Buy a Survey not a Problematic Property
1stAssociated.co.uk can provide help and advice with regard to building surveys, structural surveys, independent valuations, property surveys, structural reports, engineers reports, specific defects report, home buyers report’s or any other property matters.
Please Free Phone 0800 298 5424 for a friendly chat with one of our surveyors.
Bargain property?
We recently looked at a house that had been flooded; unfortunately, it was part of a probate sale and hadn’t been insured.
The work was now being carried out in a hit and miss style and it looked like it was being sold at a bargain price. However, when we added up the various items that needed repair or replacement, it cost tens of thousands of pounds.
Hidden problems
You also have the added risk of what is happening under the floor because of the leaks that had occurred in the bathroom. These leaks had brought the ceilings down, got the walls wet and had also gone through the ground floor and into the ground and whatever construction was in this area.
Trees causing problems
In addition, there were trees nearby which could be causing problems.
Buying a problem, not a bargain
So, it worked out that once we had carried out all the calculations, this particular client would have been buying a problem that was known about and by the time it was fixed, this house would have been expensive and possibly ten percent over the market value.
Other surveying articles that may be of interest
http://www.1stassociated.co.uk/condensation-and-dampness.asp
http://www.1stassociated.co.uk/articles/all-you-ever-wanted-to-know-about-trees.asp
Bathroom Pack
We have recently been coming across quite a few problems with what is known in the industry or trade as the ‘bathroom pack’. These ‘bathroom packs’ consist of a bath, wash hand basin and a W.C. They are very cheap, ranging from about £200 up to about £500. They give you a package of things to help you upgrade the bathroom to the latest style. They are something that is regularly used to spruce up a property that is going to be rented out.
We have recently been put in a difficult position by one of these ‘bathroom packs’ when we were replacing something as simple as a toilet seat. The big DIY company that supplies the ‘bathroom pack’ doesn’t supply the seat, or to be exact it only supplies it as an order item, and the toilet seat alone is one quarter of the pack price of the entire bathroom and is only available by order. You can’t get the item delivered to the property because the property has to be occupied and they are normally empty when rented. So all in all what looked like a good idea has become a bad idea.
Beware of buying a problem property
So beware, whether a small or big problem, you can buy into these if you are not careful. We, of course, are Chartered Building Surveyors and would recommend that you have a building surveyed prior to legally committing to purchase the property. As for ‘bathroom packs’ you just need to consider are they really a bargain?
Why Have an Independent Building Survey?
Always have an independent building survey as this will highlight any property problems. Caveat emptor means buyer beware and is why you need to have a building survey to find out if there are any problems within the property; the estate agent certainly will not advise you of any.
Remember the building Surveyor that you employ will be the only person working for you with your interests at heart.
We would reiterate that we highly recommend you always make sure when you have a survey you meet your Surveyor at the property.
Please contact us on 0800 298 5424 to have a free of charge friendly chat with one of our surveyors
Test Us
We feel that we have surveyed nearly every type of building, please phone us on 0800 298 5424 to test us to see if we have an example survey of the type of property you are looking to buy.
Commercial Property
If you are looking for commercial property, whether it is freehold or leasehold, we would recommend a survey as this will prevent dilapidations claims in the long run. You may wish to look at our Dilapidations Website at www.DilapsHelp.com and for Disputes go to our Disputes Help site www.DisputesHelp.com, both of which we have been advised are very helpful!
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