Surveys on new homes

michsmit

I am buying a new house by George Wimpey. Should I go for the homebuyers report on top of the valuation or should I go for the builders survey?

Thanks.

plane_boy2000

Go for the cheapest option. On new build there is little to survey plus the property will come with a 2 year defect plus 10 year NHBC so paying for a survey is a waste of money. On the last 2 new builds I have bought 1 they didnt even bother to survey - just called the sales office to check the price was in line with other plots, and the one I am in now was only half built when they carried out the survey so not much to see.

lovelldr

Would just go for valuation as well. As planeboy said, you have the nhbc or zurich guaruntee, and so if anything were to go wrong, it would usually be within the 10 years!

trets77

I strongly disagree !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

builders make mistakes cut corners, forget things and have YTS type trainees on site. if anything is found by YOUR SURVEY you can then make them put it right and negoitate the agreed price. Do you really trust your builder to tell you if they have made a mistake ??????? i saw a watchdog once where a very reputable builder had not fixed and entire cul de sacs roofs on properly, and one where the builder had mixed the mortar wrong and five years later all the houses affected needed re pointing

Cover yourself don,t rely on the builders so called guarantee after you have payed them.....it is more money and the survey may very well show everythings fine....but it may also point out a major problem YOU will be saddled with after you have paid. peace of mind for around £400 is money well spent. you should at least invest in a snagging list to check before you exchange.

it,s very telling building societys NOW DEMAND a survey before lending on a new build. because they got sick and tried of finding stuff out after they lent.


i would get that survey done for YOUR peace of mind no if's or buts. it is ot everyday you spend what i assume is a six figure sum, skimping on few hundred to cover your investment of a few hundred thousand is madness

adr0ck

trets 77 u don't know what your talkin about with regards to the warranty issue

this is a moneysaving website!!!!!

michsmit u will be covered by the NHBC warranty...thats what its there for

don't waste your money

now a snagging list would be the better option

trets77

private message the poster of this thread and see if thinks a survey is a bad idea.


http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=238831

... i trust someone i pay to look out for my intrests not a builder with houses to bulid with PROFIT in mind.

i'd rather spend a few hundred to prevent the possibilty of laying out 1000's in the future than cut a corner for a few hundred.

everything is relevant a few hundred spenton a few hundred thousand. but if you really want to go without a survey better on new build i suppose but i,d i wouldn,t...whatever happens never ever do it on a older house

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santana-mx3

I recently asked this question but about a 1 year old house.

Some people on here suggested going for the basic valuation BUT also getting a professional snagging company in to prepare a full list of defects to be put right by the housebuilder. You might like to look into this for your new build.

Jorgan_2

What stage is the new build at? If its a slab of concrete or half built the surveyor won't be able to do much, even for a mortgage valuation they will have to go back at a later date.

lilyann1

Yes when I bought my new build many years ago now, we chose the plot and it was only a brick shell with a roof on with no floors in it yet ,so when we had our mortgage arranged, the valuer couldn't do much apart from making sure the building was there and speaking to the builders,so there was not alot any surveyor could do!!
If it is fully built I would only go for a valuation for the mortgage and nothing else as it's being built by a reputable builder and will have the NHBC guarantees as stated above.

bunking_off

As others have said, don't get a survey now...waste of money.

However, depending upon how you go with the number of snags you find in the property, there's a logic in commissioning a survey in approx a 18 month's time. It's amazing how much more notice the builders take when presented with a professional survey and by leaving it a while the house will bed in / be easier to separate wheat from chaffe regards cosmetic issues that you'll have noticed/had resolved plus the surveyor will be in a position to comment on the standard of any repairs. On my property, following the survey the builder had to revisit to redo half of their "fixes".

Why 18 months? Because Wimpey's are responsible for faults reported within 2 years, then you're basically onto an insurance backed scheme...having the survey at 18 months means you've got time to get any issues raised.

What's your mortgage deal? If you're going for a short term fix, you might be able to tie in having the survey done with switching your mortgage downstream. Alternatively, I had a One Account where the interest rate depends on the value of the house versus mortgage size...as the house went up during the 18 months between purchase and survey, I was able to reduce my interest rate so it paid for itself.

dmg24

it,s very telling building societys NOW DEMAND a survey before lending on a new build. because they got sick and tried of finding stuff out after they lent.

While some building societies may insist on a Homebuyers Survey, it is certainly not the case that all of them do.

depending upon how you go with the number of snags you find in the property, there's a logic in commissioning a survey in approx a 18 month's time.

That's a really good idea - I'd never thought of doing that, but may well do. Also if it is the same company that did the initial valuation for mortgage purposes, they may well give you a discount when you go back to them later on.