Home reports Scotland

ptkloon

Sorry if this has been posted before,

I have been looking at home reports on the aspc website and find it strange in how different some reports valuations are to others. Very similar house in the same areas having £20,000 different valuations, even though they all have 1's and hardly any comments.

Some have bigger gardens etc but are of the same age and getting lower valuations that others with hardly any garden.

Has anyone else found this or is it just me?

Is it worth getting another (and paying £500+) home report if the first one turns out to be a lot lower than estimated by the estate agent?

googler

ptkloon wrote: »

I have been looking at home reports on the aspc website .......

Is it worth getting another (and paying £500+) home report if the first one turns out to be a lot lower than estimated by the estate agent?

Are you asking this as a buyer or as a seller?

Can you browse the HR directly on the website, or are you asked for login details/registration in order to see them?

ptkloon

Are you asking this as a buyer or as a seller?

Can you browse the HR directly on the website, or are you asked for login details/registration in order to see them?

Yeah, I have to log in. I'm asking as a seller and a buyer - haven't had a home report as yet but have spoken to a couple of people who have had 3 home reports with varying outcomes. Seems like an easy way for the surveyors to make money if you ask me.

googler

ptkloon wrote: »

............. have spoken to a couple of people who have had 3 home reports with varying outcomes. Seems like an easy way for the surveyors to make money if you ask me.

I don't see how dragging three different surveyors to your home makes it 'easier' for them to make money. They still have their fixed expenses, it still costs them the same to travel to and spend time at each property, and they're not charging more than normal for each report. The homeowner has paid out three fees, but each fee goes to one of three separate surveyors.

Nobody forced them to commission three reports. The law only requires sellers to have one.

Previously, the seller wouldn't have had any survey carried out, and there's the possibility that multiple surveys would have been commissioned by buyers and prospective buyers, so the lawmakers have made it so that the surveyors will realistically make less money than before...... one survey per sale instead of two or three.

ptkloon

googler wrote: »

I don't see how dragging three different surveyors to your home makes it 'easier' for them to make money. They still have their fixed expenses, it still costs them the same to travel to and spend time at each property, and they're not charging more than normal for each report. The homeowner has paid out three fees, but each fee goes to one of three separate surveyors.

Nobody forced them to commission three reports. The law only requires sellers to have one.

Previously, the seller wouldn't have had any survey carried out, and there's the possibility that multiple surveys would have been commissioned by buyers and prospective buyers, so the lawmakers have made it so that the surveyors will realistically make less money than before...... one survey per sale instead of two or three.

They weren't happy with the first two as their neighbours house was valued at £20,000 more and was exactly the same, had 1's all the way through and both recently renovated and in good condition. The third report they got was still £5000 less than their neighbours but it meant that they would potentialy get £15000 more when selling than if they had stayed with the original home report.

Just seems that there is quite a bit of differnces between various surveyors. I was wondering if anyone on here had similar stories?

ptkloon

Has anyone else had issues at all?

ptkloon

I've had 4 different estate agents round my house now. They're valuationas are betwee £170k and £195k. the one next door is the same and sold for £180k not too long ago but I have a bigger garden/driveway and is in better condition inside.
Now seeing as there is a £25k difference in valuations, which estate agents do I go for? Do they have any links with the surveyors in relation to their valuations?

googler

ptkloon wrote: »

I've had 4 different estate agents round my house now. They're valuationas are betwee £170k and £195k ....

Now seeing as there is a £25k difference in valuations, which estate agents do I go for?

You go for the EA who will provide the best marketing, who will be the most active, who impressed you the most. None of the proper selection criteria have anything to do with their 'valuation' ....

If all four that you asked are in the local SPC, then there's unlikely to be much difference between their marketing packages. Were any of them non-SPC agents? Did you feel that any stood out in comparison to the rest?

We can't tell anything about this if you just quote what valuations they gave you. None of them can predict who'll be looking to buy your house when it does come to market, nor what the state of the financial market will be, so to a certain extent the eventual selling price will be in the lap of the gods.

ptkloon

Thanks, The estate agents which seemed the best was the last one, I think she was more experienced, and explained things a lot more clearly. One said its best to put it on the market ASAP while the last one said to wait until January and explained the trend this year in Aberdeen. They are all in the local SPC, are there any advantages of not being in the SPC?
I would imagine that all 3 marketing would be similar (looking at the shop windows/news paper ads etc) One of them was a no-no as she didn't seem to bothered at all and only spent 5 minutes talking to us and seemed in a rush.
The one that seemed the best was, unfortunatly, the most expensive!

googler

ptkloon wrote: »

One said its best to put it on the market ASAP while the last one said to wait until January and explained the trend this year in Aberdeen. They are all in the local SPC, are there any advantages of not being in the SPC?

The one that seemed the best was, unfortunatly, the most expensive!

Things may be different in Aberdeen, but I don't think there's likely to be much difference due to seasonal trends at the moment. And people still have to/want to move/look for houses over Xmas/NY

I don't know your area, it will depend on how many and what kind of non-SPC presence there is - but I'm more making the point that the local SPC will have their central showroom, their weekly paper and website - and regardless of which SPC agent you hire, that stays constant - so there's little or no difference between them. Outwith the SPC, there may be something radically different on offer.

Someone (not me) said around here a while ago - "cheap fees don't sell houses"