So, a survey on my property happened...
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A surveyor is more likely to get repeat business if he says something, anything, which indicates that he looked closely at the property, though. So while I wouldn't expect him to make something up, he could certainly exaggerate a minor issue which doesn't really need anything doing to it.
Sorry, you are talking crap.
"If you think it's expensive to hire a professional to do the job, wait until you hire an amateur." Red Adair. Those who seek perfection will only find imperfection nils illegitimus carborundum me, me, me me, in pictures
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Quote:
I'm stunned that people do not understand the value of a survey.
Suggest a survey.[^] Let's get to the bottom of this. :)
There are only 10 types of people in the world, those who understand binary and those who don't.
I see what you did there - clever. :thumbsup:
"If you think it's expensive to hire a professional to do the job, wait until you hire an amateur." Red Adair. Those who seek perfection will only find imperfection nils illegitimus carborundum me, me, me me, in pictures
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BobJanova wrote:
but it sounds like someone trying to justify his role to me.
A surveyor's job is to thoroughly inspect the property and report back anything they find. It isn't personal and they get the same fee regardless of what they find. They can also be sued if the survey fails to report on something which affects the value or structure of the home. He has reported the joists because that was what he found. Again, I'm stunned that people do not understand the value of a survey.
"If you think it's expensive to hire a professional to do the job, wait until you hire an amateur." Red Adair. Those who seek perfection will only find imperfection nils illegitimus carborundum me, me, me me, in pictures
This contract[^] I believe is a pretty standard contract for home inspectors, I haven't puchased a home in ten years so things may have changed. I however, remember vividly reading the last contract and asking the person if I had any recourse if anything major was wrong with the house, and he said 'no, see it's written right there' pointing to the contract. Peronally, I don't think they care one way or another, as long as the check doesn't bounce.
from the link:
Disclaimer of Warranty: The Client acknowledges that the report is in no way a written warranty, guarantee, insurance policy, or substitute for legally required real estate transfer disclosures. Your inspector is a home inspection generalist and is not acting as a licensed engineer or expert in any craft or trade. If XXXX Home Inspections llC recommends consulting other specialized experts, Client must do so at Client's choice and expense.
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This contract[^] I believe is a pretty standard contract for home inspectors, I haven't puchased a home in ten years so things may have changed. I however, remember vividly reading the last contract and asking the person if I had any recourse if anything major was wrong with the house, and he said 'no, see it's written right there' pointing to the contract. Peronally, I don't think they care one way or another, as long as the check doesn't bounce.
from the link:
Disclaimer of Warranty: The Client acknowledges that the report is in no way a written warranty, guarantee, insurance policy, or substitute for legally required real estate transfer disclosures. Your inspector is a home inspection generalist and is not acting as a licensed engineer or expert in any craft or trade. If XXXX Home Inspections llC recommends consulting other specialized experts, Client must do so at Client's choice and expense.
That's in the US; the OP is in the UK which is a little different and far more detailed. I would not even consider buying a home in the UK without having first obtained a thorough and professional survey and it has saved me a lot of time and money in the past.
"If you think it's expensive to hire a professional to do the job, wait until you hire an amateur." Red Adair. Those who seek perfection will only find imperfection nils illegitimus carborundum me, me, me me, in pictures
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That's in the US; the OP is in the UK which is a little different and far more detailed. I would not even consider buying a home in the UK without having first obtained a thorough and professional survey and it has saved me a lot of time and money in the past.
"If you think it's expensive to hire a professional to do the job, wait until you hire an amateur." Red Adair. Those who seek perfection will only find imperfection nils illegitimus carborundum me, me, me me, in pictures
mark merrens wrote:
little different and far more detailed
Seems like it's a lot different, here it seems more of a necessary evil, though I'm not sure why it seems necessary, other than it's what is traditionally done.
mark merrens wrote:
it has saved wasted me a lot of time and money in the past
might be more accurate here in the U.S.
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I am in process of buying and selling a house. The buyers of our property have completed their survey and after speaking the the surveyor he mentioned that the joists in the kids bedroom seemed to be a problem and need investigating. The house is an old house (1870 - 1900) and I have not noticed a problem but what will this mean? I have no idea on what could happen in terms of cost but don't want to loose the buyer. Should I take the cost out of their pocket money or should I hold my ground?
Sounds like the basic inspection which is essentially 100% visual. If they see anything it gets reported as 'potential', 'may be' or 'might', they aren't paid to investigate deeper. It's probably a valuation survey that would also be used by the mortgage company as part of the risk assessment for the loan. It either needs negotiating with the potential buyer, assuming their mortgage company accept it as is, or a specific survey on that issue that will determine if it is real or not. Plaster cracking for example, in the first type of survey, can easily be reported as 'potential subsidence' or 'lack of joists above patio doors / under removed chimney breasts', meaning you need a more expensive survey to say that it's just plaster cracking. Bon courage. M
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I am in process of buying and selling a house. The buyers of our property have completed their survey and after speaking the the surveyor he mentioned that the joists in the kids bedroom seemed to be a problem and need investigating. The house is an old house (1870 - 1900) and I have not noticed a problem but what will this mean? I have no idea on what could happen in terms of cost but don't want to loose the buyer. Should I take the cost out of their pocket money or should I hold my ground?
Could depend on local ordinances but in general contract law is what applies and that is what specifies what the two parties agree to. And of course there are many influences which might impact what the seller and buyer are willing to do.
db7uk wrote:
Should I take the cost out of their pocket money or should I hold my ground?
First step of course would be to find out what the exact problem is, what impact it might have and what it would take to fix it (time and money.)
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mark merrens wrote:
little different and far more detailed
Seems like it's a lot different, here it seems more of a necessary evil, though I'm not sure why it seems necessary, other than it's what is traditionally done.
mark merrens wrote:
it has saved wasted me a lot of time and money in the past
might be more accurate here in the U.S.
jeron1 wrote:
Seems like it's a lot different, here it seems more of a necessary evil, though I'm not sure why it seems necessary, other than it's what is traditionally done.
As an example. I bought a new-build house and had my friend survey it for me. He found over 800 issues (most of which were trivial) but there were a number of important issues that I was able to get the builders to attend to and had them agree to him resurveying, at their cost, once the fixes were made. On the other hand, the last house I bought, the surveyor only found 3 issues of note which were actually quite small. They provide an invaluable service and I would never buy a house without a full survey.
jeron1 wrote:
might be more accurate here in the U.S.
Agreed: it would be less expensive to simply bulldoze the property and start again. :-)
"If you think it's expensive to hire a professional to do the job, wait until you hire an amateur." Red Adair. Those who seek perfection will only find imperfection nils illegitimus carborundum me, me, me me, in pictures
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I am in process of buying and selling a house. The buyers of our property have completed their survey and after speaking the the surveyor he mentioned that the joists in the kids bedroom seemed to be a problem and need investigating. The house is an old house (1870 - 1900) and I have not noticed a problem but what will this mean? I have no idea on what could happen in terms of cost but don't want to loose the buyer. Should I take the cost out of their pocket money or should I hold my ground?
Knock some money off the purchase price and sell the place as-is. You don't want to be on the hook for finding a contractor, scheduling a repair, verifying the job was done right, etc. Just knock 500-1000 off the price and let somebody else deal with it.
Play my game Gravity: Android[^], Windows Phone 7[^]
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Ask the buyers what the problem is, and then decide what action needs to be taken.
Use the best guess