Surveys..... Do they make it look as bad as possible?

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Catherine1

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I just got my copy of the survey...... He did a good job and found a load of problems! Lots of recommendations as the house is from the 1950s and obviously not in compliance with modern regulations. We need an electrician to check the wiring, a plumber to check the plumbing and someone to check the roof. And CCTV on the drains to check them for blockages etc. Rural property with an old septic tank. It doesn't help that the EA has not turned up at the last two appointments so we couldn't get the water or heating on for the survey......
I assume a surveyor points out all defects and alerts you to possible ones, that is what our guy did, and the report is very detailed. It just looks a bit scary on paper. He said to get entire central heating redone, for example, but I know it worked as when the EA first gave us a viewing, it was on and all rads were working and the house felt warm. Yes, it would probably need upgrading in the future of course, the house is old after all! I don't want to walk away from this house. I think the EA knows that and at this point I am starting to hate her to be honest. They accepted our offer which was 30k under asking before the survey was done. Ours was the best offer since it went on the market. Closest was 20k less before Christmas. Are we in a position now to ask for a further reduction on the price, to allow for at least some of the repairs? I was thinking 10k less......

Also, how would this affect the mortgage approval in principle? Would we have to start all over again and reapply for a mortgage? If we went with a different house, at the same original mortgage cost, would we also have to reapply from scratch?

A lot of questions I know. Jays us the stress of this is terrible! Especially as I love this house so so much....... Nothing else like it where we need it......
 
Catherine 1. As far as the survey is concerned were you getting this done for yourself or was it a requirement for the bank and was the bid you submitted to the estate agent subject to survey/loan. Was the surveyors report in writing. It would be a good idea to have an electrician test the system and this will probably cost you €150 + and I would also get the plumber who will cost in the same region. As it is a farm house with septic tank I would ask the plumber to bring 9 or or sewer rods with him and he should be able to check the waste water and sewerage system with this which will eliminate the need for a specialist with a cctv system. The mortgage approval "in principle" if it covers the current amount and is not house or time specific will leave your options open. If you are not in a binding contract situation which your solicitor will advise you on you can use the surveyors report to possibly renegotiate. Pity you jumped in with a €20K extra bid at the start. If you do have the opportunity of renegotiating the price you will need to do it in a way where you are not seen as messers. You know what I mean.
 
Thanks a million Dermot. The survey was for ourselves, the bank were happy with just a valuation. We initially knew the other bid was for 50k under asking..... We tried 40k under and were told they would only accept what we eventually offered. It was subject to mortgage approval (since obtained) but not subject to a survey. We certainly are not messers, this is my absolute dream home, for life. I want to leave there feet first! I do not think the EA thinks we are messers either..... If anything she knows that I am in love with this property...... And if anyone has to play a bit of hard ball, it will have to be me. We can afford to buy with a small mortgage, furnish entirely and do maybe 2-5k worth of repairs immediately. But if we need to fork out 20k immediately, we simply cannot afford it, to be honest. We want to be able to continue to save, not get further into debt, even if anyone would loan us extra lol.

I will go through the report again with a highlighter tomorrow. It was submitted in writing and in great detail. I recommend the guy, very nice and decent and a geat report. Will ask him if it is ok to mention him here first though. Some of the things do not concern me really, like rats, as I have terriers and cats who live in the house. Just need to leave the cats for a few days and then block up entry points. God, it sounds like a slum now lol! I will call the EA when I am good and ready. No point booking a plumber unless she is there to turn on the water eh? Will get him to rod it too, thanks for that tip. I heard CCTV is very costly. If it just a rat nest the rods should clear it. Himself's father knows an electrician too.

No contracts have been signed at all yet. The seller needs to sell pretty quickly for personal reasons. We are the only serious buyers, have paid deposit and they know we want the house. The mortgage approval could have ime limitations but I don't think it is limited to this house. We would have to check with bank and find a new house and get it valued though.......when we went for it, we got approval before they did the valuation.
 
In relation to the messers statement what I meant was not to come across as messers to the EA. When the childbirth time comes around I hope it is a good experience as I hope the new house will be for you both. The best of luck and hope there are no more problems for you. Let us know how it all goes.
 
Thanks dermott. I will let you know what happens. Next step is to get survey read by a builder friend, get the electrician and plumber, and make a decision! But I really hope this becomes my home.........
 
As you have not signed contracts you can still pull out and have negotiating power to reduce your bid. I'd give them a copy of the survey to help them concentrate. A report like that would put off a lot of people. And if you let your bank see it they might cancel your mortgage approval. I had CCTV done for the drains once, I think it costs a couple of hundred euros.
 
The survey report came with a clear legal condition that it was not to be shared with a third party. We cannot show it to the EA or vendor. We wouldn't want to show it to the bank! The valuation is still pretty much on target as we got it for 30k less than asking. OHs fatheris a builder and thinks we should go ahead, but will need to update over time. I expected that with an old house though. Truth is, for the same money, we could get a new house closer to Dublin on an estate. I honestly would rather a mobile home on a site. Each to their own, and I need the countryside.
 
I will ring the surveyor though, he said to. Will ask him if I can show the EA a copy without giving it to her. He might say no. But I could give me a bit of bargaining....... Even a few grand would make a difference to the repairs.
 
There's nothing to stop you summarising the contents (or some of them) of the survey and sending it to the ea. I did a very serious comprehensive email to the ea after survey and damp report and builders estimate explaining how the problems were over and above what might have been expected even in an old house. They agreed a discount on that basis. I think the trick was to identify the issues that were unusual and not to be expected and then to show that I had got reasonable estimates and had gone to a lot of trouble.

I don't know what I would have done if they had said no.
 
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