For a variety of reasons I've got to being a pensioner and have never
bought a house through an agent in the UK.

I've just had an offer accepted on what appears to be a well presented
and maintained 1960's extended (floor level only) bungalow.

Yes there are lots of websites but I'd appreciate some of this groups
experiences especially with solicitors and surveys plus anything else
you'd do differently if you had known what you know now.


--
AnthonyL

On Wed, 15 Jul 2015 08:18:46 +0000, AnthonyL wrote:

For a variety of reasons I've got to being a pensioner and have never
bought a house through an agent in the UK.

I've just had an offer accepted on what appears to be a well presented
and maintained 1960's extended (floor level only) bungalow.

Yes there are lots of websites but I'd appreciate some of this groups
experiences especially with solicitors and surveys plus anything else
you'd do differently if you had known what you know now.

Whatever you do, don't go with the EA's "recommended" solicitor. The EA
works for the vendor, and their pet solicitor will be kicking them back.

Get recommendations from friends/neighbours for who they used.

Surveys - well, you're here, so I'm guessing you can figure your way
around a house pretty well... Do you need to pay somebody £5-6-700 to
give you a rough overview of what's what with it?

There's three levels of survey.
- Valuation. A mortgage lender will insist on that, at the least.
"It's a house. It's worth £x"
- Home buyer's report. Quick once-around, is it falling down? Pretty
colour-coded document results.
"It's a house. It has four walls and a roof. It's not actively falling
down. The electrics and gas are untested - RED!"
- Full structural survey. Frankly, the only one worth considering, but
even then really only if you think you might have missed something
yourself. Even then, they won't move anything - even rugs - to actually
look in depth.

On Wednesday, July 15, 2015 at 9:50:45 AM UTC+1, Adrian wrote:
On Wed, 15 Jul 2015 08:18:46 +0000, AnthonyL wrote:

For a variety of reasons I've got to being a pensioner and have never
bought a house through an agent in the UK.

I've just had an offer accepted on what appears to be a well presented
and maintained 1960's extended (floor level only) bungalow.

Yes there are lots of websites but I'd appreciate some of this groups
experiences especially with solicitors and surveys plus anything else
you'd do differently if you had known what you know now.

Whatever you do, don't go with the EA's "recommended" solicitor. The EA
works for the vendor, and their pet solicitor will be kicking them back.

Get recommendations from friends/neighbours for who they used.

Note: these days there are specialist conveyancing firms, that are often better value than a general purpose solicitor. More likely to get a fixed cost service from them. Some are online based. Always read reviews of course.

In one case, I found the estate agent recommended a conveyancing firm under their own branding, and it actually was good value (kickbacks withstanding!), and less hassle since the EA and conveyancing firm had a hotline to each other and access to the same computer system.

Simon.

On Wed, 15 Jul 2015 02:15:31 -0700, sm_jamieson wrote:

In one case, I found the estate agent recommended a conveyancing firm
under their own branding, and it actually was good value (kickbacks
withstanding!), and less hassle since the EA and conveyancing firm had a
hotline to each other and access to the same computer system.

It's still poacher-acting-as-gamekeeper, though.

On 15/07/2015 09:50, Adrian wrote:

snip

There's three levels of survey.
- Valuation. A mortgage lender will insist on that, at the least.
"It's a house. It's worth £x"

And that will often (usually?) be a drive-by.

Cheers
--
Syd

On 15/07/15 09:18, AnthonyL wrote:
For a variety of reasons I've got to being a pensioner and have never
bought a house through an agent in the UK.

I've just had an offer accepted on what appears to be a well presented
and maintained 1960's extended (floor level only) bungalow.

Yes there are lots of websites but I'd appreciate some of this groups
experiences especially with solicitors and surveys plus anything else
you'd do differently if you had known what you know now.



If this is England or Wales, your offer is not binding until exchange -
so you still have an "out".

Me:

Get a torch and a camera. Go and have another look in daylight. Look
under the sink, everywhere where there is visible plumbing, look at the
consumer unit and poke your head into the loft and spot some lighting
wiring.

You should be able to assess if it looks "decent and newish" or "old,
bodged and crappy".

Walk around the floors and look for bouncy or wobbly bits.

Look at the roof from the ground (binoculars if you have access).

Look at the brick work, pointing etc.

Windows and window frames.

Look behind furniture next to an outside wall for tell tale damp patches.

=====
That's quite a lot you can look at visually.


Surveyors? Well - they might spot something - I would say it's worth
engaging a good one.

But in addition, you can also pay for an electrician to do an EICR
(electrical installation condition report) - that'll be 200-300 ish.

You could also pay a GasSafe person to do a Gas Safety check and boiler
inspection.

You could also get the drains CCTV surveyed.


Out of those, the EICR offers the most useful check for the money IMO,
over and above what you can see yourself.


The important thing is take your time - refuse to be rushed. Take some
pictures. Mark on the agent's floor plan where the sockets and rads are.
This will let you spent some time planning your layout when you move in.


If you think it could do with an immediate paintjob, I recommend paying
for moving with a few days storage as a buffer and getting the place hit
in one go by the painters. Book a carpet clean too. It is all so much
easier to do when the place is devoid of furniture.


