To get a survey or not.. estate agent/vendor unhappy

pluto261

Between them trying to stop you from getting a survey and then making the house unavailable to the surveyor for a month, it sounds like they're trying to hide something. All the more reason to get the survey and find out what it is.

verytired11

pluto261 said:

Between them trying to stop you from getting a survey and then making the house unavailable to the surveyor for a month, it sounds like they're trying to hide something. All the more reason to get the survey and find out what it is.

Totally agree with this.  First trying to stop it altogether and then giving themselves a month to hide the evidence of whatever the problem is before the surveyor comes.....

purplebutterfly

I would also phone the surveyor prior to the inspection happening and explain all this to them.  Then they can be on the lookout for any new areas of fresh paint/plaster etc that they might otherwise have ignored as just routine maintenance.

bsmith147

@purplebutterfly great idea, I’ll do just that. Thank-you.

ss2020jd

They should not be making you feel like that OP. As others have said it is an expected and strongly recommended part of the process. The valuation is more for the lender than for you and is very basic. 

I let my buyer’s surveyor have access as soon as they needed and just accepted it’s part of the selling process. But do expect that older properties usually come with issues and often read like a horror story but surveyors are usually only too happy to chat everything through on the phone afterwards. 

Marvel1

The agents sounds dull if they don't know the difference between a valuation and survey.

Salemicus

bsmith147 said:

@purplebutterfly great idea, I’ll do just that. Thank-you.

It is a good idea, but it might be insufficient. Your surveyor is only human and could easily miss something, and you will have very limited recourse if that happens (hardly negligence to miss an issue that has been deliberately hidden from him).

I would suggest you insist on a survey in the next week, and withdraw otherwise. There is a very high chance that they are trying to pull a fast one on you. 

goodwithsaving

It's always nervewracking being a seller and having a survey done on your home, but as a vendor I understand why my buyer wants one. It would have to be catastrophic for a buyer to withdraw. I wasn't going to get a survey on my purchase but my seller was surprised and I'm now getting an L3 not to look for ways to get money off, but because I will extend and/or replace the conservatory at somepoint. The mortgage is sorted and I have been around it thoroughly and can't see any problems but for nearly half a million, I'll be spending £900 on a survey and getting another set of eyes on it. My vendor doesn't mind at all, they said themselves it's sensible. Just bear in mind, electric and gas are usually a 3 for backside covering and sometimes they don't tell you a lot but pass the buck to specialist surveys, but a lot of the time it's awareness that there is a consideration and that's all you need.

lookstraightahead

Vendors are really feeling superior at the moment. They think you will be naive enough to spend all that money without checks?
Insist you go round and have a good look - maybe with the surveyor, as they are making you question why ! 

jazzyja

Did you notice anything fishy when you viewed the house? I mean sometimes we see things and think "oh thats not a big deal"
Me and my boyfriend (plasterer and a jack of all trades!) viewed this lovely big house that had been for sale quite some time, I was in love...didn't see a thing wrong. I could tell by his face he was not. We got in the car and he said "place is covered in anti damp paint and the bottoms of the walls are boggy, the floors feel boggy, pipework is dodgy......" list was endless!! I never would of seen all that. Its so important to make sure and its cheeky, sly for the vendor to suggest otherwise!