Negotiating lower price after survey

billy2shots

14sprocket said:

timmins91 said:

Did you expect the survey to come back and tell you the house was perfect? If my buyer asked me to replace a (so far) functioning conservatory roof and shower that they'd seen before putting an offer in, I'd be putting it back on the market sharpish. Is it worth potentially losing the house over when they're things you could replace reasonably over time?

Hmmm.... what's the point of the survey otherwise? 
The way I'm seeing it, is I'm hiring an expert to tell me what needs to be done about the house to make it livable. Where to draw the line between the "layman's knowledge" and surveyor's expertise each person decides for himself. At the end of the day, I'm not planning to take advantage of the seller and only looking to flag up the issues raised in the survey.
For example, painted over windows is a poor form, and I wouldn't be able to tell if there's dry rot myself.
Any negotiation is a 2-way process, and we may well end up agreeing somewhere in between.

No, the point of a survey is to pick up things you wouldn't necessarily see. If you viewed the house in person (did you?) You would have seen painted windows, an older conservatory and the state of the shower.

You then offered knowing all the above. Now you want to revise your offer because someone else has also seen those points. It doesn't make any sense. Your initial offer should have taken those points into account.

If those are the only thing the survey (homebuyer report?) Picked up then breath a sigh of relief, you've found a very good house.

It doesn't say but are you a first time buyer?

I often wonder what would happen when 'good' surveys come back and the vendor thinks 'oh my house is better than I thought, I'll try and renegotiate with my buyer'.

RobHT

So you wanna buy an house with all these problems already... RIP

tooldle

I’m with the vendor. We’ve just had a similar experience with our buyer who wanted a discount for enhancements. Unless the house is presented to the market as new, it’s unrealistic in my opinion to expect perfection. Wait until you have a valuation.
Worth remembering that it is a choice to sub jobs out. Some vendors maintain their own houses. An example from my own experience, £1500 to make electric supply to garage compliant using the buyers recommended company.  This cost drops to £100 when shopping around, or less again if you happen to have the skills yourself. 

lookstraightahead

14sprocket said:

lookstraightahead said:

If you saw my full structural report it would make your toes curl, and I've not asked for any reduction, because it's an old house.
Im with your vendor op, sorry. These are minor things and if I was the vendor I would be thinking of relisting.
i don't always think that and there are some greedy vendors with fairy tale expectations, but not in this instance imho .

In my case it's a relatively new house, so I may have different expectations perhaps. Painting over windows and allowing frames to dry rot is a poor form, imo. I'm only asking for what the builders quoted me for remedial work

Last year we sold my MIL house (probate) and all her windows were painted over - silly lady! It wasn't even asked about. 
You're really running the risk of not getting the house.
Your choice - the way the vendor has answered seems to me as if they're cheesed off.

davilown

Sorry but all of those points would have been noticeable on your 1st and 2nd viewings - house is probably priced accordingly and you put an offer in. 

If I was the vendor, I wouldn’t be reducing for those

ele_91

As a vendor I wouldn’t reduce for those things either and especially not if I was in a sellers market. Windows painted shut you can see at viewing. Shower needing replacing you can also see at viewing. Conservatory may leak in the future sounds like standard surveyor !!!!!! covering. Unless it was actually leaking I would not give a reduction on that. Are you a FTB? Unfortunately if you feel a property needs work to bring it to the standard you want, you need to budget and offer accordingly. If those are the only issues it sounds perfectly liveable.

I would wait for the mortgage valuation, if they downvalue the house and you therefore can’t get the mortgage this is a stronger negotiation point as it jeopardises the chain. But even then a vendor may tell you to jog on to be honest. 

What is the house price and an estimation of the works? That would give a bit more context. 

Crashy_Time

ele_91 said:

As a vendor I wouldn’t reduce for those things either and especially not if I was in a sellers market. Windows painted shut you can see at viewing. Shower needing replacing you can also see at viewing. Conservatory may leak in the future sounds like standard surveyor !!!!!! covering. Unless it was actually leaking I would not give a reduction on that. Are you a FTB? Unfortunately if you feel a property needs work to bring it to the standard you want, you need to budget and offer accordingly. If those are the only issues it sounds perfectly liveable.

I would wait for the mortgage valuation, if they downvalue the house and you therefore can’t get the mortgage this is a stronger negotiation point as it jeopardises the chain. But even then a vendor may tell you to jog on to be honest. 

What is the house price and an estimation of the works? That would give a bit more context. 

Same will likely happen to the next buyer as well?

Irishpearce26

Im on the sellers side here. The windows as they say can be sorted with a Stanley knife, the conservatory is fine the surveyor is saying due to its age it could leak in the future and I agree about the shower you buy what you see surely you would have been able to guess it would need updating. 

I had similar issues when selling my house, the surveyor listed a load of things about the conservatory which I didn't trust. The buyer got a industry professional out and he said it was totally fine.

The thing with homebuyer surveys is buyers take every bit of detail as gospel and demand money off to have them sorted. Did the surveyor not add what he would value the property at? The surveyor stated that the house is worth what my buyer was paying in its current state. 

jimbog

RobHT said:

So you wanna buy an house with all these problems already... RIP

Here are 'all these problems'. 

1. All windows on the ground floor are painted shut 
2. PVC conservatory is showing its age (installed c. 15 years ago) 
3. Shower cabin should be replaced

@RobHT: From your other thread I now strongly recommend you continue to rent rather than thinking about buying 

davidmcn

14sprocket said:

lookstraightahead said:

If you saw my full structural report it would make your toes curl, and I've not asked for any reduction, because it's an old house.
Im with your vendor op, sorry. These are minor things and if I was the vendor I would be thinking of relisting.
i don't always think that and there are some greedy vendors with fairy tale expectations, but not in this instance imho .

In my case it's a relatively new house, so I may have different expectations perhaps.

If it's a relatively new house, why are you anticipating dry rot and leaks when there's no evidence of them?