Of course, most people don't do half these things, but some do do some
of them, so I merely present as a pool of ideas, not as a "must do list".


As for solicitors - many are useless and slow. Try to find one with a
reputation of being ruthlessly efficient - they do exist.

On Wednesday, July 15, 2015 at 10:17:07 AM UTC+1, Adrian wrote:
On Wed, 15 Jul 2015 02:15:31 -0700, sm_jamieson wrote:

In one case, I found the estate agent recommended a conveyancing firm
under their own branding, and it actually was good value (kickbacks
withstanding!), and less hassle since the EA and conveyancing firm had a
hotline to each other and access to the same computer system.

It's still poacher-acting-as-gamekeeper, though.

Yes that's true. That company were thorough in trying to keep you on side for future business, etc. Since they were under the same branding, bad conveyancing could affect the reputation of the estate agent business as a whole..

I suppose in that business you have to decide whether you favor buyer, seller, or try to be balanced, depending on the source of income and various other business related factors, including where you wish to sit in the marketplace. If you try to rip off buyers for the benefit of sellers that may get you more commission income but you will soon come unstuck.

The person who sold the house to me had also bought the house with the same company, so on a sample size of one, perhaps their idea was working.

Simon.

On 15/07/15 09:57, Huge wrote:

- If anyone mentions subsidence or flooding, run, do not walk, away

The Environment Agency have flood prediction maps available to check.

However, some common sense can help - is there a river or lake anywhere
around - is the house up a hill from that water? Does a web search show
a history of flooding in that area (old newspaper reports too).


As for subsidence - in theory subsidence can be perfectly well remedied.
The problem is *you* do not know who was involved and whether they were
any good (unless it's you getting the subsidence fixed). Can be awkward
with insurance too. So I tend to agree with Huge...

On Wed, 15 Jul 2015 08:50:40 +0000 (UTC), Adrian
wrote:


Whatever you do, don't go with the EA's "recommended" solicitor. The EA
works for the vendor, and their pet solicitor will be kicking them back.


I don't mind any kick back providing their price to me is still
competive, so I'll be shopping around but prices on the net all seem
around the same.

Get recommendations from friends/neighbours for who they used.

Surveys - well, you're here,

Doesn't mean I'm any good though Took me a long time and wrong
routes to sort a roof leak.


--
AnthonyL

On 15 Jul 2015 08:57:48 GMT, Huge wrote:

On 2015-07-15, AnthonyL wrote:
For a variety of reasons I've got to being a pensioner and have never
bought a house through an agent in the UK.

I've just had an offer accepted on what appears to be a well presented
and maintained 1960's extended (floor level only) bungalow.

Yes there are lots of websites but I'd appreciate some of this groups
experiences especially with solicitors and surveys plus anything else
you'd do differently if you had known what you know now.

- Don't do your own conveyancing. (I for one won't do business with you if you
are)


Amongst other things it does seem a "closed shop".

- Get a proper structural survey

- Shop round for a solicitor. Don't be intimidated - they're just tradespeople
like anyone else


And I though tradespeople were honest!

- If anyone mentions subsidence or flooding, run, do not walk, away


I do have a concern in as much as the whole estate was a quarry and
this house (or at least its back garden) is right up against the
quarry wall. So I guess I'd want a view on drainage. The estate has
been there 50yrs and I'd guess a quarry floor would be fairly solid?

--
AnthonyL

On Wed, 15 Jul 2015 10:41:26 +0100, Tim Watts
wrote:

On 15/07/15 09:18, AnthonyL wrote:
For a variety of reasons I've got to being a pensioner and have never
bought a house through an agent in the UK.

I've just had an offer accepted on what appears to be a well presented
and maintained 1960's extended (floor level only) bungalow.

Yes there are lots of websites but I'd appreciate some of this groups
experiences especially with solicitors and surveys plus anything else
you'd do differently if you had known what you know now.



If this is England or Wales, your offer is not binding until exchange -
so you still have an "out".


England. Yes very different to Australia where I have bought & sold
two houses.

Me:

Get a torch and a camera. Go and have another look in daylight. Look
under the sink, everywhere where there is visible plumbing, look at the
consumer unit and poke your head into the loft and spot some lighting
wiring.

You should be able to assess if it looks "decent and newish" or "old,
bodged and crappy".

Walk around the floors and look for bouncy or wobbly bits.

Look at the roof from the ground (binoculars if you have access).

Look at the brick work, pointing etc.

Windows and window frames.

Look behind furniture next to an outside wall for tell tale damp patches.

=====
That's quite a lot you can look at visually.


Surveyors? Well - they might spot something - I would say it's worth
engaging a good one.


Good one is the operative word. Whilst I might see a lot I might miss
the important thing.

But in addition, you can also pay for an electrician to do an EICR
(electrical installation condition report) - that'll be 200-300 ish.

You could also pay a GasSafe person to do a Gas Safety check and boiler
inspection.


Not included in a builder's survey? It's a combi-boiler ~ 6yrs old.

You could also get the drains CCTV surveyed.


Out of those, the EICR offers the most useful check for the money IMO,
over and above what you can see yourself.


The important thing is take your time - refuse to be rushed. Take some
pictures. Mark on the agent's floor plan where the sockets and rads are.
This will let you spent some time planning your layout when you move in.


