Buying a house from a private seller

G_M

jnsdion wrote: »

UK. Don't think they've looked into it

Errr...does not really answer the question!


England and Scotland are both in the UK.

jnsdion

Er, not Scotland

[Deleted User]

What is a seller pack?

Owain_Moneysaver

Probably the EPC, Property Information and Fixtures/Fittings forms.

eddddy

jnsdion wrote: »

UK. Don't think they've looked into it

jnsdion wrote: »

Er, not Scotland

This highlights the big potential problem with some 'private sales'.

• The seller doesn't know they need an EPC.
• The buyer thinks there should be a seller's pack (But there's no such thing as a 'seller's pack' in England/Wales)
• etc, etc, etc

And there's no EA to explain stuff, and guide the seller and buyer.

I've seen 'private sales' fall apart, because neither seller nor buyer fully understand how things work, or what they should be doing. And massive arguments result.

jnsdion

eddddy wrote: »

This highlights the big potential problem with some 'private sales'.

• The seller doesn't know they need an EPC.
• The buyer thinks there should be a seller's pack (But there's no such thing as a 'seller's pack' in England/Wales)
• etc, etc, etc

And there's no EA to explain stuff, and guide the seller and buyer.

I've seen 'private sales' fall apart, because neither seller nor buyer fully understand how things work, or what they should be doing. And massive arguments result.

Seller pack - EPC, floor plan, dimensions etc. That's what I see as a pack, basic information. I don't do this every day which is why I asked a question. I'm not expected to know how it works, that's why I would be using a solicitor. When I sold my house they were the guys that made everything goes to plan.

eddddy

jnsdion wrote: »

Seller pack - EPC, floor plan, dimensions etc. That's what I see as a pack, basic information.

Floor plans, room descriptions etc are the type of things many EAs put in their adverts to get people interested in a property.

I guess it's in your interests that the seller isn't doing a good job of advertising their property - it means fewer people will be attracted to the property, so there's less likely to be competition.

jnsdion wrote: »

I'm not expected to know how it works, that's why I would be using a solicitor. When I sold my house they were the guys that made everything goes to plan.

A solicitor won't really progress a sale/purchase, and they definitely won't monitor a chain.

And EAs usually react to a question in minutes, solicitors can take days. But you can also ask the seller directly. (But there are some questions which must be asked via solicitors.)


So when you sold, was it without an EA? If so, I guess your buyer knew the process well.

kinger101

jnsdion wrote: »

Seller pack - EPC, floor plan, dimensions etc. That's what I see as a pack, basic information. I don't do this every day which is why I asked a question. I'm not expected to know how it works, that's why I would be using a solicitor. When I sold my house they were the guys that made everything goes to plan.

I'll be frank. Not knowing how it works is a recipe for disaster. Buying a house has a lot more risks than selling one. You've already struggled to find out how houses are valued during the conveyancing process using google - "buying house valuation" would have been obvious words to type in.

You should make sure you better understand the buying process before pressing ahead. There's a post on here almost every week where someone hasn't realized their solicitor isn't responsible for a particular aspect of the purchase, and couldn't have reasonably foreseen the problem as they don't actually visit the property.

AdrianC

jnsdion wrote: »

Him we are buying a house and found the ideal place but the owner is selling privately, I have no issue with this but my main concern is the house is up for £x and the seller advised us they will not negotiate and that's fine as long as the house is worth £x.

What's the best way of getting an independent valuation done

Exactly the same way as any other sale.

The only difference here is that there's not been an EA placing ads and signs about.

...unless... you don't think the EA in a "normal" sale is actually on the buyer's side in some way, do you? They aren't. They are employed by the seller to get a sale at the best price possible. That's their only job.

Davesnave

jnsdion wrote: »

Seller pack - EPC, floor plan, dimensions etc. That's what I see as a pack, basic information. I don't do this every day which is why I asked a question. I'm not expected to know how it works, that's why I would be using a solicitor. When I sold my house they were the guys that made everything goes to plan.

You may not get these things neatly packaged with a private purchase, though an EPC is probably a requirement and will cost the seller about £60. It might, or might not, be accurate as people who undertake them are often poorly trained..

The EA is usually the one who progresses the sale on a day to day basis. If there isn't one, their 'smoothing effect' might be missed.

The solicitor processes the legal paperwork, including questions to the seller about the property, asking additional questions if anything seems unclear. They make sure "everything goes to plan" in the sense that they are there to protect your interests, but they often hold up the process when things aren't clear legally and need clarification.
I've bought and sold privately before there were EPCs. I didn't supply and wasn't supplied with any room plans etc. I expected my buyer's surveyor to assure her about the structure of the house and to confirm its value. I arranged my own survey with builders in the family, being confident through personal research about the price I'd agreed to pay.