Do I get a full survey in order to sell?

[JMAC]

I own a cottage in Essex, circa 1560. Exposed beams throughout, IngleNook f/place and many attractive features and enclosed cottage garden. I have been trying to sell since April and have been dropping the price since to attract more than an initial viewing from most parties. Issue is most people love the property and features but suspect there could be much work to do. I am aware that DPC may be needed and have a very brief review from one damp company who say plates may need raising at ground level. Also, electrics probably need replacing and roof needs some minor repair.
My issue is I have no facts to hand, only conjecture of people who dont want to get their own surveys done (perhaps understandably). Would it be wise to commission my own full structural survey to gauge the level of work required to ensure the 'price is right'? Has anyone had to do this before as a 'seller' rather than a 'buyer' in the market?
....I should add my Estate Agent is currently 'Beresford'. Perhaps not the right choice for a property of this type. It's Chelmsford area - does anyone have good recommendations?

 

[Mark]

I think it would be a good idea as you can ensure that you use someone who knows about that age/type of property rather that someone who only usually deals with wimpey/barratt homes and thus avoid all the stupid 'you must put in a DPC and treat for woodworm' rubbish

 

[Nemesis]

I think a DPC is probably not required, they so rarely are, and if you keep dropping the price why not get the roof and electrics done instead?

Period buildings aren't everyone's cup of tea, and you will find viewers who are there simply to look inside.

The right buyer will come along eventually.

Paying for a survey from someone who does know about period buildings might help you see what needs to be done, I suspect a buyer would still want one of their own.

Maybe it's something you could offer as an incentive - to pay for a survey from a SPAB recommended surveyor, to anyone who is serious about purchase?

 

[NT]

or offer to go halves. But this might send that signal of desperation. Is it being advertised in the right places?


NT

 

[Mark]

Dont think it is desperation. But if people come round and think 'great house but its going to cost a fortune to sort it out' (which is how I read the OP) then either the risk looks too big or the price is too high.

you can reduce risk by sorting out the things that need doing - but that still leaves uncertainty if you are talking about a 16c timber frame property. A GOOD survey clarifies that risk further.

 

[AMc]

If I were you I would get an estimate (not a formal quote) from an electrician to rewire. Don't waste someone's time working out the exact price but get an indication from a professional what the likely cost could be. If you have this in writing then it can mitigate the risk for the buyer and the sparks will be first in line for the job if the buyer is new to the area.

If the roof repairs are truely minor then I would get them done before they become major or if you can't afford it - get another estimate.

Damp - you could read up a lot here. If a damp company is recommending raising plates can you look at lowering the external levels?

Also have a face to face with the estate agent and ask them why they haven't sold your house (that is their job not yours).

You may find that spending a few quid on some white paint, putting some stuff into storage and buying a bunch of flowers will actually make it much easier to sell the house.

 

[MdB]

Also have a face to face with the estate agent and ask them why they haven't sold your house (that is there job not yours).

Ditto this advice and tell the estate agent to be absolutely honest as to why it hasn't sold. You might think your 27 dogs are absolutely lovely and the orange lounge is the bees knees but your buyers may not. The estate agent will know this but may be unwilling to tell you this unless you specifically raise it.

Also, selling old / expensive properties is harder than selling new / cheaper places as there are far fewer buyers around. When we bought 18 months ago, most properties we looked at had been for sale for 6 months and very few new ones turned up while we were looking suggesting the turn over was slow.

 

[Penners]

Would it be wise to commission my own full structural survey to gauge the level of work required to ensure the 'price is right'?

The problem with this idea is that some people may be sceptical as to the reliability of the survey, given that it would be done for you and not for them. They might also wonder why you had to resort to this measure in order to try and sell - it could seem suspicious.

 

[alice]

Finding the right real estate agent is SOOOO important. If you're not comfortable with the one you have, I would seriously consider the advice you've gotten here and have a meeting with yours to hash out any problems.