If you think it could do with an immediate paintjob, I recommend paying
for moving with a few days storage as a buffer and getting the place hit
in one go by the painters. Book a carpet clean too. It is all so much
easier to do when the place is devoid of furniture.


Of course, most people don't do half these things, but some do do some
of them, so I merely present as a pool of ideas, not as a "must do list".


As for solicitors - many are useless and slow. Try to find one with a
reputation of being ruthlessly efficient - they do exist.

Thanks - good points there.

--
AnthonyL

On Wednesday, July 15, 2015 at 10:57:02 AM UTC+1, AnthonyL wrote:
On 15 Jul 2015 08:57:48 GMT, Huge wrote:

On 2015-07-15, AnthonyL wrote:
For a variety of reasons I've got to being a pensioner and have never
bought a house through an agent in the UK.

I've just had an offer accepted on what appears to be a well presented
and maintained 1960's extended (floor level only) bungalow.

Yes there are lots of websites but I'd appreciate some of this groups
experiences especially with solicitors and surveys plus anything else
you'd do differently if you had known what you know now.

- Don't do your own conveyancing. (I for one won't do business with you if you
are)


Amongst other things it does seem a "closed shop".

- Get a proper structural survey

- Shop round for a solicitor. Don't be intimidated - they're just tradespeople
like anyone else


And I though tradespeople were honest!

- If anyone mentions subsidence or flooding, run, do not walk, away


I do have a concern in as much as the whole estate was a quarry and
this house (or at least its back garden) is right up against the
quarry wall. So I guess I'd want a view on drainage. The estate has
been there 50yrs and I'd guess a quarry floor would be fairly solid?


If there is literally a cliff at the end of the garden, I might be worried about landslides, or falling rocks. But you say its been there for 50 years. I would still like to inspect what is at the top of the quarry wall.

Simon.

On 15/07/15 10:57, AnthonyL wrote:

England. Yes very different to Australia where I have bought & sold
two houses.

And different to Scotland.

Not included in a builder's survey? It's a combi-boiler ~ 6yrs old.

IME full surveys do not include any services (apart from a very cursory
comment like "electrics look old".

On 15/07/15 11:03, Huge wrote:
On 2015-07-15, Tim Watts wrote:
On 15/07/15 09:57, Huge wrote:

- If anyone mentions subsidence or flooding, run, do not walk, away

The Environment Agency have flood prediction maps available to check.

However, some common sense can help - is there a river or lake anywhere
around - is the house up a hill from that water? Does a web search show
a history of flooding in that area (old newspaper reports too).

Half an hour with an O/S map can be helpful.

And Bing maps have the OS available (unlike Google Maps).


As for subsidence - in theory subsidence can be perfectly well remedied.
The problem is *you* do not know who was involved and whether they were
any good (unless it's you getting the subsidence fixed). Can be awkward
with insurance too. So I tend to agree with Huge...

This is from personal experience. Our present house had, in theory, had
historical 'seasonal movement' issues fixed. Two rounds of further
rectification (stopping short of underpinning) later I wouldn't touch a
house that had had previous movement issues with someone else's ****ty
stick, even if they did have documentary evidence it had been fixed. It
causes *enormous* issues with both buildings and contents insurance. It's
only in the last couple of years (this has been going on for ca. 15 years &
we last made an insurance claim 10 years ago) that we've been able to
change contents insurer, and the previous one was reaming us. We can't
change buildings insurers at all.

I'm a bit stuck too with the last of my refurb - bit more wiring and the
2nd layer of roof insulation. Because insurers now regard an open
building notice as "not in good repair" this limits my choice to a few
companies that have sensible underwriters who are happy to agree that
having a safe, functional weathertight house with only 3 "improvement"
level works pending is actually OK.

The rest are morons. Lying's an option, but as there's a paper trail,
probably unwise.

Unfortunately the current insurers are not the cheapest. So one big push
is planned this year and early next to get the building cert then I'm good.

The annoying bit is 15 years ago none of the pending bits were
notifiable works anyway. But it's hard to book "proper works" with the
BCO and try to leave off the fluffy ******** like adding roof insulation
when he's going to be walking around!

AnthonyL wrote:

My solicitor was suggesting, a very long time ago, that I should
have a full survey done for a place I was buying. I responded
that the report would be so full of caveats that there would be
great difficulty in taking action in the event of trouble, and
selecting a surveyor based on the adequacy of their insurance
seemed to be rather missing the point. "Not necessarily" he
replied "We have a number of such cases on our hands at the
moment." At which juncture I felt that he had made my point for
me.

Chris
--
Chris J Dixon Nottingham UK


Plant amazing Acers.

On Wednesday, 15 July 2015 10:41:33 UTC+1, Tim Watts wrote:
On 15/07/15 09:18, AnthonyL wrote:
For a variety of reasons I've got to being a pensioner and have never
bought a house through an agent in the UK.

I've just had an offer accepted on what appears to be a well presented
and maintained 1960's extended (floor level only) bungalow.

Yes there are lots of websites but I'd appreciate some of this groups
experiences especially with solicitors and surveys plus anything else
you'd do differently if you had known what you know now.

