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House Survey

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Comments

  • The_Palmist
    The_Palmist Posts: 796 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 500 Posts Name Dropper Combo Breaker
    Smodlet wrote: »
    The other thing you could do is ask a *builder to go around the property with you. With a bit of charm and the offer of a few quid to cover his travel expenses and time (maybe offer to buy him a nice pub lunch) you could get a good idea of the state of the property and how much any faults would cost to fix, something no surveyor will be able to tell you. Sorry I did not think of this sooner.

    * Word of mouth again; should be easier to find than a surveyor.

    Again, I have zero contacts. The only decent builder I knew was the guy who did our conservatory and he is too busy and doesnt do surveys. I have contacted Gary and will check some others too.
    Nothing is more damaging to the adventurous spirit within a man than a secure future. - Alex Supertramp
  • Novice_investor101
    Novice_investor101 Posts: 886 Forumite
    Ninth Anniversary 500 Posts Name Dropper Cashback Cashier
    I had a Homebuyers survey done when I bought my house, using the YBS's appointed surveyor. I just paid more for it than just the valuation report.
    It seemed pretty comprehensive, pictures, an all!
    It highlighted possible rot in the floor timbers over the cellar & in the roof, & damp in a bedroom. It was very general (as they are) but prompted me to get a damp & timber survey done separately. This resulted in me knocking £8k off the price as the whole flooring in the lounge needed replacing & the roof was on its last legs. Also said no damp in the bedroom, just condensation.

    YBS even said it wasn't worth paying for a full survey, for a 2up/2down mid terrace. I was sure glad I followed up with the independent survey tho. That was £350 well spent.
  • Smodlet
    Smodlet Posts: 6,976 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper
    Family, friends, colleagues, neighbours, houses you pass with new extensions and builder's boards in their gardens?
  • Owain_Moneysaver
    Owain_Moneysaver Posts: 11,393 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper
    If it hasn't fallen down since 1965 it's probably going to stay up for a while longer.

    Is the flat roof more than about 10% of the total roof area? Large areas of flat roof can be more difficult to mortgage and insure.
    A kind word lasts a minute, a skelped erse is sair for a day.
  • The_Palmist
    The_Palmist Posts: 796 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 500 Posts Name Dropper Combo Breaker
    Owain_Moneysaver wrote: »
    If it hasn't fallen down since 1965 it's probably going to stay up for a while longer.

    Is the flat roof more than about 10% of the total roof area? Large areas of flat roof can be more difficult to mortgage and insure.

    That's the thing, the roof is sloped like most houses. It has dormer on both front and back, that is the only flatness I see in the roof.
    Nothing is more damaging to the adventurous spirit within a man than a secure future. - Alex Supertramp
  • davidmcn
    davidmcn Posts: 23,596 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper
    The_Palmist wrote: »
    That's the thing, the roof is sloped like most houses. It has dormer on both front and back, that is the only flatness I see in the roof.

    So, those are the bits which the comment is referring to.
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