Just a bit of advice please

mjl_3

Hi all,
Been looking at the posts on here for a bit & I reckon some of you are more than qualified to give me a bit of advice,
Well
Me 'n her indooors looked at a property for sale about 15 months ago, next to 'er indoors best mate, was very nice, but at the time was out of our price range + we hadn't put our place on the market.
Now this house has had 2 buyers, well 2 offers & then the buyers have given backwards.
Its still on the market after about 15 months, (family selling after death of both parents)
Now the price has dropped by about 20k into our price range.
We are putting our place on the market now, this week (not coz this place is for sale, but coz we are in a better position to buy), plus 'er indoors has been & had another look round ( her best mate now has a key & she had another look)
Well to get to the nub, 'er indoors has seen some cracks in the internal plasterwork which we did not see on 1st viewing (15 months since) not hairline cracks, but the sort you could slide a biro in ( her words not mine)
plus garden has gone to pot.
Thing is, when she had a look round with her best mate, there was a copy of a survey on 't kitchen table ( from a failed buyer last summer I think), so, being a nosey sort she had a quick read, well there was no mention of the cracks, or any other probs. I think this was a valuation report??
The sellers are genuine, they wouldn't leave a report for all to read would they?
Now, can a house, left unoccupied for about 18 month crack internally without central heating running? Would there be any cracks outside if it was a structural prob?
Assuming we could sell ours-
Would it be wise to put an offer in well under price with a condition of a full structural survey? as a get out if owt serious is happening?
You see I have never bought a house before ( married a girl with her own) & I just want a bit of advice, thanks.
P.S.
I won't go look round unless I have the EA with me not like 'er in doors :rolleyes:

Doozergirl

Most offers are subject to survey, so you are of course able to renegotiate or withdraw based on survey issues.

Cracking could be, in an old house especially, something less serious like the plaster blowing. But then, there mightn't necessarily be outside cracks if the house were suffering structurally either. Which end of a biro? LOL!

Don't forget to negotiate hard - the fact that the place is tatty and has been on the market for a while is good opportunity.

beckiem

my partner ( a bricklayer ) said if its a new build then it would be ok as its classed as "settlement" from the sound of yours he said get structural engineer in before making an offer to check the foundations first if the are no good it would cost a fortune to have it underpinned and also personally ild find out how deep the foundations are what ground they lie on ie: sand ,clay or brash and if they were piled with cages or just a straight forward dig recommended depth is 800mm to a metre depending on the ground if it is still soft ground at a metre deep thats when they are normally piled

Nenen

Has the best mate next door got any problems with cracking in her house?

I'm no expert but the house we just sold was about 35 years old and had loads of fairly wide cracks (not quite wide enough to get a biro down but certainly a thinnish knitting needle). However, a BS valuation and a full structural survey found nothing wrong (well if they did the buyer certainly didn't tell us or try to knock the price down) and the sale went through.

mr.broderick

Just get nelly round..sorted..make sure her indoors is out..nice legs and all that...