Surveys seem to be almost valueless in most cases. You get a list of disclaimers that leave more or less nothing of value. If examination has revealed no signs of structural problems, no flying freehold, the taps work etc, what really will a survey add. Other than interpreting some structural issues the rest its not hard to check yourself.

Same goes for the usual house risks, eg flood, mining subsidence, explosion etc.


If this is England or Wales, your offer is not binding until exchange -
so you still have an "out".

Me:

Get a torch and a camera. Go and have another look in daylight. Look
under the sink, everywhere where there is visible plumbing, look at the
consumer unit and poke your head into the loft and spot some lighting
wiring.

You should be able to assess if it looks "decent and newish" or "old,
bodged and crappy".

I think you need to know something more than that. There's new neat unsafe wiring and old mucky safe wiring. Take a pic of the CU & board and show us.

Walk around the floors and look for bouncy or wobbly bits.

If you find those, interpretation is still needed.

Look at the roof from the ground (binoculars if you have access).

Look at the brick work, pointing etc.

Windows and window frames.

Look behind furniture next to an outside wall for tell tale damp patches.

=====
That's quite a lot you can look at visually.


Surveyors? Well - they might spot something - I would say it's worth
engaging a good one.

But in addition, you can also pay for an electrician to do an EICR
(electrical installation condition report) - that'll be 200-300 ish.

I think you'd get better mileage from showing us a pic of the CU & board.

You could also pay a GasSafe person to do a Gas Safety check and boiler
inspection.

You could also get the drains CCTV surveyed.

bit OTT if they work though

Out of those, the EICR offers the most useful check for the money IMO,
over and above what you can see yourself.


The important thing is take your time - refuse to be rushed. Take some
pictures. Mark on the agent's floor plan where the sockets and rads are.
This will let you spent some time planning your layout when you move in.


If you think it could do with an immediate paintjob, I recommend paying
for moving with a few days storage as a buffer and getting the place hit
in one go by the painters.

Can the OP not paint?

Book a carpet clean too. It is all so much
easier to do when the place is devoid of furniture.

no, buy a carpet cleaner, one with a solution pump. It'll save you a whole set of carpets, probably more than once.

Of course, most people don't do half these things, but some do do some
of them, so I merely present as a pool of ideas, not as a "must do list".


As for solicitors - many are useless and slow. Try to find one with a
reputation of being ruthlessly efficient - they do exist.

Be aware of people promising to be fast then proceeding at a rate of snail.


NT

On Wed, 15 Jul 2015 09:56:47 +0000, AnthonyL wrote:

Surveys - well, you're here,

Doesn't mean I'm any good though Took me a long time and wrong
routes to sort a roof leak.

Yebbut you figured out there was a leak. That's all that matters at this
stage.

Tim Watts wrote:
On 15/07/15 09:18, AnthonyL wrote:
For a variety of reasons I've got to being a pensioner and have never
bought a house through an agent in the UK.

I've just had an offer accepted on what appears to be a well presented
and maintained 1960's extended (floor level only) bungalow.

Yes there are lots of websites but I'd appreciate some of this groups
experiences especially with solicitors and surveys plus anything else
you'd do differently if you had known what you know now.



If this is England or Wales, your offer is not binding until exchange -
so you still have an "out".

Me:

Get a torch and a camera. Go and have another look in daylight. Look
under the sink, everywhere where there is visible plumbing, look at the
consumer unit and poke your head into the loft and spot some lighting
wiring.

You should be able to assess if it looks "decent and newish" or "old,
bodged and crappy".

Walk around the floors and look for bouncy or wobbly bits.

Look at the roof from the ground (binoculars if you have access).

Look at the brick work, pointing etc.

Windows and window frames.

Look behind furniture next to an outside wall for tell tale damp patches.

=====
That's quite a lot you can look at visually.


Surveyors? Well - they might spot something - I would say it's worth
engaging a good one.

But in addition, you can also pay for an electrician to do an EICR
(electrical installation condition report) - that'll be 200-300 ish.

You could also pay a GasSafe person to do a Gas Safety check and boiler
inspection.

You could also get the drains CCTV surveyed.


Missus's dad, who (before he got too old) was what I think they used to
call a jobber, told us to throw a bucket of water down each drain. I
found one collapsed gulley that way about 20 years ago, and got a small
price reduction. Although it did cause me a day's work, too.


Out of those, the EICR offers the most useful check for the money IMO,
over and above what you can see yourself.


The important thing is take your time - refuse to be rushed. Take some
pictures. Mark on the agent's floor plan where the sockets and rads are.
This will let you spent some time planning your layout when you move in.


If you think it could do with an immediate paintjob, I recommend paying
for moving with a few days storage as a buffer and getting the place hit
in one go by the painters. Book a carpet clean too. It is all so much
easier to do when the place is devoid of furniture.


Of course, most people don't do half these things, but some do do some
of them, so I merely present as a pool of ideas, not as a "must do list".


As for solicitors - many are useless and slow. Try to find one with a
reputation of being ruthlessly efficient - they do exist.

