Home buyers report

theguvnor

Hi,

We are in the process of buying our first house

I've been told that the home buyers report is a good survey to go for. We currently rent the property we are going to buy so kinda know the issues we have but want to know for sure.

Is the home buyers best? Or a more detailed one?

Anyone have any ideas of cost?

Thanks in advance

Pete9501

Since you already live there you are in a commanding position and the answer is probably yes. Some on here will say you probably don't even need it, however, it is a useful check to ensure you haven't missed anything major or less obvious.

However, just confirm this house is in good condition of a standard modern build and has had no major works.

At the other end of the scale is a full buildings survey. in fact we have just done this, house 1930 semi detached with 2 beds. Homebuyers quote was £360, full buildings survey £480. Given the age of the property with two extensions and the fact that there is sea water at the bottom of the garden I wanted the extra security of a full inspection. Turns out one extension is only single brick walls so probably an outhouse at some point in the past which has now been combined into the rest of the house. So this part will be less efficient at keeping the heat in. Knowing this we will add extra insulation to the walls at some point in the future.

stator

Go for a full survey. You're spending a lot of money, you want to make sure there are no hidden problems. A home buyers report will only cover the basics, stuff most of us would spot anyway. A full building survey is safest.

Lord_Baltimore

There is no-one who knows this house better than you. You are living with it. Do you really want to pay someone to come and make a list of the issues you know exist, write it up in a fancy report and then charge you several hundred quid? When you get the Homebuyer's Report you will find it a bitter pill to swallow as it won't tell you anything you don't already know imho.

theguvnor

Lord_Baltimore wrote: »

There is no-one who knows this house better than you. You are living with it. Do you really want to pay someone to come and make a list of the issues you know exist, write it up in a fancy report and then charge you several hundred quid? When you get the Homebuyer's Report you will find it a bitter pill to swallow as it won't tell you anything you don't already know imho.

I understand what you are saying but we are not experts. We have damp in the kitchen. Mould had grown in some of the cupboards. This has never been dealt with by the current owner. If it come up on the survey then maybe we could negotiate a lower price.

Lord_Baltimore

theguvnor wrote: »

I understand what you are saying but we are not experts. We have damp in the kitchen. Mould had grown in some of the cupboards. This has never been dealt with by the current owner. If it come up on the survey then maybe we could negotiate a lower price.

You have damp in the kitchen. The surveyor will write "you have damp in the kitchen". This doesn't make it more of an issue; his 'authority' is no more valid than your own opinion. Negotiate your price on the basis that the damp is an issue.

stator

If you have damp get an expert in to quote for repairs before you make an offer

Lord_Baltimore

stator wrote: »

If you have damp get an expert in to quote for repairs before you make an offer

Good advice; just remember to distinguish between 'surveyor' and 'expert', they're not the same thing. The former will recommend you get the latter and charge you for that advice .