A collection of "what next" questions from FTB

sophi123

So our purchase seems to be moving on fairly nicely. Mortgage offer received, solicitors instructed, survey received back over weekend.


There are a few things now where I am not sure who needs to take the next step...


1. On fixtures and fittings - the seller has said to just let them know what we would like to keep in the house or not (they seem keen to leave quite a bit!) There are quite a few pieces of furniture we don't want to keep and a few things that it would be nice to have, but I'm not prepared to pay them for (i.e. white goods, curtains, carpets, which if they want to leave great, but if not then that's fine). Should I be trying to come up with a list directly with the seller before the official fixtures and fitting list is produced/shared between solicitors? Should I wait and see what is produced through solicitor and then add/deduct things from it accordingly? Or should I be telling my solicitor what we don't want and getting her to relay accordingly before anything official is produced?


2. On the survey - there are a couple of 3s in our homebuyers report, around roof support and a potential leak that we would like to get looked at/quoted for pre-exchange (as may need to negotiate accordingly). Should I now be contacting the estate agent directly to see if they are happy for me to arrange people to come round? Or should my solicitor follow this up for me?


3. The surveyor has identified the risk of asbestos in artex ceiling of kitchen and recommends avoiding drilling/sanding. We were keen to get the kitchen redone including changing the light fittings and I am interested in whether this is possible given this warning. Again is it worth getting someone to advise on if this is possible pre-exchange?


Grateful for thoughts. Feels like we are being chased to progress things, but not really sure what to do next/through who!


Thanks,

Sophi x

ambioni

1. The person who is currently selling me their house said they would leave all the carpets & blinds, built in goods, light fittings, and conservatory furniture. I made it a condition of the offer that he also leave cooker (which is free standing). I got my solicitor to include this in the written offer after the initial price was agreed, so I would suggest doing everything through solicitor. If you can remember exactly what is in the house and what you want to keep/lose then fine, otherwise wait for seller to produce an inventory (this is probably easier)

2. Again, I would get solicitor to do this. Don't forget that the EA is only really acting on behalf of their client (the seller) not you. Your solicitor can be your best friend and acts for YOU....so I would contact them and ask them to adivse. Keep solicitor in the loop as regards results of survey too and they can be very useful in negotiating any price drop

3. Not sure- you would need specialist advice from a builder/surveyor. I know of many people who have lived happily with asbestos artex ceilings and just painted over them, but if you are going to drill into them I would be careful. Asbestos is fine to deal with as long as you take the correct precautions.

eddddy

Work out all the details directly with the seller or via the EA. Once you've reached an agreement - tell your solicitor what it is.

If you ask your solicitor to ask a question about fixtures and fittings etc, for example, this may be what happens:

- You ask your solicitor
- Your solicitor writes to the sellers solicitor
- The sellers solicitor writes to the seller
- The seller replies to their solicitor
- The seller's solicitor writes to your solicitor
- Your solicitor writes to you

And it probably takes two weeks to get an answer.

A better approach...

- You phone the EA to ask
- The EA phones the seller
- The EA phones you back
- You tell your solicitor the outcome

Hopefully it takes 15 mins.

Solicitors charge £300 per hour - although your conveyancing is probably being done by a 'cheaper' junior employee at a fixed price - but their fixed fee only includes a limited amount of extra letter writing etc. If you overstep the mark, they may tell you you need to pay more.

(And/or the seller's solicitor might ask the seller to pay more for dealing with the extra questions etc.)

Surrey_EA

1. If there are a number of items, then perhaps it would be easier to try and arrange a return visit to the property where you can either discuss the specific items with the seller, or at least take more detailed noted on what items you are interested in, and those which you would prefer to be removed by the seller. In the first instance I would arrange this with the EA handling the sale, then when an agreement has been made make sure the fixtures and fittings form reflects the agreement.

2. Speak to the EA about arranging inspections. Definitely worth sharing the results of the detailed inspections with your solicitor, but there's really no point in paying extra fees for them to do something so basic.

3. As above, arrange for a specialist to take a look to establish whether there is actually asbestos present. You may well have to pay a small fee for some of these inspections, but in the context of what you're spending on the property it's hardly significant.