House buyer - is this ethical?

moneyistooshorttomention

emmabrown123 wrote: »

That's my worry, that he has influence over the surveyor to be overly critical and value it for less. I may just be paranoid though. The house is only 5 years old so not expecting any massive issues!!

I feel he is trying to delay things and has been for a while. Again this might be my own paranoia - I'm 8 months pregnant so desperate to move asap!!

Well - I'm not in your position - and I would be finding it suspicious personally.

He should be using another firm deliberately in his position (ie to prove he is impartial). He isnt. Therefore = yep....unethical...and dont trust him.....

That's the view I would take personally - so...nope...it aint just your pregnancy hormones talking...:cool:

I dont think he is being Major Level B*rsteward - but I do think he is being "One of Those" (ie that will use comments like "It's just business"). At this level - I'd just shrug and mentally cancel the "New home" card and bottle of champagne I would have left for a Normal Buyer (if there IS such a thing - as there are so many of these "Its just business" types around......sighs....).

For a 5 year old house - there cant be anything that much wrong with it - bar a Right !!!!!! Builder going ahead and building on a plot he know blimmin' well Japanese Knotweed is on etc etc (yep...I do know of one like this....and I'm hoping for a chance to tell the buyers that all the "locals" here knew this if I spot them). But - assuming Standard Builder built your house, rather than Right !!!!!! Builder - then I cant see there would be enough wrong with it to justify any price reduction personally.

davidmcn

You should be treating any buyer's surveyor as being partisan - they're working on behalf of their client, not acting as some sort of independent adjudicator.

thesaint

Have you seen his briefcase full of cash?
If I was the branch manager, I would have the ability to get the survey done the same day if I wanted to.

wishuponastar

How much is he saying to reduce his price by to cover those things?


If it's not that much in the grand scheme of things, then I would ask yourself if you genuinely are desperate to move from where you are, how likely are you to get another buyer for the same price, and if you get another buyer is it going to be a buyer with a mortgage and then there's the waiting on that etc, plus other questions. Not to mention that if you have found somewhere you like and want to move to, you could potentially miss out on that if you reject his offer.


I personally wouldn't look too much into the fact he works for a company and used his own men. Yes it is right to question things but it makes sense to me for him to do what he has done as there can be a lot of 'not very good' surveyors out there. So maybe he wanted to use someone he trusted and valued their opinion.


After all, with him being a cash buyer, he didn't need to have any survey done at all, so why should he give the trade to another company that he is in competition with? Why would he potentially pay more to someone else for a job that may not be as good, when he doesn't need to? You said yourself, the valuation was the same etc, so personally it doesn't sound like he is up to anything to me (based on the assumption that the reduction he is proposing is fair for the works to be carried out).

wishuponastar

Also I'd factor in how much you are selling for, if that price is high, low or average for the area and whether he offered the asking price or how much less. If less, was it a lot less or just a little bit less.

stator

He won't be able to claim on his own professional indemnity insurance.
Just ignore the report, tell him the price is agreed already and he can take it or leave it.

DRP

moneyistooshorttomention wrote: »

He should be using another firm deliberately in his position (ie to prove he is impartial). He isnt. Therefore = yep....unethical...and dont trust him.....

I think this post is unreasonable.

No one who owns/works for/family to a firm of surveyors is going to go use another firm. It doesn't make sense.

Hoploz

Those items should be rectified after he owns the house. Do not give any discount, just suggest a deadline for exchange of 7 days and warn the EA it's going back on the market. That will chivvy the EA up to give it to the buyer straight that you have had enough fannying around and aren't prepared to wait any longer.

Frankly I cannot understand someone who works for a surveying firm even wanting a survey, (I would assume he would be well-enough-informed to spot any defects himself) let alone on a 5 year old house.

It's not a good sign.

wishuponastar

He could very easily walk away from your house and find another. That's what you have to remember.


He's not being unreasonable at all. So if you fail to see it from his side, and do the 'we're doing it this way or it's going back on the market stance' do be prepared for him truly just walking away from your house and finding another, maybe even one he likes more than yours possibly.

GaleSF63

wishuponastar wrote: »

He could very easily walk away from your house and find another. That's what you have to remember.

He's not going to walk away because a few tiles need fixing. If he does, he's using it as an excuse and he would be walking away anyway.