survey advice

treecol

We've just found a house we'd like to buy, our offer has been accepted & I wonder if you can give me some advice please.
We don't require any mortgage or anything, but we obviously want a survey. How do we find a reputable surveyor? I just read a report on 'Which', that says the surveyors reports aren't comprehensive. As we have no experience of house buying & the bungalow was built in the 60's we'd like to be sure as we can it is structurally sound, we know it needs new bath & kitchen & decorating. Thanks if you can advise.

Fire_Fox

Information on different levels of survey on the RICS website, all RICS surveyors should be reputable. Most people use the same one as the lender uses for valuation, but you can get a colleague, friend, relative or neighbour's recommendation.

treecol

Thank you, I'll check the site out.

callyw

Hi treecol,

Recently I was in a similar position to you. I'm very young, still single and will be exchanging on my first home soon, which I'm buying outright. My advice would be not to use anybody the estate agent tries to put you in touch with, but to look for local independent building surveyors who are members of RICS. You might find that they have samples of surveys they've done on their website but the only way you can get a feel for what they're like is by phoning them and speaking with them - I phoned about seven different companies before I chose my surveyor. There was a lot I judged from these phone calls - some clearly didn't have the time of day to sell themselves to me, they were just pushy. You really need to find somebody who you get a good 'feel' about, and it's worth your time and money to do the research and find somebody good.

I went with the one who seemed the most patient, knowledgeable and genuine. He took the time to explain things (I'm a complete property novice but I had worries about possible rotten trusses) and he was neither patronising nor pushy. Our initial phonecall was 30 minutes long! He has also been great in terms of afterservice, was happy to answer questions after the survey and has generally been extremely helpful.

The initial outlay of a survey is quite a lot, especially if you go for a full buildings one. However I was buying a Victorian property and to me, it was worth the money to have the peace of mind that I now have. Think of a survey as a kind of insurance policy for your new home, not as a boring necessary initial cost.

Good luck!