Owning your own home

@6pt do you mind me asking what you paid please? Cheers will check them out

@TW why is that the constraint on the post-survey possible discount if something needed doing?

@Howard cheers yeah did ask them for some solicitor names when I was struggling, not that they sent any over...
Such a big investment that I do want someone recommended. The ones who are booked in had a look and said roof possibly from the photos straight away

SE London

A timely sale is worth an extra £12,500 to them (and £1,700 to you).

If there is something in the survey that is cause for concern - damp / rot / ancient burial grounds etc... that you think needs a discount on the price, and they tell you to jog on, it will cost them £12,500 (and it's an opportunity cost to you of £1,700, ceteris paribus).

This gives them an incentive to agree to a discount on the sale price of up to £12,500.

Generally the entire chain completes at the same time as everyone needs the money from their sale and no-one wants to end up with two houses (or none). Sometimes someone will break the chain by moving into rented accommodation or similar (in my case I was at the top of a chain with about half a dozen sales but it was actually the parents buying my place for their children so although they had to sell theirs along with the rest of the chain mine didn't need to complete on the same day).

@TW ah cheers I'm with you, but could be more if something was absolutely ruined. I think the roof will be an agenda item for sure

@aggi suppose if you bought without selling you'd have the 2nd home stamp duty to sell too?
Makes sense. I am trying to find that out but suspect it is quite long

I think the roof will be an agenda item for sure

Maybe worth asking off the bat why they haven't gone into the loft.

They may have already priced in the roof's condition, on the assumption that anyone buying the place would be considering going into the loft at some point.

£1320 – level 3 survey, 1920s four bed house, outbuilding.

if you bought without selling you'd have the 2nd home stamp duty to sell too?

There's a window that allows for this, maybe 6 months?

Extra costs in for the additional work on the plastering. 4 days for the labourer and 2 for the plasterer is £720. Which I think is reasonable, given the amount of work they are doing and how happy we are so far.

CSB - they found a 1995 Frisp packet when ripping out the old lathes that must have fallen down when the loft extension was being built.

I think (I could be wrong) you'd still have to pay it and claim back the difference if you sell within that window. That could rule some folks out due to cash available at the time.

Yes I think you're right - I think my sister had to do that but got an extra short-term loan from the mortgage provider. I think.

What buildings insurance companies do people recommend?
Mine is excessively expensive and looking to change, have a couple of quotes but bad reviews (looking at Co-op which is underwritten by Zenith, and something recommended by a broker which is underwritten by Geo Personal Lines)

@hoefla if you have been with the same insurer a while try putting in your neighbours address plus all the same details into a comparison site (eg Moneysupermarket - others are available) and compare the quote. If significantly different, ring up and talk about “price walking” and “complaint” - that should get them reduced pretty fast. Otherwise, try the comparison websites, and if concerned with the insurers quality, check their credit rating on Google.

Thanks good advice.

Made an offer in an email to estate agent ending in 500 (my actual offer)

Estate agent comes back with a different number in a confirmation. I corrected it, but corrected it incorrectly (+15,500 on what they sent, they were 500 less than I'd offered). Some confusion then occurs but only by chance have we all realised (a week after my offer was accepted) that they've offered the vendors the wrong number. Partly my fault, but I sent an email with the actual number, having agreed that would be my offer with the guy on the phone. My email was marked the specific guy I spoke to and someone pointed else picked it up, typed it incorrectly to start the whole shitshow off.

They had one job!

You have to pay it up front and gave 2 years to claim it back from the date of sale.

On surveyors, I used Bevan Surveyors Ltd. Recommended. Thorough, was happy to answer a string of follow-on questions, and his estimates to make good were accurate.

@LHL cheers :) what type of house was it?

@Trunkie is it still a 6 month window but 2 years to sort it tax wise? And from the date of sale of your next or old house?

Apologies, 2 years was a typo - it's 3 years.
You can claim if you sell your main residence (classed as your first home, irrespective of where you actually live) within 3 years of the purchase of the new property. You can claim the refund within 12 months of the sale of the main residence.

Three bed semi in need of some love.