YES.
Buying a new home? You need a building survey. When we buy a property, be it house or flat, old or new, getting a building survey is incredibly important, but there are still so many people who don’t get one. Here’s a few reasons why a building survey is essential on EVERY property.
1. A survey can save you money.
Going in blind might save a few hundred pounds before you complete on a purchase, but most people will then find themselves with unforeseen repair costs further down the line.
Did you know 20% of people who don’t get a building survey pay £6,000 in unexpected repairs and 17% pay £12,000? We believe our surveys are free, because having a survey will flag any issues with the property, and even help you negotiate the purchase price.
2. Receive impartial, expert advice from a surveyor who works for you.
When you hire a surveyor, they’re working for you and only you. Chartered Surveyors spend years studying and working to develop their knowledge and expertise, and they’re happy to share that expertise with you. Whilst the estate agent is working for the vendor to ensure the property sells, a surveyor will be working for you to ensure you fully understand the house you’re buying.
3. Get a full understanding of the property.
Property viewings are typically very short, with lots of people quickly looking in rooms to get a feel for the place and getting in and out within half an hour, but often much less. The excitement of seeing a house you love for the first, or even second time, often comes with rose tinted glasses. When you hire a surveyor, they’ll have much longer at the house, and have years of expertise, to properly understand the property and identify any issues.
Our reports provide a clear rating system against all issues identified so you know what’s urgent, and photographs throughout the report so you can see what we’re talking about when we’re talking about it.
4. A valuation is not a building survey.
When applying for a mortgage, the bank will do a valuation on the property, and this will very likely be a desktop survey. We’ve heard lots of people think this is enough when buying the house, but it won’t highlight issues beyond high level observations which might affect the value.
How could a desktop survey identify issues which require detailed inspection and investigations? Our surveyors will go and spend time in the property to do a thorough building survey and give you plenty of answers on the condition of the property inside and out.
5. Get peace of mind.
Any house, old or new, can have issues. A building survey will give you that all important peace of mind to go forward with confidence when buying a property. We make the house purchase as stress free as possible, and save you headaches, time and money down the line.
Our reports provide a succinct executive summary with clearly defined actions for you, your solicitors and other advisors to instantly understand the key issues relating to the property and what needs to be done to ensure your investment is protected.
Ultimately, this will probably be the biggest purchase you ever make, why take the risk of not understanding what condition the property is in and what that means for you?
To discuss your property purchase, get in touch with us here. Our Chartered Surveyors would love to help.
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