HELP-Surveyors report is bad news - how to negotiate house price?

frugal_dougal_3

Malteser,

Let us know how you get on. Obviously we can't be specific because we can't see it but we might be able to help you make your mind up.

ducky2004

Persuambly some of the defect is already known and might have been partially reflected in the price. As it was not snapped up, it probably have not been very cheap.

You may wish to compare the house against others in the area too to know if you are getting a bargain after reduction.

Anyway, be prepared to take longer to sell as not everyone is prepared to do the work (in case things go wrong again"

nelly_2

A straight forward roof ie no hips, valleys etc can be in the region of £5000 in Manchester.

A rewire can be £800. But its more for brass sockets, dimmer switches, expensive lighting etc, also half the walls can come off when they chisel out the plaster if its old and knackered, or maybe not,,, its not an exact science.

Replastering a normal rewire can cost between £200 and £300.

Replastering a room thats down to the brick can be around £500/600 per room.

Also keep in mind if you only intend to emulsion the walls, that, 2 brand new plastered walls can make the other 2 look really bad if they are old and shabby and cracked, papering doesnt matter so much as it covers a multitude of plastering sinns.

Sometimes replacing a boiler can be a nightmare and expensive I've just been on a job where it cost over £1500.

A bloked drain could be fixed just by shoving a hose pipe down it or it might be broke and need a few hundred spent on digging it up replacing the pipes grid and flags or tarmac etc reinstateing.

rizla01

Hi Malteser.

You haven't mentioned what the Estate Agent had to say about the property.

speak to the Agent that initially viewed the property and mention the surveyors report to them. any experienced E.A. would have been aware of most of the probs and should have taken these faults into account when valuing the property. If so then ask him what he would value it at with all of the work done. That should give you a guide as to whather or not to proceed.

Do remember that the E.A is employed by the seller and obviously works for them. The seller may have instructed the agent to put it on at this price. Ask relevant questions of the E.A. before making any decisions.

Finally, if the surveyor is correct, this is the type of property that would end up at the Auction Rooms, so it would get a lot less there. If you are feeling 'Gutsy' then make an offer of 25K below asking and sit back.

Remember - First time buyers are exciting prospects as they are not in a chain and they are few and far between these days. Elderly people do not like hassle so you would be an ideal purchaser to enable them to move on quickly and without fuss.

Good luck whatever happens.


Riz

dougk_2

nelly wrote:

A straight forward roof ie no hips, valleys etc can be in the region of £5000 in Manchester.

A rewire can be £800. But its more for brass sockets, dimmer switches, expensive lighting etc, also half the walls can come off when they chisel out the plaster if its old and knackered, or maybe not,,, its not an exact science.

Replastering a normal rewire can cost between £200 and £300.

Replastering a room thats down to the brick can be around £500/600 per room.

Also keep in mind if you only intend to emulsion the walls, that, 2 brand new plastered walls can make the other 2 look really bad if they are old and shabby and cracked, papering doesnt matter so much as it covers a multitude of plastering sinns.

Sometimes replacing a boiler can be a nightmare and expensive I've just been on a job where it cost over £1500.

A bloked drain could be fixed just by shoving a hose pipe down it or it might be broke and need a few hundred spent on digging it up replacing the pipes grid and flags or tarmac etc reinstateing.

Being the house is in Kingston , prices are a lot higher than "up North"

The prices Nelly has quoted are likely to be DOUBLE!

From 1st April Condensing boilers have to be fitted so modifications to the heating system will be needed. I have just had a new backboiler and Firefront fitted in Norfolk and the cheapest quote I could get was £2400!

Rewiring is likely to be £1500 or more (I would say nearer the 2k mark)

margaret_3

Where is the original poster

---

malteser?
These are VERY helpful posts, and I would have thought that he/she would have come back to say thanks to those who have answered the questions!
Just a thought! Courtesy costs nothing!

malteser

hang on margaret

give me a chance! its been a very stressful few days, we have the survey results now but my son (18months) has been ill all weekend so my visits to the pc have been very quick and i've been waiting for him to nap so i can post.

Anyway thanks to everyone for replying and your comments, the survey has given an estimate of 28,000 inc vat.
Cut & paste from report:
A summary of the major defects noted is as follows:-

 The chimney stacks require replacement flashings. (£600)
 The main roof slopes will require replacement within the next 5 – 7 years. (£6800)
 The external render requires substantial repair/ replacement. (£2850)
 The flat roof over the kitchen requires replacement. (£950)
 The pitched roofs over the rear bay and front porch/ garage require replacement. (£2700)
 The central heating system requires replacement. (£4750)
 The electrical system requires re wiring and replacement of the consumer unit. (£2650)
 The drainage system ‘backs up’ and requires further investigation and repair. (£850)
 There is dampness to the dining room rear bay wall. (£600)
 There is dampness to the staircase flank wall. (£450)
 There is no evidence of recent movement to the building through subsidence, but the risk still remains high due to the shrinkable clay sub soil.
Sundry - (£500)

