First Time Buyers - looking for advice!

Belle365

Hello,

I have joined the forum in need of some advice.

Myself and partner have found a house that we think is ideal for what we need and can afford. We werent really looking to move out yet until this house came up but we went to see it and really liked it so going for a second viewing today. The house is ready to move in and would not need any redecorating other than painting the pink bedrooms a different colour.

My parents have never had a mortgage, they rented a house for years then bought it at a discounted price from the council therefore we have no idea what we are doing.

I've spoken to a mortage broker who has provided me with an agreement in principle but would not really say much more until we had an offer accepted. She gave me details of an solicitor that would cost £1000.

My dad is helping with the deposit so i wanted him to come along to the second viewing today but he has cancelled last minute, i already know that i want to make an offer but wanted to take him along as a second opinion because i dont really know what i am looking for.

What kind of survey do we need on the house? A friend of ours said they always have the basic survey but i cant help thinking what happens if something went wrong after we bought the house. Would buildings insurance cover things like damp or subsidence if we did not get a full survey?

The seller has not found a new home yet, it was pretty obvious she was moving as the house was too small, she had a baby in her arms and a 3 yr old with her on the initial viewing. We are not in a great rush to move out but would hate to have an offer accepted to fall through at the last minute if someone comes along with a higher price. Is there anything we can do to avoid this happening?

One last thing, everyone we have spoken to has said that we should offer less than the asking price. The asking price is 87,000 one of our friends suggested making an offer as low as 78,000 which i dont agree with. How much lower than the asking price would you go if the house didnt need any work doing?

Sorry for the long post but i am quite confused and stressed, i really appreciate any advice you can give.

Belle

pinkshoes

If the seller hasn't found anywhere, don't go paying for surveys until they have had an offer accepted. This will save you wasting money.

If someone puts a higher offer in between now and seller finding somewhere, then at least you haven't spent anything!

The survey will depend on the age of the house. Lots of things you can look for yourself e.g. Electrics, boiler

You can download a homebuyers survey check list to tell you what to look for and what questions to ask.

We didn't have ANY survey done on the house we have just bought, as we know the area very well. Given how many get out clauses they have in the survey terms and conditions, we did think that £800 was a lot of money for something we could do ourselves. (Although my FIL is a quantity surveyor so know what to look for...)

MisterB1959

you can get a full survey for around £1000 bit it might not be worth it, is there any signs of damp at all? you can buy a cheap damp meter from an auction site, really simple to use, just push it onto a wall, just above the skirting boards, if you get red lights then there is damp!


look at the property from outside, does it look like it is level, any cracks in the brickwork etc especially around windows/doors.


a good indicater is to look at the neighbouring houses, if they seem to look ok, then chances are yours will be too


and don't forget to look at the roof, do the neighbouring properties have the same roof or have they had theirs re roofed?


as for offering less, if you do and someone offers more, then its likely you will lose it, but if money is tight then go with what you can afford. one tip is to try to establish a good relationship with the seller, if they like you and there are comparible offers, they are more likely to go with someone they feel comfortable with

Belle365

Thank you. My uncle lives in the same street although the house is positioned different i will speak to him.

Is damp an expensive thing to repair if this was a problem?

The seller told me they had pretty much replaced everything thing and the roof looked pretty new compared to the neighbours.

I was willing to offer the asking price but my partner did not agree he thinks we shoukd offer around 83.

Appreciate you help