My husband and I were planning on selling our place here in Texas last spring, but life got in the way and we've put it off until next spring. Last January we interviewed a couple of people and, frankly, I was less than pleased. Some lied to me about minor things to my face and if they'll lie about something like "Have you sold other house in this neighborhood" what will they lie about when real money is involved? Another came in and complained about the fact my house had two stories, when she prefered to sell bungalows. Sorry, I can clear out the clutter, but I can't turn a two story house into a one story house.

If the agent doesn't like older homes and sees them as damp and dreary, then he can't get enthused about selling your house. If he doesn't know about older homes and enjoy learning their history, then he can't answer buyer's questions intelligently.

To me, selling a house is too important and too big an investment to trust to someone who's merely adequate. I'm re-interviewing this December before I put my house on the market and if you're not happy with your agent, I'd advise you to do the same.

alice

 

[Moo]

When we sold our house-before-last we got quotes for all the things we knew still needed doing and adjusted the price accordingly.

Our (excellent) estate agent gave this information to prospective purchasers and told them that we had been totally open and honest about it (which we had) and were not, therefore, prepared to haggle about the price.

Things were very slow for a while but in the end, in a falling market, we ended up with two couples engaging in a bidding war.

ps I really would recommend paying for a proper expert report on the suspected damp, if only to prevent whoever buys the house from doing horrid and unnecessary things to it.

 

[Nemesis]

The SPAB issues details of houses for sale in need of some work in a booklet issued every now and again to members.

 

[Moo]

... and what about advertising on PPUK?

 

[AMc]

The other thing that occurs to me is the building survey you commission is (notionally) confidential to you - at least the one we had done prepurchase last year had that in the contract and boilerplate in the report.

Though you can show it to a 3rd party the surveyor will have no legal liability if they choose to act on it. It is unlikely they would be able to use it to secure a mortgage either so any buyer might end up replicating the work & cost anyway.

 

[Stephen]

I should firstly declare an interest in that I am a Chartered Building Surveyor and work in the Essex area (based c.30-45 mins from you).

Do not think that you need to have a 'full' survey. Most independent surveyors will adapt what they do and the report they produce to suit the client's requirements.

Whatever is produced will be for you and whilst a surveyor may not object to a potential purchaser reading the report they will not have a legal liability to that purchaser. The purchaser may not wish to trust a report prepared for the vendor and there could stil be a clash between he vendor and purchaser surveyors opinions.

However, if what you want is someone to advise you on what you should do (or not do) supported by a formal letter or brief report this could be very useful to you (and your agents) in deciding what to do and how to deal with purchasers.

Although purchasers may not trust a report prepared for the vendor it may at least give them some reassurance about issues that might otherwise have caused them concern and may help get you further down the road of negotiation, etc than at present. It sounds as if the purchasers are being put off simply due to the unknown and if you can remove some of the uncertainty this might encourage them to continue considering a purchase and taking the next steps.

I agree with others that for certain issues (e.g. electrics, heating, etc) you could either produce up to date test documents, etc or simply provide some budget cost guides produced by contractors.

Stephen

 

[Mark]

tbh thats down to you to negotiate.

edit reply to AMC

 

[Nemesis]

Re - first post - have a look in 'Country Life' at the agents - they may be more suited to your sort of property.

 

[clematis]

Hmmm.....not sure Beresfords are the right agent. My huband and I are down the road to you (Rodings) and have just bought a period cottage and looked through agents who have lots of these on their books and are experienced in this type of property. Agents such as Mullucks, Savills, Hetheringtons seem quite clued up and market period properties well. We used the Dunmow branches but I'm sure they'd extend to the Chelmsford area or may have associates in that locality. Give them a call and see what they say. Good luck!

 

[Pford75]

Shameless plug /ON

My brother is an estate agent in Chelmsford....has worked with me on a number of the period houses we have owned....and has a worrying tendency to be brutally honest with vendors (and I do mean brutal)

If you really do want an honest appraisal of the price and the state of the property, PM me

Shameless plug /OFF