5 perfect reasons to order a survey

When you're in the process of looking for a new home to buy, there are so many things to consider - not the least being the number of things that have a cost associated with it. 

Most of these are necessary expenditures, and you can't get through the exercise of moving home without budgeting for them. Some examples include finding a good, reliable and fast conveyancer, but there are other costs, such as ordering a survey, that might be way down on the list of necessities and, therefore, sometimes dropped in the mistaken belief that it might save a little bit of money, particularly when the costs of moving seem to mounting.

But, if you ignore the condition of the property you want to buy, for the simple reason of saving money - or perhaps your heart tells you to buy it because of the asking price or maybe its prime and ideal location completely satisfies your needs - then this might come back to bite you badly in the end.

At Surveyor Local, we understand how vital a survey can be in reassuring a buyer or uncovering issues that could become costly further down the line. Whether you opt for a HomeBuyer's Survey or a RICS Level 3 Survey, you are guaranteed expertise every time, because we only work with chartered surveyors who are members of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS).

If you are still uncertain and have found a property that ticks all your other boxes, here are five perfect reasons for you to hold back until you have had a survey completed on it.

Whichever survey you think is appropriate for your needs and for the property you want to buy, you will be able to use the information that your chartered surveyor has detailed in the report to help you make an informed decision on whether to go ahead with the purchase. 

The Level 3 Survey is more detailed than the Homebuyer's Survey, and your choice of which is the best for your needs depends on the property, its construction, its age and location. If you are at all uncertain,  you can discuss the details and your requirements with our team, who will be happy to advise you on the appropriate choice. It's a quick call on 0800 022 4428!

Once you are in receipt of your survey, you will have all the information you need on the structural state of the property. The survey report will also identify a variety of issues such as damp, wood-rot and insect infestations, in addition to the more costly problems such as subsidence, roof-sag or bulging walls.

Ultimately, it's your choice whether to go ahead with the purchase, but the information in the survey will give you a clear understanding on the state of the property - and what immediate and future costs might be coming your way if you do go ahead.

You've got your survey report from the surveyor, and it has highlighted a number of fairly serious issues, which need to be remedied quickly and are going to incur significant costs to do so.

Armed with this information and data, you will be able to use it as a reason to renegotiate the asking price with the seller.

Or you can obtain an agreement as to who will pay for the repairs, perhaps coming to a compromise if that helps conclude the discussions.

And, of course, if the seller is unwilling to come to such an agreement, and you think taking on the burden of reparation costs yourself is too much, you can always pull out of the deal all together. 

Remember, just because you've had your original offer accepted doesn't mean that you are compelled to go ahead with the purchase - this too can be a powerful bargaining tool.

If you order any of the surveys on offer, they will all include a valuation of the property you want to buy.

The valuation is performed by the chartered surveyor, using their specialist knowledge of the type of property, its construction and the area in which it is located.

This valuation ensures that you're not paying over the odds for a home that is severely overvalued. 

And, again, this information will be a powerful bargaining tool with which to enter renegotiations on the asking price.

When you instruct a chartered surveyor through Surveyor Local, you can be assured that you have an expert by your side, talking you through the details of their findings.

Your surveyor is available for discussion before the survey takes place, allowing you to discuss any specific areas of concern that you have personally identified and anything that you think warrants particular attention.

They will also be available once the report is delivered to talk through the findings and discuss the best way to proceed with rectifying any issues that have been included in the survey.

There's no getting away from the fact that moving home is a stressful business.

And, from a financial standpoint, you are on the point of spending hundreds of thousands of pounds on your new home. 

Therefore, spending a couple of hundred pounds to find out the details of the condition of the property you're wanting to buy is surely worth the cost to gain the peace of mind that will take away at least a part of that overall stress.

You'll also have the peace of mind that you've done everything you can to find out whether this particular property is a worthwhile investment or not.

Looking for a quality, focused chartered surveyor at a price that is good value for money?

That's where it is really worth contacting Surveyor Local! 

Surveyor Local only works with members of RICS to offer home buyers a comprehensive range of surveys that are affordable and will provide the information required on a property. 

Your appointed surveyor will be local to the property you are buying so they will know the area and bring that knowledge to their assessment and their analysis of the issues with the new home.

Not only will the surveyor work hard to find all the problems affecting the property, they will also be keen to adopt new and proven technology in order to give the best survey possible.

Surveyor Local will provide a quote that will not change - what you are quoted is what you pay. 

Next-day bookings are usually available, and your appointed surveyor will look after arranging access to the property with the estate agent and the seller. Once the survey is complete, they will send you a PDF copy of the report by email.

Call  to get your survey quote started, or to discuss your concerns with the acquisition of your planned property.

Or you can get a quick quote, using Surveyor Local's easy-to-use quote generator. Simply input your name, postcode, email address, phone number and an approximate value of the property (usually the agreed price), and we'll give you an instant quote for the work (with an email copy). 

We'll do the rest once you confirm your acceptance of the quote.