First time seller - survey results - advice please

suzieq

Ok, this could be veeeeery long, so I'll try and keep it short and sweet.

We put our property on the market 3 weeks ago, and the first couple to see it (FTBers) made an offer £5k below asking, we rejected this and all agreed to meet in the middle.

We have had our offer accepted on a property that we adore (currently vacant as has been bought and developed), but our vendors are desperate to sell quickly as they have a bridging loan to repay.

Buyers had the lenders inspection and valuation done, no issues noted (although we know it's more like a quick glance over the property) and the valuation was agreed. Mortgage offer issued by their lender.

They had an independent survey done yesterday, not quite a full structural, but almost, according to the surveyor. As he left the house, he told my Mum that there were a few things that had come up, but mostly things he would expect to see on a 95 yr old house.

He knows we are in a rush so has spoken to the buyers and given them a brief overview of what will be on the report (due tomorrow or Fri), and the email from the buyer is as follows. My comments in red.

In terms of the checks the surveyor advised that the electrics are checked, not just as a precaution because of a change of occupancy but because he feels that a few modifications have been done over time and pointed out that some of the sockets in the conservatory have been taped down? (This was not taped down, but we had left masking tape on it from when we decorated! Surely he should have seen that??)

He said the steel in the loft was not installed in view of a loft extension (as thought) but is there to support the roof due to all the original upstairs brick walls having been removed in the past. So advised a check that this is properly supported, although you may already have evidence of this? There is another steel supporting a portion of the Chimney breast in the loft which has been removed from the lower and upper floors. !A similar check will be needed for this.

Work to the rear wall was as thought e.g wall ties, re pointing, !guttering and soffit, repair but not replacement of lintel above bedroom 2.

The firewall on the roof has cracked joint tiles(front and back) along the side of the wall where the roof tiles meet the firewall which needs replacing with lead. My husband thinks this is only needed if the roof is leaking, which it isnt?

Both chimneys need re pointing very soon. Clearly visible from the garden.

Double glazing windows in front room has dropped due to no support in middle of window leaving a gap between frame and window and will need replacing out the front.

Various panels of glass including back conservatory door panel have misted over and need replacing.

Damp found on front wall probably due to water getting behind tiles on bottom of wall (where the pavement meets). We aren't worried about this and don't think that if needs doing to be honest.

Conservatory roof to be replaced? New flashing required.

Access a problem out back due to conservatory so scaffolding needed.

Estimated costs:

Repoint back wall 550
Wall ties 750
Guttering and soffit 500
Lintel repair 200
Chimley repointing 650
Replace firewall with lead 2400
New plastic roof conservatory 650
Airbricks back of house 380
Double glazing front of house 2000?
Replacement glass panels ~500
Scaffolding front and back 1200-1500+ due to difficult access.

Thoughts would be much appreciated!

G_M

In terms of the checks the surveyor advised that the electrics are checked, not just as a precaution because of a change of occupancy but because he feels that a few modifications have been done over time and pointed out that some of the sockets in the conservatory have been taped down? (This was not taped down, but we had left masking tape on it from when we decorated! Surely he should have seen that??)
Tell buyer you will be happy to grant access to their electrician if they wish to have an electrical report done.

He said the steel in the loft was not installed in view of a loft extension (as thought) but is there to support the roof due to all the original upstairs brick walls having been removed in the past. So advised a check that this is properly supported, although you may already have evidence of this? There is another steel supporting a portion of the Chimney breast in the loft which has been removed from the lower and upper floors. !A similar check will be needed for this.
If you had the work done yourself supply the Schedule of works and/or Building Regulations sign-off that you got at the time.

If it pre-dates you and you have no paperwork, tell buyer you will be happy to grant access to their structural engineer if they wish to have a structural report done.

Work to the rear wall was as thought e.g wall ties, re pointing, !guttering and soffit, repair but not replacement of lintel above bedroom 2.
How serious are these issues? If routine maintenane, well, it's an old house!


The firewall on the roof has cracked joint tiles(front and back) along the side of the wall where the roof tiles meet the firewall which needs replacing with lead. My husband thinks this is only needed if the roof is leaking, which it isnt?
Is this a firewall issue? Either way, replacing a few cracked tiles is minimal and routine maintenance that the buyers could undertake, if they wish, in due course.

Both chimneys need re pointing very soon. Clearly visible from the garden.
'very soon'? Tomorrow? Offer £200 of the purchase price. Within a year or two? Routine maintenance by the buyer.

Double glazing windows in front room has dropped due to no support in middle of window leaving a gap between frame and window and will need replacing out the front.
Might be worth you getting a couple of quotes from builders for supporting the window so you know how serious this is.


Various panels of glass including back conservatory door panel have misted over and need replacing.
Must have been obvious at the viewing. And it's cosmetic anyway. If buyer wants to fix in due course, he can.

Damp found on front wall probably due to water getting behind tiles on bottom of wall (where the pavement meets). We aren't worried about this and don't think that if needs doing to be honest.
Are these tiles on the base of the outside wall? Tiled up to a low level ie not the full height of the wall? Use mastic to seal the top of the tiles where they meet the wall.

Conservatory roof to be replaced? New flashing required.
Why? Does it leak?

Access a problem out back due to conservatory so scaffolding needed.
Only an issue if buyer decides to replace conservatory roof.

Estimated costs:

Repoint back wall 550
Wall ties 750
Guttering and soffit 500
Lintel repair 200
Chimley repointing 650
Replace firewall with lead 2400
New plastic roof conservatory 650
Airbricks back of house 380
Double glazing front of house 2000?
Replacement glass panels ~500
Scaffolding front and back 1200-1500+ due to difficult access.

Ah - just got to the costs!

Really depends how strongly the buyers push for a price cut and how desperate you are to sell. It's all about negotiation.

Some of this is routine stuff, some sems to need doing. I'd question some of the prices quoted, so you might get a builder or two round to give you quotes.

Either play hardball: "the price is as we agreed" or
Give way "No problem, of course we'll reduce the price by £10,000" or
Negotiate "we'll knock off £1500 for a quick sale" (and go up to... whatever.

suzieq

GM - that is amazing, thank you so much! It's exactly what we needed to read. Because we haven't been here before, we don't know how best to answer these things. Much appreciated.:T

G_M

Oh- and if you are not too desperate to sell, and if the buyer demands huge price cuts, just instruct your estate agent to put the property back on the market and seek another buyer.

9 times out of 10 it's enough to make your buyer think "but I've already spent £500 on a survey, and £200 on a mortgage application, plus serach fees and legal costs, and I really like this house, so I guess I'll have to...."

suzieq

Well, we have been 'trying' to buy our (hopefully) new property for almost a year (huge delays due to solicitors mess ups and land registry issues), so we are kind of desperate to sell. Our buyers have already pulled out of 2 purchases due to survey issues (although we don't know exactly what), so although my husband is saying he doesn't want to budge on price, I think to drop back to the original offer of £180k wouldn't be out of the question. It might appease them enough, and we were going to accept that until our agent told us to push for a bit more..... They haven't actually said what they want though, so I guess I should ask first.

God I hope I don't have to do this ever ever ever again! :eek: