Great 'What I wish I'd known as a newbie house seller' Hunt

John_Pierpoint

Why do you want a qualified surveyor to SELL a house?

Now of you are talking buying:
I got a book out of the library and now do my own.
I give a house a good going over before making a firm offer - so you cannot keep on paying for someone to hold your hand, while you eliminate the problem houses.
(Eg a house where the drains turn out to run under half a dozen neighbours extensions before getting to the public sewer :eek: Actually that is now part of the HIP so ask for it and read it).

(There are tricks of the trade: If a crack has soot in it - it cannot be a new crack)

I would then find out who the mortgage provider is using and see if we could come to an arrangement. Some say no, because there is a conflict of interest.

Then I would survey the surveyor - you both can say things off the cuff that cannot be put in a written report.

rosered100

Well, I have today bitten the bullet & am doing my own HIP :eek: & also will be doing my own conveyance as my BSoc have said that is ok by them -(I think they only really care about the purchase rather than sale of a property).
I was quoted £1100 for the conveyance including HIP so think I will save about £800 especially as I will be doing a personal search at the Local Authority (tomorrow!!) for about £30 instead of £170 if they do it.
Hopefully all will be fine

John_Pierpoint

Report back on how you get on.
I would be a bit worried that a lot of organisations have "automated" their systems and expect everything to be done electronically. Sensible if you need to do the job more than once but just extra complexity if you need to apply for passwords etc. before getting started.
My son bought his first house back in 1998 and managed to save himself several hundred pounds doing the work himself BUT that was before things went electronic.

rosered100

Finally finished my HIP - actually did it in 1 day but had to wait 2 weeks for the drainage report from Thames Water even though we have a cess pit!

Here is the cost breakdown-
Land registry £32 (double as our land is under 2 different titles/plans)
Thames Water drainage £50
EPC £45
Local land charges £22
Local searches - free (I did it myself on a personal search but not recommended for non-legal people- would have been £140 if I'd paid my local council to do it for me)

Total - £149 & done in one day.

John_Pierpoint

rosered100 wrote: »

Finally finished my HIP - actually did it in 1 day but had to wait 2 weeks for the drainage report from Thames Water even though we have a cess pit!

Here is the cost breakdown-
Land registry £32 (double as our land is under 2 different titles/plans)
Thames Water drainage £50
EPC £45
Local land charges £22
Local searches - free (I did it myself on a personal search but not recommended for non-legal people- would have been £140 if I'd paid my local council to do it for me)
Total - £149 & done in one day.

What is involved in doing your own local searches?
(I remember discovering that there is a given distance of ? for a new development and
they are only valid for things that happen within the next 6 months - the "thing" in my case was a change to the use of a local road and resulting parking restrictions, because the centre of the road was more than X away from me I did not get told about it in the searches and anyway the re-design & routing did not take place in the first 6 months of my ownership).

rosered100

I think the distance is 200m that other planning applications need to be shown. You need to check with transport & roads for any plans & also environmental for radon etc also planning -which in my case is all online so easily searched. Basically an owner should know all that anyway as any change to a road ie widening or restrictions should be notified to an owner.