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Dealing direct with house owner and single brick wall

BeefSteakTomato
Posts: 4 Newbie
Merry Christmas all, I was wondering if I could trouble you with some questions from a first time house buyer.
I've located a house I like through an estate agent and having done some research through council planning documents / companies house I've found out who the owner is.
Could I have your advice please: would you attempt to deal with the owner directly and by-pass the estate agent? Would the owner be contractually be obliged to deal through the estate agent?
Something completely different:D . I've been told it's a single brick construction (it's an older property). Could you advise what survey's are required?
Many thanks, hope you're all having a good time with the family.:D
BeefSteak
I've located a house I like through an estate agent and having done some research through council planning documents / companies house I've found out who the owner is.
Could I have your advice please: would you attempt to deal with the owner directly and by-pass the estate agent? Would the owner be contractually be obliged to deal through the estate agent?
Something completely different:D . I've been told it's a single brick construction (it's an older property). Could you advise what survey's are required?
Many thanks, hope you're all having a good time with the family.:D
BeefSteak
0
Comments
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You found it through an agent, so why do you think the agent doesn't deserve to be paid?
Single brick thick walls will be very cold. Is it that, do the walls look thin on the window sills or it could be solid wall which are thicker but still no insulation.
If it's an older place then at a minimum you need the home buyers survey but may want to consider a full survey.0 -
If the agent has advertised the property to you then the seller will have to pay them so there is no advantage to avoiding the agent, if you are thinking you'll get a discount.0
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Big difference between a single brick wall (sometimes seen in lean-to extensions or older garage conversions and solid brick walls which are more robust.I'm a Forum Ambassador on the housing, mortgages, student & coronavirus Boards, money saving boards. I volunteer to help get your forum questions answered and keep the forum running smoothly. Forum Ambassadors are not moderators and don't read every post. If you spot an illegal or inappropriate post then please report it to forumteam@moneysavingexpert.com (it's not part of my role to deal with this). Any views are mine and not the official line of MoneySavingExpert.com.0
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Agent introducd you so agent will send bill to vendor. By all means communicate direct with vendor if you/he both prefer, but don't expect a discount.
thickness of walls does not affect survey type required.
If you feel competant to assess the condition of the property, don't waste money on a survey.
If not, pay someone professional to give you a report.0 -
I'd contact through agent. As others have said, you've already been introduced through agent, so the seller still has to pay fees. By approaching them directly, at best they won't mind, at worst, they'll think you're a bit odd, and may be suspicious of why the offer wasn't placed via the agent."Real knowledge is to know the extent of one's ignorance" - Confucius0
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I paid my agent to act on my behalf because he is a better negotiator who understands different types of buyers and will get me the best possible price (full asking price last time).
I would not appreciate or trust anyone trying to bypass my estate agent, and would tell them in no uncertain terms to deal with me through the proper channels. I would also find it a little creepy if someone had been researching my personal details on the internet.Been away for a while.0 -
Some people on here have had difficulties with mortgages, if I recall rightly, where some parts of the property are single skinned (by which I mean only 3" thick walls, as opposed to single walls which are 9" thick).0
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A big thank you for your responses;). Certainly, quite a bit to mull over.
It really wasn't the case of trying to undercut the agent, but try to get things moving. If nothing happens early this week, then I may try to open dialogue with the owner (tactfully:D).
The terminology that the agent used was 'single wall' not 'single skin wall'. I'll have to look into this to confirm either way. I'm considering a full structural survey.0
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