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Surveyors: Home Buyers Report

2

Comments

  • hukd.deals
    hukd.deals Posts: 45 Forumite
    CWSmith wrote: »
    Not entirely true - I guess it's down to who does the surveying. We've just had a Homebuyers Survey - the surveyor phoned us beforehand to tell us what he would be looking at and to ask us if there was anything specific we wanted checking.

    When we received the report - 19 pages long complete with photographs, surveyor phoned again to go through the details with us; assure us that there was nothing dreadfully amiss with the property and so we could ask any questions.

    It cost £475.

    Who did it for you? Lender or someone else?
  • hukd.deals
    hukd.deals Posts: 45 Forumite
    TrixA wrote: »
    Normally the bank will require you to get the basic valuation done by them. If you want the homebuyers or full structural survey you have the option to commission that yourself but it will be additional to the bank's valuation and you'll have to pay for both.
    True. I have to pay Halifax £430 for valuation and another £440 for a Homebuyer survey by a local surveyor.
  • I'd get a basic valuation via the lender if it's a small house which you have to get anyway as a minimum. Unless you've viewed something obvious when you had a look around?
    An opinion is just that..... An opinion
  • hukd.deals
    hukd.deals Posts: 45 Forumite
    I'd get a basic valuation via the lender if it's a small house which you have to get anyway as a minimum. Unless you've viewed something obvious when you had a look around?

    Don't know what is small but this one is a 3 bed detached for 250.
    I've not noticed anything obvious though. Only things I noticed were
    1. Sewage\drain cover are just outside the entrance door (on the house driveway). And they seem to be uneven ground and loose.
    2. Flooring on one of the bedrooms make noises when stepped on (laminated, not carpeted).
    3. Garage is not kept very well, it was so stuffed that I couldn't even get a look.
    4. Some door have scratch marks by dog.
    5. Garage frame (wood) at the bottom (both ends) is rotted.
    I am a first time buyer and not into DIY so my knowledge is limited. So looking for a good survey to cover if there something big I've missed.
  • CWSmith
    CWSmith Posts: 451 Forumite
    hukd.deals wrote: »
    Who did it for you? Lender or someone else?

    I just googled, found a company that looked ok and phoned them.
  • surveyorlocal.co.uk

    National intermediaries, I think.

    Great service, our building survey was booked direct with EA and carried out within 5 working days. Full building survey cost £485. Report was emailed to me within 4 days of survey being carried out.
  • Wow they are charging a lot! Nationwide charge 420 for valuation and homebuyers.

    I got the nationwide's homebuyers- ie countrywide. However, I probably should have got an independent one.
  • Paulaviki
    Paulaviki Posts: 297 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 100 Posts Combo Breaker
    Wow they are charging a lot! Nationwide charge 420 for valuation and homebuyers.

    I got the nationwide's homebuyers- ie countrywide. However, I probably should have got an independent one.

    That's how much I paid too via Nationwide. It was £270 for the valuation on its own so the homebuyers was only £150 extra. I can't complain about countrywide, valuation was given to nationwide the same day and report was emailed over to us 1 week after the survey was done.
  • Annoyed.com
    Annoyed.com Posts: 18 Forumite
    We had a valuation and homebuyers report with Halifax last month and cost us roughly £475.

    The homebuyers report was really useful (FTB'S here too!), and included the surveyors email address. I emailed him a list of questions due to things that had been graded 3 on the report. He was fab, gave me his mobile and talked me through all of it, even answered the silly questions I had!
  • hukd.deals
    hukd.deals Posts: 45 Forumite
    We had a valuation and homebuyers report with Halifax last month and cost us roughly £475.

    The homebuyers report was really useful (FTB'S here too!), and included the surveyors email address. I emailed him a list of questions due to things that had been graded 3 on the report. He was fab, gave me his mobile and talked me through all of it, even answered the silly questions I had!

    £475 sounds ok, but is different here: http://www.halifax-intermediaries.co.uk/products/mortgages/valuation_fees/default.aspx
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