On Wed, 15 Jul 2015 13:00:13 +0100, Chris J Dixon
wrote:

AnthonyL wrote:

My solicitor was suggesting, a very long time ago, that I should
have a full survey done for a place I was buying. I responded
that the report would be so full of caveats that there would be
great difficulty in taking action in the event of trouble, and
selecting a surveyor based on the adequacy of their insurance
seemed to be rather missing the point. "Not necessarily" he
replied "We have a number of such cases on our hands at the
moment." At which juncture I felt that he had made my point for
me.


One of my miscomprehensions was that solicitors should be good at
logic - totally eradicated after having more dealings than I would
ever want during the past few years.


--
AnthonyL

On Wed, 15 Jul 2015 03:10:06 -0700 (PDT), sm_jamieson
wrote:

On Wednesday, July 15, 2015 at 10:57:02 AM UTC+1, AnthonyL wrote:
On 15 Jul 2015 08:57:48 GMT, Huge wrote:

On 2015-07-15, AnthonyL wrote:
For a variety of reasons I've got to being a pensioner and have never
bought a house through an agent in the UK.

I've just had an offer accepted on what appears to be a well presented
and maintained 1960's extended (floor level only) bungalow.

Yes there are lots of websites but I'd appreciate some of this groups
experiences especially with solicitors and surveys plus anything else
you'd do differently if you had known what you know now.

- Don't do your own conveyancing. (I for one won't do business with you if you
are)


Amongst other things it does seem a "closed shop".

- Get a proper structural survey

- Shop round for a solicitor. Don't be intimidated - they're just tradespeople
like anyone else


And I though tradespeople were honest!

- If anyone mentions subsidence or flooding, run, do not walk, away


I do have a concern in as much as the whole estate was a quarry and
this house (or at least its back garden) is right up against the
quarry wall. So I guess I'd want a view on drainage. The estate has
been there 50yrs and I'd guess a quarry floor would be fairly solid?


If there is literally a cliff at the end of the garden, I might be worried about landslides, or falling rocks. But you say its been there for 50 years. I would still like to inspect what is at the top of the quarry wall.


Not quite literally. The garden is stepped up two levels (it will be
our daily exercise to go to the top level and back). Above that are
shrubs and overgrown greenery before reaching a flat bit, also
overgrown and then the pavement and a road that has been there a long
time. It is not at all readily possible to see the house and garden
from climbing over the shrubs from the pavement - at least I didn't
dare go any further than I did. The whole street (it is a crescent)
has houses against the wall and I didn't see anything of concern when
I went to the top of the garden. But any rain has to somehow get past
the house to the road and hopefully in a controlled way and not
underneath.


--
AnthonyL

On Wed, 15 Jul 2015 09:57:08 +0000, AnthonyL wrote:

If this is England or Wales, your offer is not binding until exchange -
so you still have an "out".

England. Yes very different to Australia where I have bought & sold two
houses.

Also very different to Scotland, where everything's binding much earlier
in the process.

AnthonyL wrote:

I do have a concern in as much as the whole estate was a quarry and
this house (or at least its back garden) is right up against the
quarry wall. So I guess I'd want a view on drainage. The estate has
been there 50yrs and I'd guess a quarry floor would be fairly solid?


Where is the boundary? Is the quarry wall yours or some else's?

Many quarries have sloping floors. This can create a sump at the edge.
In other words, when there's bad weather properties along one edge can
flood.

Bill

On 15/07/15 13:09, wrote:

Surveys seem to be almost valueless in most cases. You get a list of
disclaimers that leave more or less nothing of value. If examination
has revealed no signs of structural problems, no flying freehold, the
taps work etc, what really will a survey add. Other than interpreting
some structural issues the rest its not hard to check yourself.

I've had surveys pick up stuff and occasionally provide additional info
that was interesting.

However, they are not really good value for money. An EICR costs about
1/3 of a full survey and gives you full circuit tests and a sample of
inspections. Can still miss things though - but the overall picture is
pretty accurate.

Same goes for the usual house risks, eg flood, mining subsidence,
explosion etc.

I think you need to know something more than that. There's new neat
unsafe wiring and old mucky safe wiring. Take a pic of the CU & board
and show us.

Indeed.

And there's really ****ty old wiring and wiring with sheaths cut back,
bits of lead cable, rubber cable (I have seen both in houses I looked at
a few years ago).

Walk around the floors and look for bouncy or wobbly bits.

If you find those, interpretation is still needed.

Yes - but if you do, you know that you need to look harder. Is it a
loose board or a rotten joist?

But in addition, you can also pay for an electrician to do an EICR
(electrical installation condition report) - that'll be 200-300
ish.

I think you'd get better mileage from showing us a pic of the CU &
board.

Disagree. The OP can do that and will get value. But EICRs are about the
only reasonable inspection regime I know of, seconded by a drain CCTV
(that will tell you if your drains are cracked or full of roots but not
if they are merely leaking).

You could also pay a GasSafe person to do a Gas Safety check and
boiler inspection.

You could also get the drains CCTV surveyed.

bit OTT if they work though

Just saying...


Out of those, the EICR offers the most useful check for the money
IMO, over and above what you can see yourself.


The important thing is take your time - refuse to be rushed. Take
some pictures. Mark on the agent's floor plan where the sockets and
rads are. This will let you spent some time planning your layout
when you move in.


If you think it could do with an immediate paintjob, I recommend
paying for moving with a few days storage as a buffer and getting
the place hit in one go by the painters.