Total £23,700 not inc VAT

We have spoken to the estate agents and they have suggested we write a letter telling the story so far and what our new offer is, even though they work for the seller they indicated that we couldnt have known about these things so sort of agreed that we made the original offer not knowing any of these things and therefore a new reduced offer was reasonable. We have taken the price of 28k and increased it to 35k to take into account the increased insurance premiums and inconvenience. So whilst we are indicating we want 35k off the price we have said we would cover the cost of 10k so we are asking for 25k off the price. We are not overstating anything, being honest and hoping that the fact we are first time buyers with no chain will help. The owners have found their dream property by the coast and there is no chain that end either. They are mid 50's and looking to settle near family etc. They are very nice but theres no such thing when it comes to money so we will have to see.
Ultimately we still would like the house but we cannot afford to pay for all the repairs.
The results of the survey were totally unexpected, we suspected some of the cracking and obvious wear and tear (it is 75yrs old) but not the electrics, heating, roofs needing to be totally replaced and at the price we offered. We didnt even think we needed to redecorate - its not our taste but liveable as we just want to get in but the electrics are a fire risk and it needs to be done so carpets and floorboards will be lifted and there will be a need to do some decorating meaning more inconvenience.

The prices quoted by the surveyor seem reasonable for the area according to the estate agent.

i'm happy to cut and paste stuff from the report if you are interested in the details.

i'm a 'she' by the way.
m

flea72

alot the things that have been brough up on the survey, arent really anything to worry about though - they are just general wear and tear

elecrics prob failed the survey, due to them being 'old style', not dangerous, just not up to todays standards - again the roof, unless the owner has noticed definate leaks/sags, then you wouldnt assume there was anything wrong with a roof - most last about 50-75yrs, so yes they are prob due to be redone about now - central heating prob put in mid 70s, most boilers last about 25yr, so again, due for an upgrade, easier to replace whole system now for something more efficient, than just replace boiler/rads - drain runs, could prob do with a flush, again something people dont think about, until they have probs, and espec if intermittent, you dont tend to worry about sorting it

yes these things are going to cost money, but on the main they are just cosmetic, and in most cases arent things that are urgently needing doing - the only fault i might be worried about is the damp, but the costs indicated by the surveyor lean towards minor, rather than major probs - as for the subsidence issue, anywhere in the SE is at risk of shrinkable clay, so again, i wouldnt worry unduly

i would put in a lower offer, but if it was my house, i dont think i would drop as low as you are suggesting, as the only things that would bother me as a seller are structural faults - if you dont want to buy a house with antiquated but working, heating/electrics then thats up to you, not up to me as a seller, to drop my price, so you can have new systems fitted

Debt_Free_Chick

A few observations.

In my experience, all the work is what would be expected of a house of this age. And it may well be that the price of this, and all other properties in the area, reflects this. Also, you don't have to have all this work done "immediately".

The drainage system ‘backs up’ and requires further investigation and repair. (£850)
 There is dampness to the dining room rear bay wall. (£600)
 There is dampness to the staircase flank wall. (£450)

Are these all at the rear? It could be that solving the drainage problem would eliminate the dampness to the dining room & staircase. As this is clay soil, any drainage problem can result in the whole ground area being damp. If it cannot drain away - as it can't at this time of the year - you may be seeing damp purely due to the drainage problem. Only a structural engineer's report will confirm this.

How do the pitched rooves look to you? I accept that an expert will often see "hidden" problems, but do they look that bad?

Flat rooves are always a problem, irrespective of age. And can be repaired for much less than £950. We had our garage flat roof repaired, including flashing to the main house, for about £300 (yes, in the South East!).

I think you need a sense of perspective here. Older properties, if they have not been fully maintained, always need work. However, few require "immediate" work. And, as already said, the general condition may already be reflected in the price. Chances are, that the majority of the properties in this area need similar work - so you should not expect a discount to match the price quoted, to cover the repairs - as the general condition may just be the same as others on sale.

If you want an older property, you need to be prepared for ongoing maintenance. I guarantee that there are other things going on, that the surveyor's report has not identified!

frugal_dougal_3

Malteser, You sure have got a lot to think about !!! I must admit that I am a real sucker for 1930's properties and can see why you're tempted.

I just wanted to reiterate what I said before about BEWARE SURVEYORS and I certainly wouldn't take the estimate as gospel. Try and get some builders to give a quote which is going to be more realistic to what you are going to have to pay.

I accept that it's a shame not to be able to trust professionals in the house buying and selling business but if the surveyor is wrong by a few thousand pounds he is not going to suffer but you will. It is better to know the worst case scenario cost-wise and plan around that.

Also if you are going to wait a few years before doing some of the work bear in mind that the cost might go up in the meantime, and if you are getting a mortgage the mortgage company might withhold some of the loan until the work is completed.

Lastly, however much you love it try and remain objective.