Taking builders in for estimates

GDB2222

Can I ask about the etiquette of doing this? Is it somewhat insulting? Effectively, you are saying that the property is good enough for the vendors but not good enough for you.

So, if you go round with the builder, saying loudly that the kitchen is awful (possibly this is the kitchen that the vendors carefully chose themselves!), and it has to be ripped out before you can live in the place, you do stand a good chance of putting the vendors off the sale altogether.

ValHaller

GDB2222 wrote: »

.... So, if you go round with the builder, saying loudly that the kitchen is awful (possibly this is the kitchen that the vendors carefully chose themselves!), and it has to be ripped out before you can live in the place, you do stand a good chance of putting the vendors off the sale altogether.

Because the vendors will be so miffed that they will not touch your filthy money?

bluedrop

GDB2222 wrote: »

Can I ask about the etiquette of doing this? Is it somewhat insulting? Effectively, you are saying that the property is good enough for the vendors but not good enough for you.

So, if you go round with the builder, saying loudly that the kitchen is awful (possibly this is the kitchen that the vendors carefully chose themselves!), and it has to be ripped out before you can live in the place, you do stand a good chance of putting the vendors off the sale altogether.

Please tell me you were joking! Please please?

bluedrop

ValHaller wrote: »

Because the vendors will be so miffed that they will not touch your filthy money?

Lol ! Seriously!

jackomdj

When we mover to our last house we needed a new fence as soon as we moved in (previous owner just had the builders 3 bits of wire on a post and we had a dog!), not only did she let us have a few people round to give quotes she showed them round as we lived 3 hours away.

The day after we moved our new fence went in.

moneyistooshorttomention

That was just one person though - one swallow does not a summer make. Another person might have refused to let in one builder even after exchange.

I would imagine the norm is to let in one builder only after exchange and obviously without any negative comments passing between builder and buyer within earshot of the vendor (just factual comments along the lines of "I'd like this here and that there and that done that way" but no personal opinion comments that could be overheard).

dimbo61

If you look at the photos of the property, floor plans and age then ask a GOOD builder what can be done and ideas of cost.
Once you start ripping out kitchens and bathrooms you often end up having to do extra work !!!!
Replastering, rewiring to bring up to modern standards , perhaps an old chimney breast is taking up 3/4 feet of space in the kitchen/dinning rooms and would create 2 bigger bedrooms.
How old is the property and what do the electrics look like, any damp ? Need to extend !
Budget ? Timescale and skill of the builders.
Getting everything ready so work can start as soon as you get the keys or can you live with the bathroom for a while

Errata

A new kitchen and a new bathroom cost as much, or as little, as you are prepared to pay for them. Price up the units on the internet and double the cost for a builder's work.
New flooring? Are the floors falling through?

Dan-Dan

bluedrop wrote: »

Hi all,
We had an offer accepted on a property.

*blurb*

I am totally clueless about how much the work would cost.

If your clueless enough to offer on a property before knowing how much work it will need and its cost , whats to stop the vendor thinking your just going to pull out if your cluelessness extends to not realising how much it was going to cost once you have had these quotes in

If it was me , i would only agree to this after exchange

Each to their own though

bluedrop

Dan-Dan wrote: »

If your clueless enough to offer on a property before knowing how much work it will need and its cost , whats to stop the vendor thinking your just going to pull out if your cluelessness extends to not realising how much it was going to cost once you have had these quotes in

If it was me , i would only agree to this after exchange

Each to their own though

I am not a builder. So how would I know how much the work would cost if I don't take a builder in?

It's the same with the survey - isn't it? I have a rough idea of how much it should cost. My offer was based on that. Taking a builder in is to validate my estimates and for him to see if the property looks okay overall...

Try selling an old property which needs work - without letting a surveyor/builderin !! Or still better buy one without knowing what you are getting into!