First time buyer - advice needed

Hibbs

I have recently had an offer accepted on a house I like but could do with some advice as to what I do next as feel completley out of my depth! My mortgage application is going through and I have appointed a solicitor. The house was originally on the market for £130,000, when I first viewed it it was on for £120,000 and by the time I put an offer in had dropped to £115,000. The price that we agreed on was £113,000.

I had a survey done last week which has brought up a few points. There is nothing structurally wrong with the house but there are lots of smaller points some of which I knew would be there as were obvious when viewing. The survey report said to ask the vendor for certificates for the boiler and gas fire and also for timber treatment in the roof as there are signs of beetle attack - do I do this through my solicitor of go through the estate agents?

The major points that were brought up on the survey are -
Some roof tiles need replacing
There are some areas that need repointing on the external walls and some bricks replacing
Gutters need repairing and downpipe replacing
The bay window may be leaking
Timber treatment in roof (if vendor hasn't already done it)
One double glazed window needs replacing
Boiler flue needs re-routing
The electric earth bonding system and fuseboard need updating
The bathroom ventillation currently goes into the roof space and not outside.

Having never bought a house before I'm not sure whether these kind of things are normal to have to deal with or whether I should try to renegotiate in order to cover the costs of having these repaired? Can I get an electrical contractor in before the sale goes through to get an idea of the costs?

I haven't had any contact with my solicitor since appointing him two weeks ago, is this normal? I was told that they will start with all the searches first and then if there was anything I wanted to bring up with the vendor I would have chance to do it afterwards.

I'm just getting a little nervous and would like some advice!

G_M

Hibbs wrote: »

I had a survey done last week which has brought up a few points. There is nothing structurally wrong good with the house but there are lots of smaller pointsthere always are. Every house needs maintaing on an ongoing basis some of which I knew would be there as were obvious when viewing. The survey report said to ask the vendor for certificates for the boiler and gas fire standard - the surveyor is not a gas engineer so cannot check/commentand also for timber treatment in the roof as there are signs of beetle attack'signs'? ie som 'holes'? Almost certainly old Does not mean there is active beetle - see below - do I do this through my solicitor of go through the estate agents? Either. But if they have no certificate you will be none the wiser. Many properties have no such certificate

The major points that were brought up on the survey are -
Some roof tiles need replacing £20 - 50 to an odd job man/roofer after you move in
There are some areas that need repointing on the external walls and some bricks replacing as above
Gutters need repairing and downpipe replacing as above
The bay window may be leaking 'may'? Ring the surveyor. Either it is or it isn't! If it is, ask why.
Timber treatment in roof (if vendor hasn't already done it) see comments on beetle. Ring surveyor - why does he recommend timber treatment? Has he spotted a problem or is he just covering his !!!! by recommending this!!!!?
One double glazed window needs replacing Why? How urgent? Ask!
Boiler flue needs re-routing probobly not. uilding Regulations chnge all the time. The flue probobly complied when it was installed, but does not comply with current standards. But there is no requirement to update every time the Regs change!
The electric earth bonding system and fuseboard need updating Why? Older fuseboards work fine - they just aren't the most modern. It's like driving an old car. If it's in good condition, it's fine (even though it doesn't have modern disc brakes!)
The bathroom ventillation currently goes into the roof space and not outside. £50 to run a flexible hose from where the ventilator enters the roof to a new exit to the outside.

Having never bought a house before I'm not sure whether these kind of things are normal to have to deal with or whether I should try to renegotiate in order to cover the costs of having these repaired? Can I get an electrical contractor in before the sale goes through to get an idea of the costs? Yes, but you really need to establish if any of these things are either dangerous or urgent.

I haven't had any contact with my solicitor since appointing him two weeks ago, is this normal? I was told that they will start with all the searches first and then if there was anything I wanted to bring up with the vendor I would have chance to do it afterwards. He'll be in touch when he has documents to show you, or needs your signature

I'm just getting a little nervous and would like some advice!

Most of this sounds trivial, but ring the surveyor to discuss.

Read this about beetle : http://www.askjeff.co.uk/woodworm.html

And all those £50 estimates I gave you: if you get one guy to do all those jobs it will be cheaper. Hardly worth worrying about until you move in, and even then I doubt any are urgent except perhaps the leaking window which might not be leaking.....

Hibbs

Thank you for your reply, sounds like I'm worrying about nothing then.

My surveyor has now gone on holiday so can't ring him (I was on holiday when the survey results were sent to me so a bit of bad timing all round)

The roof of the bay window may be leaking as there are signs of rainwater ingress in the sitting room - didn't say it was defintely coming from there just said it needed water testing. If it is leaking then the lead will probably need replacing.

One of the double glazing units has failed so there is condensation in the middle of the window (not urgent but will need replacing at some point).

Beetle attack - several holes look fairly recent

With the electrics there is no earth cross-bonding fitted to the letal pipes serving the kitchen and bathroom sinks and the survey suggests that the earth bonding system and fuseboard should be upgraded to make it safe. The electrics are the main thing that worries me as I want the house to be safe!

Thank you for making me a little less worried - I know absolutely nothing about houses etc and will now wait to hear from my solicitor.

chrisnewport

Hi Hibbs,

You can bring up these concerns and at the same time bargain cheaper than the price that was given. Provide also a copy where you can be able to explain the list. This way you can point out some present and future concerns you have got on your list.

Chris

G_M

Replacing the lead flashing above the bay window is also fairly easy/cheapfor a builder/roofer.

I've got a double glazed window with condensation between the panes. Been like that several years. I guess one dayI'll fix it. Or maybe not...

How old is the house? Is there damp in the attic where the holes are? Woodworm do NOT lay eggs in dry wood, so if there IS active worm, either the house is new and the wood still a bit fresh/not fully seasoned/dried out, or there's a damp problem affecting the wood.

If the house is 5+years old, and not damp, the woodworm will not be recent.

The earthing problem is a nice to have. Yes, Building Regs nowadays insist on it, and it's a sensible precaution at some point, but until recently houses did not have this normally. Accidents were pretty rare!

Conrad

chrisnewport wrote: »

Hi Hibbs,

You can bring up these concerns and at the same time bargain cheaper than the price that was given.

Chris

Some sellers will haggle, others will tell you where to go. It all comes down to how well priced the buyer here considers the property to be.

Often I find those buyers that love a hard haggle, are the least resistant when it comes to them selling thier home, or car for that matter. Talk about double standards:rotfl:

Doshwaster

No house is perfect. It's up to you to decide whether to live with the defect, ask the seller to fix, renegotiate the price to fix or pay for it yourself. If it's a minor issue then is it really worth antagonising the seller and putting the whole sale at risk?

Remember surveyors are paid to spot every minor problem and they will always go on the pessimistic side so you cannot complain to them in future for failing to mention anything. The first time you read a survey is can be frightening but you just need to go through it line by line and with a strong cup of tea.

jackyann

It is perfectly acceptable to get a local builder or two to give you an estimate for getting the work done. Even if you intend doing some or all of it yourself, it gives you an idea of the cost involved, and you can get an idea of what is DiY or not.
Last house I sold, we had 8 builders round as our buyer was unhappy with 6 of the estimates (7th unfortunately had an accident) - however, we stuck at the agreed price.

robatwork

If I were you I would pay an electrician to do an EICR (you could even go halves with the vendor) to scope exactly what work needs doing and the cost.

The "normal" thing would be to then negotiate half and half ie if he quotes £1000 remedial work then get £500 off...