Building Surveying, University Research

ifimogen

Hi all,

I am a final year Building Surveying student and am currently conducting some market research with regards to one of my final projects. I have to create a business plan for one of my modules, and my idea is for a price comparison and review site for finding a Building Surveyor.

The site would feature ways to compare local surveyors via price, type of survey, locality and how good their reviews are.

My question is, as someone who has previously used a surveyor or would be looking to use one in the future, would you find this site useful? What are your thoughts on the idea and are you interested?

Thank you for any comments good or bad!

Imogen

SmashedAvacado

The problem with reviews for a surveyor is that if they fail to find something, then you dont typically know about it for many months thereafter, and at that point, presumably the review has been given. Reviewing for customer service, ie how quickly they came around, gave their report is helpful, but misses the point of reviewing the expertise.

ifimogen

Thank you! That is a very good point, I was thinking more that the review would be on the customer care side of it, quickness, politeness etc, rather than on the quality of the survey as this may be a more legal issue!

SmashedAvacado

The other factor you need to consider is that pricing is not necessarily fixed, because it depends on location, size of property, how busy the surveyors are etc. A lot will only give you a price when you speak to them - because like most professionals, its not a race to the bottom - and customer service / the interaction you have with them when you contact them is probably a more valuable sell than whether you can compare prices online.

I'd gladly be proven wrong - but i am not sure this has scale (because unlike conveyancing for example, you need to be reasonably near to the property), or will have a lot of engagement from surveyors who are typically busy in any event.

DaftyDuck

But I'd rather have a surveyor with a b.o. problem who was incurably shy than one who greeted me politely and called me "sir" - if the former knew his job well and could spot a missing purlin at fifty yards, and the latter had done a btec in advanced customer service training.

In fact... I do use a surveyor like that, and a solicitor who drinks too much... and both are superlatively good at their jobs. I'd not share a long car journey with either, especially if the solicitor were driving.

Additionally, you want to choose a surveyor who understands that type of building. Get a specialist in timber framed thatched buildings to survey a 1970's estate semi, and he'll be useless - as well as expensive!

Best approach for selecting a surveyor is by personal phone call. Do they understand your requirements, and the property, do they talk to the client, are they any good?

Tom99

Yes useful but it already exists:
https://www.reallymoving.com/surveyors
I am sure there are other similar websites as well.