Understanding homes is not something we do everyday, which is why it can seem daunting. Our helpful guides can support you in making better choices.
Just like with many second-hand purchases, it is important to understand the previous history and condition before you buy………..for example, would you feel confident buying a car without checking its history and MOT?
Research carried out by Churchill Insurance showed on average only 25% of all homeowners purchase a property survey for their new home.
However, figures also show that 56% of those that had major building works carried out on their property after discovering pre-existing issues, said that if they had been aware of the faults in advance it would have influenced their decision to buy the property.
We’ve prepared below our top 5 reasons for undertaking a home survey:
1. Save yourself a costly bill down the line. Investing in a survey offers you peace of mind by understanding your home
According to the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) buyers who didn’t get a survey faced on average £5,750 worth of repairs when they moved in and 17% of these ended up paying more than £12,000 on average to make their homes habitable. Ask yourself, if you are considering risking your purchase without a survey, how will you feel if you are exposed to hefty house repair costs just as you’re settling in?
2. Being armed with the facts about defects and repairs could help you save thousands from your purchase price
Should we encounter any defects that require expensive repairs, it doesn’t automatically mean you shouldn’t purchase the property. Should the seller not wish to address the reported issues, you could use the report as a renegotiation tool, asking for the price of the property to reflect the cost of the repairs.
By decreasing the purchase price, you will have the money to do the repairs by someone that you choose.
We offer you access to our portal where you can download the appropriate technical details to obtain quotes from contractors to present to the vendor – they usually ask for at least 2 quotes from each trade.
3. A mortgage valuation doesn’t benefit the buyer, whereas home surveys do
A mortgage valuation helps the lender by validating the value of the property they are lending against – this identifies if the property is worth what you have agreed to pay for it.
Ok, the 20 minute valuation comments on obvious visual features of the property – such significant visual defects that could impact the property’s value, however, it doesn’t delve into important common issues such as damp, dry rot, subsidence, in as much detail as a building survey.
4. You will be safe in the knowledge you are allowing the professionals to form an impartial and objective view about your investment
Sometimes emotions do funny things to your judgement. Let us take an impartial view when inspecting, which alongside our wealth of skills and experience, make it more likely that we spot problems a typical buyer may not notice. While the average home buyer spends 30-35 minutes viewing a potential property before deciding whether or not to purchase it, we spend a much longer inspecting each component of the property to really understand the risks, junctions and interfaces – formulating a detailed assessment of the condition of the property. It’s offering peace of mind - we know how important this is.
5. We will have a broad understanding of known issues within your chosen area and any local risks
We know that local knowledge matters. Our team of RICS surveyors will have a broad knowledge of your chosen area, types of local property, and issues to look out for, such as past flooding or potential risk, proximity to pylons, overhead cables and electro-magnetic fields, current or past underground mining.
You can trust their detailed assessment to give you confidence by being completely sure of what you’re buying and help you avoid costly surprises!