for the money you are paying, but they have us over a barrel.
I wouldn't buy a house without one, and if you are spending hundreds of thousands on a property then a few hundred quid is nothing in comparison. You are paying for peace of mind in most cases but it could also save you making a costly mistake if there is a problem. I think most mortgage lenders insist on one anyway.

 

[joe-90]

Which is why I buy for cash.


joe

 

[empip]

Woo, didn't realise me house was as good as that, sorry price just gone up £10k !!
Works both ways, you want it? Going to have to pay for it !!