Buying a Home

Buying your first home can be exciting, and frightening. Are you doing the right thing? What happens if it all goes wrong? The 'Rules of the Game' are the same for you if it isn't your first time buying.

There are 3 things to bear in mind:

1.The Estate Agent is working for the vendor (seller),  not you. Irrespective of how friendly the Estate Agent is towards you, it is the vendor who has the contract and who will be paying the Estate Agent a commission.

2. Vendors don't always tell the truth.  From experience, vendors do not always tell the truth. They may not actually know the correct answer, or may blatantly lie.

3. Caveat Emptor - 'Let the buyer beware'. A true comment even in ancient Roman times. As the buyer, you have a duty to beware. Although there are some Laws that 'can' protect you, they may not be available due to financial influences.

The first issue about the  Estate Agent  - It is a fact that they are working for the vendor. It is in their interest to try anything to get a buyer to buy a property. Handing out a pamphlet, putting up an advert on a Website, offering to take you round a property all cost money. If they don't obtain a sale their overheads such as wages, an office and so on still have to be paid for.

Secondly;  Vendors don't always tell the truth.  Sometimes it is purely they are not aware of the truth. A recent example was an old lady had just lost her husband and wanted to sell her home. The reason she gave was that the bungalow was too big now her children were grown up and her husband had passed away.

As a surveyor, it was easy to see substantial building work had been carried out over the years (her late husband had been a builder). Mentioning to the vendor that the solicitor will be asking for the Certificates showing the building work had all been approved. The lady said she had all those in an envelope ready. The problem was the documents did not relate to what had been built.

The vendor had not lied as she believed that the documents were correct.

What to look for - A few tips for starters:

• When you have found a property you like, it should be within your budget figure. If you have access to the Internet put in the Post Code of the property and see what comes up.

• Have a look on Zoopla at previous house sales for the property. The Zoopla Website can be really useful. It will show if the property has a history of being frequently being sold? If so, why?

Some classic reasons are:

• Noise
• Pollution
• Traffic

Noise - it is a good idea to revisit the area at various times of the day and evening. Weekends can also be a good time. You don't have to actually go to the property, walking past will do. The idea is to see and hear what the immediate neighbourhood is doing.

Is there loud music screaming out from a neighbouring property?

Is there someone who loves DIY and has machines such as compressors hammering away for hours on end? Classic ones are 'car spraying', or car repairs etc.

Pollution - A new housing estate has been built near a sewage works. Most days there is no nasty smells, but every so often they have to clear the tank / holders. Anaerobic bacteria is used as a digester. Not the most fragrant of smells, but a necessary part of the sewage treatment process.

Traffic  - Occasionally roads are either up-rated, or new ones built. One day a road can be rural with the occasional tractor trundling along. Next day a developer wins a Planning Appeal to build 600 houses on the farm land. The new road becomes a short cut and a very busy and noisy place to live.

It is very useful to check the Local Authority long term plan.

Caveat Emptor  - [Let the  Buyer beware] Unfortunately there is a trend now that if something is wrong someone else is to blame. The trend then extends to wanting compensation.

The client was intending to buy a beautiful 19th century detached house in what was a rural setting. No mains sewer so, a septic tank under the lawn. The vendor showed a sheet of paper quickly that he claimed proof the septic tank was annually inspected so it was all okay.

He was asked if the sheet could be photographed so a copy could go in with the survey report.  The letter headed sheet actually stated that the holding tank had been emptied. Nothing to do with an annual check.

Inspecting the access lids (one corner had been broken off and was letting out a nasty smell), it didn't look good. The drain off area had been designed to run down and under the lawn which was on a hill. The soil was heavy clay.  The vendor later admitted that he had put the system in. It didn't comply with any of the Official Regulations.

By having a Building Survey carried out saved the client extensive worries and possibly thousands. An item on the Internet states that a lady who bought a house with a septic tank, but didn't have a Building Survey carried out.

She thought the Building Society Survey was all she needed. (that is the Valuation Survey). After moving in, she noticed the loo wasn't flushing and clearing. She called in a septic tank specialist surveyor (always recommended when buying property with a septic tank). The whole system was cracking up and cost over £20,000 to put a new system in.

Gardens  - If the property includes a garden, have a look around it. Is the garden neat and tidy, or badly overgrown? Look for any cracks or unevenness if there is a lawn. If there is, ask your surveyor to check it out for possible ground movement.

During dry spells clay soils can very quickly dry and shrink. Your surveyor should look for signs such as fence posts that are leaning, garden walls that are no longer vertical, marshy areas.

Clay soils on hills move. It is estimated they on average will move about 10mm per year. That is natural. However, man is not natural, and has a habit of thinking he can outwit Mother Nature. It isn't going to happen.

Natural - rain, Sunshine and wind. It rains and the water soaks into the ground, forms a stream or river, forms ponds, lakes, seas and oceans.

Areas termed as 'flood plains' have naturally formed to hold excess rain water (surface water) when rivers are too full. Man comes along and thinks he can build on the land if he puts a few drainage pipes in.

It is estimated that over 2,400,000 homes are built on land known to flood. Over 5,000 houses have had Planning Permission to be built on known flood plains.

Does it work? Look at what the Insurance Companies think. Many major insurance companies are declining to insure property against flood damage if known to be in a flood zone. LV have posted an excellent statement that is worth reading:

https://www.lv.com/home-insurance/new-homes-in-flooding-areas

Look at the type of plants or trees. Are they typically water loving such as a weeping willow, moss, reeds etc. It may indicate a problem with water such as a spring. 

A survey highlighted an issue with a saturated garden. It may have been a fractured water pipe? There were no man holes or stop cock access flaps in the rear garden. The sewer and drainage runs were all on the front garden.

Parish Records were then checked. They showed there had been an old pond where the house now stood. The builder had filled in the old pond and built the houses.

Nature had created the underground river and the spring to let the water return to the surface. Dumping a load of hardcore and spoil only temporarily plugged up the spring that fed the pond.

Man eating plants  - Not quite, but they can still cause major damage. Although not that common, there are many cases about. Japanese Knot weed. It is a  notifiable plant. That means the Local Authority should be notified. 

Look on the Internet for Japanese Knot Weed images so you know what to look for. How damaging is it? To your wallet it could be a few hundred to tens of thousands of pounds to have it professionally removed.

What is the plant capable of doing? It can break through concrete, through masonry, and grow in hidden areas such as behind sheds. One vendor who obviously tried to cover it up with decking found it can pop up in the lawn just as easily.

I hope you have found the above useful. They are all things you can do  before  you appoint a Building Surveyor and Solicitor.

Use the Internet to look at satellite images of the property (Google Maps is a useful tool). Note the date of the images as they may not be that recent. It makes it easy to see what is around the property, traffic types using the roads, schools (very often the cause of anti-social parking at 'chuck out times'. Clubs and Pub's can be another issue. Any rivers or lake nearby?

If there are any watery issues, then check on the Government Website. It is free to use and can save you £0,000s in abortive fees if there are flood issues. There is more about flood issues in the book.  https://www.gov.uk/check-long-term-flood-risk

Both  'Buying Your First Home'  and 'House Buyer's Handbook'  have plenty more helpful tips for House Buyers.