Buyers skipping building survey to save costs

ognum

I sold a house about 5 years ago that was not surveyed the buyer was a cash buyer and she bought a builder friend round for 10 mins.

the house was Victorian and had some minor work that needed doing. She gutted the house, had tens of thousands of pounds of work done on it and has put it up for sale and unlike most houses in the area it has failed to sell.

Fire_Fox

I never understand why people freak out that surveyors refer on to structural engineers, timber and damp specialists, heating engineers and the like. They are similar to a GP, they should be picking up major problems and you are covered if they do not. However it's right that they would refer onto other specialists, they can't be expected to know everything.

Some of the get out clauses are the buyer's fault, few bother to get the vendor's written permission for the surveyor to lift the corners of carpets, move furniture, go into the cellar or loft or check that there is an access ladder. Then they whinge that the surveyor hasn't done a thorough inspection. Or they just appoint the lender's surveyor without bothering to check the quality of their work, some surveyors go the extra mile others don't. Ask around, get a recommendation as you would with any other professional.

People are willing to pay a few thousand to a solicitor to check out the contract but baulk at a few hundred to a surveyor and another few hundred to a structural engineer to check out the purchase itself. Madness. When you buy a car or top of the range laptop do you focus all your attention on the spec, reviews, condition and warranty or on the receipt? :rotfl:

propertyman

Don't trust an article that says that valuations are done on a drive by or a desktop.


Those days are loooong gone- the only ones of that type are further advances or where the sum is a small amount on large equity and are not mortgages in the conventional house buyer sense.

Even if you dont have a more than a full inspection have
heating and hot water and cold water systems and the pipes checked by a reputable plumber/engineer
ditto for the wiring
before buying look at basic defects in houses and learn to spot common issues
have a drains test carried out

Thrugelmir

Had a full survey done some years ago on a property build pre 1900. Apparently fully refurbished, at least to the eye.

The report came back with 6 pages of issues and a valuation some £45k less than our offer.

Never take the look of a property at face value. Is a lesson we learnt.

Well worth the money.

geoffky

I see some like playing Russian roulette...One day the gun will go bang...
Scrimping on a survey is stupid and only done by stupid people...

Davesnave

We don't know how many who didn't employ a surveyor employed a builder instead.

I've never had a full survey, but I've always sought advice from those within the family able to give it.

Similarly, the people who bought my last house brought a builder along. Being local, he knew exactly what weaknesses the houses had thrown up in the past and how to check them out.

The only structural defect I was aware of would not have shown up in any survey, being well hidden by rendering, and at the time of sale it had not become a known issue. I only discovered it by accident. It's a matter of conjecture whether such things would come to the attention of surveyors or local builders first.

Ivana_Tinkle

I've always stumped up for a full structural survey, and always felt massively resentful later at how much they got wrong and just how amateurish it all seemed. I know they can't be experts on everything, so I'm not talking about things like electrics, where they always tell you to get a separate test, but, as arbrighton says, why don't the ones who work in rural areas know anything about septic tanks? Ours didn't even understand the difference between a septic tank and a cesspit.

But then I've only ever bought renovation properties, where I wasn't going to go and ask for money off because I hadn't noticed the boiler was a bit old. Maybe if you're expecting the place you're buying to be perfect and have agreed the price accordingly it's a bit of a different story.

I keep saying that next time I won't bother with a survey, and then I always chicken out and get one anyway...

yoyoegg

I'm rather cynical after selling last year and the buyer's surveyor came around.

He was in the property at most 15 minutes, and had the usual expanding ladder to pop his head into the loft, stood outside front and back to look at the gutters and walked into each room. That was literally it.

I did ask what he was looking for and was told 'really a check it's of standard construction'.

Recall reading somewhat that an electricians reports is actually the most useful as they are obliged to follow wires etc. and can spot other problems with the fabric of the house.

robedha1

I've just had a full structural survey done on the house I'm buying. It's a Victorian stone built end terrace with a brick 2 storey extension. I was told that they spend about 3 hours at the property. I'm hoping it doesn't throw up too many problems. Should find out in the next couple of days as they are preparing the report now. I thought I would rather be safe than sorry and be faced with problems in the future.

BroncoBill

Fire_Fox wrote: »

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Some of the get out clauses are the buyer's fault, few bother to get the vendor's written permission for the surveyor to lift the corners of carpets, move furniture, go into the cellar or loft or check that there is an access ladder.
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:rotfl:

How does this work then in practice? Does the vendor have to give permission for moving of furniture and lifting of carpets etc. I, as a seller, (house is on the market at the moment) would not want carpets lifting and semi-fixed furniture moving nor would I want the surveyer climbing all over the loft. Does he have insurance for damage incurred? All gets a bit complicated. Not trying to hide anything, just don't want the disruption - after all, they haven't bought it yet and yes, I know that there is a chance that they may not buy it if I don't give them free rein over how and where they go/look.
How do we get around this?
PLEASE MOVE THIS IF BETTER IN A SEPARATE TOPIC?