Homebuyers Survey through First Direct

dh_mcr

Has anyone had a Homebuyers Survey done through First Direct?

It works out cheaper than having it done separately as it includes the Valuation Survey, but I have no idea who would conduct it. I suppose they just find a surveyor who is local to you.

bluestarlight

We are in Manchester and they had Countrywide do it.

Gromitt

First Direct is HSBC, who use Countrywide. Expect it to take about 6 months for everything to go through. They are the slowest around. Plenty of threads here about them (Countrywide, not FD).

Scooby_Snack

We recently had Home Buyer's survey through FD. Countrywide undertook the survey 2 days from requesting it and the report was emailed to me 2 working days later. Was impressed. Contents of the report was not very comprehensive but enough to reassure myself about my intended purchase.

bluestarlight

I dont think Countrywide surveying and Countrywide solicitors should be tarred with the same brush. I was worried about that too intitially, but my survey was booked last Wednesday afternoon, happened yesterday and we are just waiting on the results which they said should be emailed by the end of the week.

The surveyor phoned me on Friday to discuss anything I particularly wanted to know about the house, and was very nice and helpful with all my questions.

So I cant complain at all so far about Countrywide Surveys.

DannyboyMidlands

We also recently had a Homebuyers Survey with Countrywide through FD. Requested on a Tuesday, survey done on the Friday, report issued middle of the following week. Smooth as clockwork.

Lavendyr

Gromitt wrote: »

First Direct is HSBC, who use Countrywide. Expect it to take about 6 months for everything to go through. They are the slowest around. Plenty of threads here about them (Countrywide, not FD).

No. HSBC use Countrywide Conveyancing. First Direct do not - they allow you to appoint your own solicitor to act on their behalf during the process.

First Direct do use Countrywide Surveyors, but they are purely a network of local surveyors and should not be tarred with the same brush - they are an entirely different kettle of fish.

ag19lfc

Anyone recently had a Homebuyers survey with FD? Just been told we should expect a call this week to take payment. Wondering how long it takes from instruction to getting results?

Star999

ag19lfc wrote: »

Anyone recently had a Homebuyers survey with FD? Just been told we should expect a call this week to take payment. Wondering how long it takes from instruction to getting results?

Hi

I had a survey done by Countrywide Surveyors, took 9days from taking payment to receiving the report.

ag19lfc

Thanks Star. So if they call this week to take payment, should hopefully have the results in some form within 10 days or so.

Lavendyr

Your payment is made centrally to Countrywide, who may either book it then and there or get your local surveyor to get in touch and arrange to do the survey. That should be within a few days of payment but depends on how busy they are. They will then take somewhere between 2-5 days to write up and mail the survey to you. When we did it (via FD/Countrywide), I think it took around 2 weeks, so 10 days is probably on the optimistic end, but it's certainly possible.