Can the OP not paint?

DIY painting vs storage costs? Another "just sayin". if the place is
sound but grubby, it could be very attractive to get it hit with a full
inside paintjob just before you move in rather than spin it out for
months. If it is OK-ish, then not.

Book a carpet clean too. It is all so much easier to do when the
place is devoid of furniture.

no, buy a carpet cleaner, one with a solution pump. It'll save you a
whole set of carpets, probably more than once.

Of course, most people don't do half these things, but some do do
some of them, so I merely present as a pool of ideas, not as a
"must do list".


As for solicitors - many are useless and slow. Try to find one with
a reputation of being ruthlessly efficient - they do exist.

Be aware of people promising to be fast then proceeding at a rate of
snail.

On 15/07/15 13:18, Etaoin Shrdlu wrote:

Missus's dad, who (before he got too old) was what I think they used to
call a jobber, told us to throw a bucket of water down each drain. I
found one collapsed gulley that way about 20 years ago, and got a small
price reduction. Although it did cause me a day's work, too.


Good idea.

When I replaced my gutters, I found none of the drains worked. They were
OK in light rain and in heavy rain there was so much water running
around it was hard to see them overflowing (it just backed out the pipe
at ground level and ran along the concrete with the rest of the water.

I bought a USB camera on a 5m cable and did a DIY survey. Rebuilt 2
working drains and engineered the guttering to only need those two.

On Wednesday, 15 July 2015 14:55:12 UTC+1, Tim Watts wrote:
On 15/07/15 13:09, nt wrote:

Surveys seem to be almost valueless in most cases. You get a list of
disclaimers that leave more or less nothing of value. If examination
has revealed no signs of structural problems, no flying freehold, the
taps work etc, what really will a survey add. Other than interpreting
some structural issues the rest its not hard to check yourself.

I've had surveys pick up stuff and occasionally provide additional info
that was interesting.

However, they are not really good value for money. An EICR costs about
1/3 of a full survey and gives you full circuit tests and a sample of
inspections. Can still miss things though - but the overall picture is
pretty accurate.

I doubt an EICR would change my mind re purchasing a house. Whether the wiring's modern or archaic might, but a naked eye can see that easily.


Same goes for the usual house risks, eg flood, mining subsidence,
explosion etc.

I think you need to know something more than that. There's new neat
unsafe wiring and old mucky safe wiring. Take a pic of the CU & board
and show us.

Indeed.

And there's really ****ty old wiring and wiring with sheaths cut back,
bits of lead cable, rubber cable (I have seen both in houses I looked at
a few years ago).

Walk around the floors and look for bouncy or wobbly bits.

If you find those, interpretation is still needed.

Yes - but if you do, you know that you need to look harder. Is it a
loose board or a rotten joist?

or just a light but safe structure


If you think it could do with an immediate paintjob, I recommend
paying for moving with a few days storage as a buffer and getting
the place hit in one go by the painters.

Can the OP not paint?

DIY painting vs storage costs? Another "just sayin". if the place is
sound but grubby, it could be very attractive to get it hit with a full
inside paintjob just before you move in rather than spin it out for
months. If it is OK-ish, then not.

If you want. House buying is usually a money-tight time though, so usually a good time to diy.


NT

On 15/07/2015 12:32, Tim Watts wrote:
IME full surveys do not include any services (apart from a very cursory
comment like "electrics look old".

"The wiring is in urgent need of attention" which upon questioning meant
a full rewire was recommended. Turned out it was required by the
insurance, and when I found live rubber wire under the thatch I agreed.

Andy

In message , AnthonyL
writes

Yes there are lots of websites but I'd appreciate some of this groups
experiences especially with solicitors and surveys plus anything else
you'd do differently if you had known what you know now.

Lots of useful advice so far. I'll add a few general thoughts, although
a lot depends on how well you know the area prior to buying.

Try to visit the area/house at different times of day/days of the week.
Roads only busy at certain times? Do the local chavs circle the area
late at night, exhausts and radios blaring? On the route home from
local pub/chip shop? Gangs of teenagers congregate nearby, just on
Friday night? Next door neighbour parks his HGV outside? Etc.

Orientation of the house? Will the garden be in shadow six months of
the year?

Parking? Road full of cars? Off road? Space for your car(s), trailer,
camper van, caravan, boat, whatever?

Solicitors. Much has been said about modern conveyancing firms. I
prefer a solicitor who has been in business and in the area for years.
He will know things. He will be aware of anything that is just an idea
at present, but may come to fruition later.

--
Graeme

Solicitors. Much has been said about modern conveyancing firms. I
prefer a solicitor who has been in business and in the area for years.
He will know things. He will be aware of anything that is just an idea
at present, but may come to fruition later.


Everyone I know has used the same fixed price solicitors

http://brownssolicitors.co.uk/browns...outbrowns.aspx


Cheap, efficient, and you won't find them at lunch on completion day.
I've known removal lorries parked up in lay bys because some provincial
solicitor has screwed up on the big day.
Surveyors are a waste of money, especially the ones in suits with no ladders

Solicitors. Much has been said about modern conveyancing firms. I
prefer a solicitor who has been in business and in the area for years.


