Grunff wrote:
Hzatph wrote:

Just to put the opposite point of view, we have had excellent value
from the survey of our Victorian House. I did shop around for a
surveyor based on experience and he did a good job despite the usual
caveats. It enabled us to reduce the price by many multiples of his
fee, probably over 20. Good value.

No, you are simply believing the ludicrous marketing touted by surveyors
and their ilk, and convincing yourself that it was money well spent.

If the vendor were willing to accept £xxx off the asking price, they
would have accepted this regardless of the survey. If they were not, no
survey results in the world would make a difference.

Well, yes and no... if a vendor is faced with a buyer who says 'Sorry,
I'm having to drop my asking price by X grand because this itemised list
of repairs needs doing, which I was unaware of when I made my offer',
the vendor is more likely to agree to it than when faced with a buyer
who says 'I'm reducing my original offer by X grand, just because I feel
like it'.

The survey report can provide ammunition for the buyer, and the vendor
may well feel obliged to take the hit, particularly if they feel that if
the sale falls through, the same problem may occur with a future buyer
in 6 weeks' time.

Not that I'm in any way a surveyor fan, mind you!

David