Soldato
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Independant chartered surveyor will do it.
Nothing stopping the seller getting a HR (home report) then improving on the raised issuing then getting surveyor back to re-issue.
The nervous wait to exchange....
- Thread starter noj
- Start date
Nothing stopping the seller getting a HR (home report) then improving on the raised issuing then getting surveyor back to re-issue.
I got mine done last year, bungalow. Never had any sold in the past 15 years like mine. He put a valuation way below what the estate agent thought. Phoned him up, explained the difference in valuations and he upped it by £10,000.
He also broke my hot water tank at the time of inspection, so he had to pay for that. Pulling on pipes too hard and created a leak..
Soldato
Chaos today as everyone wants to set a date of 16th October to exchange now. Not heard from my solicitors as yet and now at this late stage the EA selling my flat has had a query from the buyer asking if the electrical certificate has been done.
Having googled this I have found this is not a legal requirement and is more the buyers can get done rather than the seller. Hopefully this won't delay things. I have told them there's been no electrical issue in the time we've owned the flat. Hopefully that is enough.
Having googled this I have found this is not a legal requirement and is more the buyers can get done rather than the seller. Hopefully this won't delay things. I have told them there's been no electrical issue in the time we've owned the flat. Hopefully that is enough.
Soldato
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- 27 Aug 2005
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So the property we're buying has been down valued by 4% (£17,000). We have now sent our valuation report to the agents of our sellers and hope that we can come to an agreement with a new selling price.
By the lender or survey?
Soldato
- Joined
- 27 Aug 2005
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Lender
Which probably means the surveyor down valued it on behalf of the lender when they did their mortgage valuation survey
Soldato
- Joined
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Yes i know but hopefully our sellers will see sense and agree a lower selling price.
It's a regulated profession, Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors.
The surveyors are legally responsible for any errors they make. So if they give a survey that says the property is all fine, and it turns out it's a wreck that needs loads of work doing, they are liable for the decrease in value versus what their report said.
Obviously a fairly protracted legal case...but there's no incentive for surveyors to let things pass. Quite the opposite, which is why they highlight every seemingly trivial issue.
I see this as a bad idea with a conflict of interest despite the above. I know that if i were to sell within that system then my property would only be publicly presented with a favourable report, from a known acquaintance, with caveats all over it to suit them, as is usual for a home survey anyway.
This is extra red tape which i think would be further expense and annoyance, i hope that this does not come to England from both sides of the selling/buying table. Currently there is no legal requirement for a survey at all, and i think that it should not be mandated.
This is extra red tape which i think would be further expense and annoyance, i hope that this does not come to England from both sides of the selling/buying table. Currently there is no legal requirement for a survey at all, and i think that it should not be mandated.
Not sure if strictly for this thread but looking for some opinions.
Been doing a fair few viewings in the past weekend, found two properties that me and the missus like. In different areas but both good transport links for us to get to work. One of the properties backs onto the train track and so is like a 30sec walk to the station, this thankfully does reduce the noise of the trains as they are slow to pull in and out of the station. The other property would be at least a 15min bike ride or bus journey into the town for a fast train into London which is ideal.
One of the properties is an older 'cottage' house and so the main bathroom is downstairs and just off the kitchen. We had thought about moving it upstairs but then we lose a bedroom. Its only me and my girlfriend now but thinking in the future would we regret losing that bedroom.
Anyone here have a downstairs main bathroom?
I think it would be one of those things I would get used to and my initial fears of having people over and them sat in the living room whilst I wander through with a towel on just out of the shower would be gone by just showering before anyone was ever over etc lol but still something to think about.
Another issue with the house we prefer (downstairs bathroom) is that it has no dedicated parking, there is a small lot that a local owns just down the road and he charges £50 a month for a space but I guess we are concerned that perhaps one day he could sell then that means a whole road of houses then have cars to park with nowhere to go. We could look at excavating the front yard (the property is set off the road) and adding a parking spot then apply to get a dropped kerb but not sure how easy it is to get that approved etc.
Been doing a fair few viewings in the past weekend, found two properties that me and the missus like. In different areas but both good transport links for us to get to work. One of the properties backs onto the train track and so is like a 30sec walk to the station, this thankfully does reduce the noise of the trains as they are slow to pull in and out of the station. The other property would be at least a 15min bike ride or bus journey into the town for a fast train into London which is ideal.
