Homebuyes report back - queries

dave_the_fox

not good news for me lol
( im the other poster, pulling out of mine seems a real possibility )

sandy2_2

Homebuyers reports are ALWAYS filled with gloom and doom, personally I don't think they're worth the money. Your buying an older property not a new one with a 10yr warranty (not that they're worth much anyway!), yes there will be things that will need doing EVENTUALLY as with all property. You know you're buying something old, you know what you want to do straightaway eg replace bathroom.
The price you're paying reflects the deficiencies and age of the property. I'm sure surveyors just use all these terms to cover themselves eg suggest specialist inspection, obtain report re possible asbestos, evidence of woodboring insects which should be checked. It's very rare to find them saying anything which needs to be done to make the house habitable
Personally, if you like the house, are happy with the price, buy it!

silvercar

Tanking a cellar is damp proofing it. So it is contained within a membrane to stop the outside damp coming in. Because it is below ground level you can't just put a damp course between two layers of bricks you have to do the floors and walls. Think of it as enclosing the room within a (sophisticated) plastic bag.

annaangeluk_2

OLS wrote: »

Well we put an offer in on a 1900 mid terraced property which was accepted. It was on the market at £125k (others on the street are on at £130k, this was 125k as needs central heating added, new floors i.e carpets etc throughout and ceneral cosmetic improvement), we offered £122k and the offer was accepted. (we are in west yorkshire).

We opted to get the Homebuyers survey with it being an older property and thought it worth the extra £200 from the standard valuation the B/S do and I have just opened the report. There are various things in the report, some of which I am presuming are precautionary recommendations, some of which I am worried about, in relations to cost for repair. Below are the basics summary of the report - could anyone advise on any of them, i.e cost to fix / repair, if it is really as major problem as it sounds to me reading it etc

1) Timber defects : instruct a timber specalist to inspect all timber for and damage or infestation (they said on their inspection found nothing but due to walls plastered etc couldnt inspect fully - so is this something they say to cover themselves just incase)

2) Dampness- investigate wall for dampness. (said unlikley to contain damp proof course and they recorded high meter readings in front living room wall and basement and more detailed investigation neccessary - how much is a damp proof course, house is small is 2 up 2 down terraced with cellar and converted attic)

3) Get electrics and gas inspected by certified engineers

4) Heating / all storage tanks to be instpected by specilist and serviced (I take it as were getting GCH fitted straight away and these will all be removed its not needed)

5) ventalite the sealed fireplaces and improve insulation of the roof void and attic

6) undertake repairs to chimney stack, ventalite, cap redundant flues & check chimney pots

7) repoint / repair the maisonry

8) remove former rear entrance door and wall up in stone

9) carry out external redecoration (take it this means gardens?)

10) Carry out repairs / improvement to internal joinery (says the doors and frames are old in the report which we knew and were replacing anyway)

11) carry out repairsto plumming and sanitry fittings (were already getting a new bathroom suit)

these are the basic point in the summary the first 3 say need doing straight away the rest say soon after occupation. Also says as older property could be lead in any paint which is dangerous to healt (will this matter as were stripping everything anyway?) but also could be aspestos somewhere and just to becarefull if doing any alterations so how do I find out about aspestos??

Due to the above my plan is to ring the seller (dealing direct no E.A)and see if he is happy to me get someone in to quote on damp proof course, someone to quote on fixing chimney, sorting the fireplace ventalation and also bricking up the back door. Do any of these problem seem like problems that we could negoiate the price on?? (if he will even budge on the price, he was messed about with the previous person who offered and after 6 weeks told him to do one, we progressing quickly enough, so Im hoping he will see time as money and re negoiatea little!).

Oh my god!!! Are we buying the same house??? I've just my survey back and it's almost word for word the same!! only differences are my new house doesn't have a cellar or need the back door bricking up.

I'm also buying a 1900's mid terrace and mine's in Leeds. I'm wondering if it's done by the same company and it's a standard report they print off!

I got a friend to look at my report and he doesn't seem to think there is anything major or hugely expensive.

Anna

Doozergirl

OLS wrote: »

My dad says you sound very sensible and how come I didnt listen to him when he just told me that but I listen to a stranger on a forum :rotfl:

:rotfl:You can tell your dad he's not alone. My family don't listen to me either.

OLS wrote: »

Oh thats ok for the chimney then I was imaging more than that, perhaps in the £1000 area - I know nothing of these things as you can see. Is it just a normal bricky I would get in to fix / quote for that then?

Any friendly Polish handymen round your way? One of those would be ideal.

OLS wrote: »

Oh of interest DG, do you know how much it would cost to tank the 2nd cella room approx (I have no idea on cost so just looking for a rough guide!) its about 12ft x 12ft.

I have never tanked a cellar. I went to see a house once where they'd done it all and it scared the living daylights out of me. If there was a fire you would die down there. :eek:

It's not worth tanking unless you are going to get all the building regs and use it as a habitable room with correct ceiling heights, window dug outs etc. Otherwise it's money for nothing - you won't see it back at resale.

OLS

anna - ours is in the leeds area as well, think the building soc used a company called country wide surveyors or something, maybe the same company.

DG - we were thinking of using the 2nd cella room to turn in to a play room / games room or something but will maybe something we do in the future cost permitting as its not something we ''need''. The 2nd cellar room thats been done already has a door to the back garden so no fire hazard there!

And no doubt there will be some friendly polish handy men so ill see what they say about the chimney!

well seems report is not so bad and I think your right sandy, the reports are alot of basic language that fill your average person with dread but in reality nbot that bad. we are happy with the price, its a bargain as far as were concerned, so I dont think we will try and re negoiate the price!

thanks for all your help guys, you have made me alot happier again!

OLS

regarding the damp readings actually someone said it could be because the property is so cold at the moments with it having no central heating, being completely empty and having had no one living in it for about 2 months so no warmth going through it at all, and that once the central heating is in and the house warmed up, the readings (if we were to have them done again) would probably have dropped quite a bit. Could this be the case?

Doozergirl

OLS wrote: »

regarding the damp readings actually someone said it could be because the property is so cold at the moments with it having no central heating, being completely empty and having had no one living in it for about 2 months so no warmth going through it at all, and that once the central heating is in and the house warmed up, the readings (if we were to have them done again) would probably have dropped quite a bit. Could this be the case?

Certainly could be. When a house is empty, it's cold and there's little air flow going through. Empty houses often have a particular smell of must/damp.

OLS

well just got back from dropping the report off to sols and they offered me a free Damp/Timber check so I thought I may as well take them up on the offer seen as its free and getting the electrics checked this week as well so fingers crossed its all ok!!