Everyone I know has used the same fixed price solicitors

http://brownssolicitors.co.uk/browns...outbrowns.aspx


Cheap, efficient, and you won't find them at lunch on completion day.
I've known removal lorries parked up in lay bys because some provincial
solicitor has screwed up on the big day.

We were advised to avoid completion on a Friday in case of problems
and finding a solicitor in the chain can't get it sorted by, wants to
bugger off for, the Weekend.

G.Harman

On 16/07/15 08:45, stuart noble wrote:

Solicitors. Much has been said about modern conveyancing firms. I
prefer a solicitor who has been in business and in the area for years.
He will know things. He will be aware of anything that is just an idea
at present, but may come to fruition later.


Everyone I know has used the same fixed price solicitors

http://brownssolicitors.co.uk/browns...outbrowns.aspx


Cheap, efficient, and you won't find them at lunch on completion day.
I've known removal lorries parked up in lay bys because some provincial
solicitor has screwed up on the big day.
Surveyors are a waste of money, especially the ones in suits with no
ladders

True - but there are surveyors who actually go into roof spaces and have
ladders.

On Thu, 16 Jul 2015 07:49:50 +0100, News
wrote:


Try to visit the area/house at different times of day/days of the week.
Roads only busy at certain times? Do the local chavs circle the area
late at night, exhausts and radios blaring? On the route home from
local pub/chip shop? Gangs of teenagers congregate nearby, just on
Friday night? Next door neighbour parks his HGV outside? Etc.


Dead end estate, (shouldn't have used the word dead), full of retired
folk. Apparently there is a teenager somewhere on the street. I used
to live nearby and didn't even know it existed despite being within
walking distance of most facilities.

Orientation of the house? Will the garden be in shadow six months of
the year?


Good point, front facing S but being a bungalow and rear garden raised
there is good light generally.

Parking? Road full of cars? Off road? Space for your car(s), trailer,
camper van, caravan, boat, whatever?


Yes, most seem to get 2 or 3 cars on the drive.

Solicitors. Much has been said about modern conveyancing firms. I
prefer a solicitor who has been in business and in the area for years.
He will know things. He will be aware of anything that is just an idea
at present, but may come to fruition later.


Both the solicitor I contacted and the surveyor know the street and
the type of dwelling. Surveyor already flagging up flat roof before
even going there. They manage a letting just up the road.




--
AnthonyL

On Thu, 16 Jul 2015 08:45:31 +0100, stuart noble
wrote:


Solicitors. Much has been said about modern conveyancing firms. I
prefer a solicitor who has been in business and in the area for years.
He will know things. He will be aware of anything that is just an idea
at present, but may come to fruition later.


Everyone I know has used the same fixed price solicitors

http://brownssolicitors.co.uk/browns...outbrowns.aspx


Cheap, efficient, and you won't find them at lunch on completion day.
I've known removal lorries parked up in lay bys because some provincial
solicitor has screwed up on the big day.
Surveyors are a waste of money, especially the ones in suits with no ladders

Mine has got a ladder and will also crawl into loft space - well so he
says. Seems an "old school" type.


--
AnthonyL

On Thu, 16 Jul 2015 08:45:31 +0100, stuart noble
wrote:


Solicitors. Much has been said about modern conveyancing firms. I
prefer a solicitor who has been in business and in the area for years.
He will know things. He will be aware of anything that is just an idea
at present, but may come to fruition later.


Everyone I know has used the same fixed price solicitors

http://brownssolicitors.co.uk/browns...outbrowns.aspx


Cheap, efficient, and you won't find them at lunch on completion day.
I've known removal lorries parked up in lay bys because some provincial
solicitor has screwed up on the big day.

Same price as mine. My sister used him and he stayed behind till 8pm
to make some arrangement with her.

--
AnthonyL

On Wednesday, July 15, 2015 at 1:19:03 PM UTC+1, Adrian wrote:
On Wed, 15 Jul 2015 09:57:08 +0000, AnthonyL wrote:

If this is England or Wales, your offer is not binding until exchange -
so you still have an "out".

England. Yes very different to Australia where I have bought & sold two
houses.

Also very different to Scotland, where everything's binding much earlier
in the process.

Oh , it really isn`t ,notice the new rash of Sold STC, subject to conclusion , or SSCM, sold subject to conclusion of missives.

Sold in Scotland is just like England now, Sold is when the money is in your bank...

In article , Adam
Aglionby wrote:
On Wednesday, July 15, 2015 at 1:19:03 PM UTC+1, Adrian wrote:
On Wed, 15 Jul 2015 09:57:08 +0000, AnthonyL wrote:

If this is England or Wales, your offer is not binding until exchange
- so you still have an "out".

England. Yes very different to Australia where I have bought & sold
two houses.

Also very different to Scotland, where everything's binding much
earlier in the process.

Oh , it really isn`t ,notice the new rash of Sold STC, subject to
conclusion , or SSCM, sold subject to conclusion of missives.

Sold in Scotland is just like England now, Sold is when the money is in
your bank...


but the point at which you can back out without paying the other party's
expenses is, I think different. After an Englishman's word is his bond -
except when buying a house.