One of the properties is an older 'cottage' house and so the main bathroom is downstairs and just off the kitchen. We had thought about moving it upstairs but then we lose a bedroom. Its only me and my girlfriend now but thinking in the future would we regret losing that bedroom.
Anyone here have a downstairs main bathroom?
I think it would be one of those things I would get used to and my initial fears of having people over and them sat in the living room whilst I wander through with a towel on just out of the shower would be gone by just showering before anyone was ever over etc lol but still something to think about.
Another issue with the house we prefer (downstairs bathroom) is that it has no dedicated parking, there is a small lot that a local owns just down the road and he charges £50 a month for a space but I guess we are concerned that perhaps one day he could sell then that means a whole road of houses then have cars to park with nowhere to go. We could look at excavating the front yard (the property is set off the road) and adding a parking spot then apply to get a dropped kerb but not sure how easy it is to get that approved etc.
How many bedrooms? I always think you risk devaluing the house if you remove a bedroom and swap it for a bathroom. If it's a 4 bedroom cottage, then converting a small room to a bathroom probably wouldn't make much of a difference in terms of price. But if it's a 3 bed or a 2 bed, dropping down to a 2 bed or 1 bed respectively would make quite a bit of a difference, but also seem a bit strange having 2 bedrooms with 2 bathrooms, or 1 bedroom with 2 bathrooms.
The fact that you're concerned about dedicated parking means that it is a requirement for you. Parking down the road might be okay short term, but i agree about the concerns of having to rent a parking space down the road, the owner could sell up at any time. Also at £600/year, if you're planning on staying there long-term, after 5 years you'd have effectively paid for putting a driveway in and lowering a curb.
Currently a 3 bed, the room upstairs we would convert is 9ft x 7ft so fairly big. I think I agree with dropping to two bed would make impact the value. The initial thought was to convert the current downstairs bathroom into a study and a small downstairs WC with sink then have the larger family bathroom upstairs but I think I am definitely leaning towards just re-doing the room downstairs with a fresh bathroom.
Yep, parking definitely a requirement as my girlfriend drives to work, relying on the few spaces on nearby roads would be a pain and the road the property is on is one way and double yellows either side. I think you make a good point about the cost, I think we would potentially rent a spot for a year whilst we go through the application of the drop kerb etc then do that and then its done.
Not to mention that if that house is one of a few on the road with a driveway, then that will possibly add some value to the property. Driveways/parking bays are quite sought after as majority of people are at least 1 car household, many now being 2.
Yep definitely, the property on one side of the one I am looking at has added a drive and its the only one on the street. Much to think about! we are both FTB so nervous to pull the trigger on an offer!
Soldato
- Joined
- 27 Aug 2005
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I wouldn't buy a property with a downstairs bathroom personally.
Caporegime
The last house I lived in in the UK was a Victorian terrace, the smaller kind where the front door opens into the living room. I'm sure you know the kind, they built them up and down the country with small variations. Many of the ones I saw had been converted to have the bathroom upstairs, but this one had the bathroom downstairs in a single story extension. I think it had actually had a bathroom upstairs at some point which had later been removed to create a third bedroom/office. I lived there for about five years.
I found it no big deal. Much of the time it's actually more convenient when there's only a single bathroom as you don't have to go upstairs all the time, although it's a bit annoying when you want to pee in the night. I preferred it to the more common layout with 2 bedrooms + the bathroom upstairs. YMMV.
On value, there wasn't any real difference between the two and three bedroom layouts. That may be different if you're talking cottages.
Yep I know what you mean, this property, the door opens to the stairs basically and then there is a door to the living room. There is an archway from livng room into kitchen then a door off the kitchen into the bathroom.
As you say its not much of an issue really, we would be installing a large 'walk in' shower and new toilet and sink so we wouldn't have to worry about if you ever wanted a bath and then you had all the noise of the kitchen and living room to contend with.
I think I would prefer to have two full size bedrooms then the smaller bedroom as an office than using a whole room for a bathroom.
Thanks all for your opinions.
Soldato
Today is meant to be the day we exchange. This is agony waiting.
Soldato
Good luck, hope it goes well.
Estate Agent my side feels confident Il lcomplete by the end of the month, although 3 weeks feels like a long and short time simultaneously, its hard to know
- GP
Estate Agent my side feels confident Il lcomplete by the end of the month, although 3 weeks feels like a long and short time simultaneously, its hard to know
- GP