For anyone who is embarking on buying a new property, we know that the process can feel rather overwhelming. At SDBF we are here with expert help for one of the most important parts of the property purchase – the Homebuyer Survey.
The Homebuyer Survey was introduced by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) in the 1980s and is generally completed to a standard format using condition ratings. The SDBF Homebuyer Survey is an adapted form of the RICS survey to make it easier to read and understand. This is the most frequently undertaken survey, which reports on the condition of the property and gives professional advice allowing you to make an informed choice of whether to purchase the property or not.
When you are buying a property, there are various types of survey you can opt for, with the Homebuyer Survey and Building Survey, being the main ones. Our team are fully qualified and have the experience to help advise on which survey you may need and then to carry it out for you.
A Building Survey involves a much more detailed level of investigation and is generally advised for older properties, or those that have been substantially altered. The Homebuyer Survey is a detailed survey, suitable for most conventional properties that are less than 150 years old.
The Homebuyer Survey can provide you with a number of crucial pieces of information – whether the property you want to buy needs urgent repairs; whether there is something that needs more detailed investigation by a specialist contractor; if repairs are required, but not quite so urgently; and anything else that you might need to know about the property, so you can proceed with your purchase secure in the knowledge that you have all the information to hand.
This drawing gives you some idea of the way in which our surveyors assess a property and the level of detail a Homebuyer Survey can provide.
A Homebuyer Survey is a very good way to avoid unexpected repair costs, but also to give you an idea of how much you might need to invest in the property after you have bought it. In some cases, this knowledge can even help with price renegotiations. Statistically, 25% of homeowners who needed expensive building work carried out on their property after moving in, would have known this before purchase, if they had invested in a Homebuyer Survey.
In our experience investing in a Homebuyer Survey does give great peace of mind. One of our clients recently said,
We instructed SDBF Building Consultancy to survey a house that we were hoping to buy and received a very prompt response. The survey was completed swiftly and a comprehensive, practical and comprehensible report received in a timely manner. The reassurance was invaluable when making the biggest purchase of our lives!
Our surveying services can all be tailored to suit your individual requirements and budget. So whatever type of survey you need, we can offer expert advice on every aspect of the survey, if defects are found what these mean and the cost implications for remedial works.
If you are in the process of buying a new home, we are here to help, so do get in touch.
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