--
Please note new email address:

On Wed, 15 Jul 2015 11:37:38 -0700 (PDT), wrote:

Surveys seem to be almost valueless in most cases. You get a list
of
disclaimers that leave more or less nothing of value. If
examination
has revealed no signs of structural problems, no flying freehold,
the
taps work etc, what really will a survey add. Other than
interpreting
some structural issues the rest its not hard to check yourself.

If you're happy to make the largest single financial transaction
you
will ever make in your life without professional guidance, you go
right
ahead. Me, I'll get a survey.

Me, get a survey to satisfy the mortgage provider and buy suitable
building insurance. If either of those can't be met walk away.
Remember the property isn't 100% yours until you have settled the
mortgage.

--
Cheers
Dave.

On Thursday, July 16, 2015 at 5:35:23 PM UTC+1, charles wrote:
In article , Adam
Aglionby wrote:
On Wednesday, July 15, 2015 at 1:19:03 PM UTC+1, Adrian wrote:
On Wed, 15 Jul 2015 09:57:08 +0000, AnthonyL wrote:

If this is England or Wales, your offer is not binding until exchange
- so you still have an "out".

England. Yes very different to Australia where I have bought & sold
two houses.

Also very different to Scotland, where everything's binding much
earlier in the process.

Oh , it really isn`t ,notice the new rash of Sold STC, subject to
conclusion , or SSCM, sold subject to conclusion of missives.

Sold in Scotland is just like England now, Sold is when the money is in
your bank...


but the point at which you can back out without paying the other party's
expenses is, I think different.

It comes down to signing the Missives which buyers now delay to day of completion or near as possible. Lenders being pedantic is another hassle.

If your a cash buyer make sure the vendor is aware.

After an Englishman's word is his bond -
except when buying a house.

Gazumping and Gazundering...

After centuries of development would think system would be better than it is , get considerably more protection buying a tin of beans.


--
Please note new email address:

On Friday, 17 July 2015 00:28:08 UTC+1, Dave Liquorice wrote:
On Wed, 15 Jul 2015 11:37:38 -0700 (PDT), nt wrote:

Surveys seem to be almost valueless in most cases. You get a list
of
disclaimers that leave more or less nothing of value. If
examination
has revealed no signs of structural problems, no flying freehold,
the
taps work etc, what really will a survey add. Other than
interpreting
some structural issues the rest its not hard to check yourself.

If you're happy to make the largest single financial transaction
you
will ever make in your life without professional guidance, you go
right
ahead. Me, I'll get a survey.

Me, get a survey to satisfy the mortgage provider and buy suitable
building insurance. If either of those can't be met walk away.
Remember the property isn't 100% yours until you have settled the
mortgage.

The best deals are to be had where you can't get either. Like anything in life, what's best depends on your circumstances. A policy of walking away from houses that need work does seem a bit anti-diy though.


NT

On 15/07/15 09:18, AnthonyL wrote:
For a variety of reasons I've got to being a pensioner and have never
bought a house through an agent in the UK.

I've just had an offer accepted on what appears to be a well presented
and maintained 1960's extended (floor level only) bungalow.

Yes there are lots of websites but I'd appreciate some of this groups
experiences especially with solicitors and surveys plus anything else
you'd do differently if you had known what you know now.

Three fallen through sales, two purchases that fell through, six offers
made, over thirty properties viewed; I've learned a lot these two years
past.

Do as much research as you can, ideally before making an offer, before
instructing solicitors etc.

Study local maps, lookup local area on web (many villages etc have own
website). Local papers online. Check council websites for planning
applications: not just current but for the possible history of the
propery. It only costs £3 to check the title at land registry. Fllod
maps can be found at the environment agency website. Check if listed
building.

I have mixed feelings about surveys. It seems you are paying largely for
the professional indemnity insurance, the report will be so full of
caveats and arse covering pieties that anything really important may be
lost in the noise. If possible arrange to meet the surveyor on site
immediately after he has done, you may get more sense face to face than
will be committed to a written report.


http://apps.environment-agency.gov.uk/wiyby/37837.aspx

https://eservices.landregistry.gov.u...0c6McFQH3SLFU/

http://www.britishlistedbuildings.co...p#.VamA73UUV1Y

http://cti.voa.gov.uk/cti/inits.asp

https://www.samknows.com/broadband/exchange_mapping#

http://www.historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list

http://magic.defra.gov.uk/MagicMap.aspx

On 17/07/15 23:29, DJC wrote:
On 15/07/15 09:18, AnthonyL wrote:
For a variety of reasons I've got to being a pensioner and have never
bought a house through an agent in the UK.

I've just had an offer accepted on what appears to be a well presented
and maintained 1960's extended (floor level only) bungalow.

Yes there are lots of websites but I'd appreciate some of this groups
experiences especially with solicitors and surveys plus anything else
you'd do differently if you had known what you know now.

Three fallen through sales, two purchases that fell through, six offers
made, over thirty properties viewed; I've learned a lot these two years
past.

Do as much research as you can, ideally before making an offer, before
instructing solicitors etc.

There's a new problem - smaller "affordable" properties like flats are
getting snapped up on the first day of marketing.

So you are up against people who steam in with an offer and either won't
do much checking or will drop the deal if they find something later.

This looks like it is going to encourage people to make "weak" offers
(with half an intent to back out) just to secure their place in the process.