If you are a valuation surveyor what are you looking for? A tidy clean house?!

[Brizzle1991]

Having one done for mortgage purposes and DH thinks it should all be presented to the standard we would have if we were selling and having viewings. Do surveyors notice this?! Obvs would be tidy and clean as per normal life standards

You should do everything in your power to make the house look as good as possible. Surveyors will do their best to look through the superficial presentation but we are all humans and we are influenced subconsciously by this stuff.

The surveyor will know the value of similar properties in the area and compare yours with that. So has it been extended? Has it got a new kitchen/ bathroom etc and added value? Most of all, is it worth the loan the buyers want!! They will also look for glaring building faults because they affect value too. Yes, tidy helps but they are really looking at value - hence a valuation survey. It’s in the name!

Sorry - is this a mortgage on a home you already own? The above points still apply. It’s “value” is about loan/deposit ratio.

If it is clean and tidy the surveyor will be more likely to assume your property has been well cared for by you. It gives a good first impression.

@ApolloandDaphne

If it is clean and tidy the surveyor will be more likely to assume your property has been well cared for by you. It gives a good first impression.

This is what we worked by. We figured if it was messy and unkempt (not that we live dirty, but general family chaos) they might think we weren't the sort to keep up with upkeep and as an old property might have concerns in that regard. So we made it "viewing ready" to give them impression we're on top of our sh*t.

Thanks all, great advice

Cfrap survey0r then - if they do ot look at the quality of the b building and just make assumptions!

Most valuers for mortgage purposes don't visit the house but do a tabletop valuation... they look at Zoopla etc to see what other houses have sold for.

They aren't interested in anything other than if the value exceeds the mortgage they will give you so their loan is secure.

Surveyors are looking at something else, but again really aren't interested or impacted by tidiness. HOnestly!

Our lender's valuer is physically at the house we're buying today, @WombatChocolate -- but it would be a difficult house to do a tabletop survey of, for various reasons (it hasn't sold in 20 years, the houses around it are all of different periods and sizes etc), so maybe that's why?

For ours I've had the houses spotless to create a good impression and so they look cared for. But I would imagine surveyors are not looking at this

A mortgage valuation is a tick box exercise they will likely be there for 5 mins. It doesn't need to be show home standard.

Sorry for awful typos. Yes, valuers for a valuation look at values. Is it worth the loan applied for. They start by assessing the area and sold values. Not necessarily Zoopla guestimate values. They do in fact turn up! My DD had her flat checked recently when she applied for a mortgage (complicated - paying us back). The loan was 65% of the value. However if it had not been 65% of the value, because they lopped 20% off the estimated value, her loan would have been more expensive. More of a "risk" for the bank.

It does depend on the house and the market.

If someone wants to borrow high LTV, then there a bigger chance the house won’t be worth the size of the mortgage and the lender could potentially lose out if prices fall or house has been over-priced. When someone is borrowing less than 50% of value, the chances of the price dropping so far as to mean the lender can’t be repaid if it has to be repossessed and sold, is tiny and so tabletop valuation of a standard property where there is lots to compare it to is more likely.

Given mortgage lenders are twitchy....fearing the massive recession were going into and expecting house prices to fall, they require bigger deposits and are more likely to look When valuing to ensure there is enough value in the house if prices do fall for it to be sold by them if repossessed and their loan will be repaid.

It’s true that they are always more likely to look at any time if a property is unusual or difficult to compare.

Never though, is the tidiness of the house going to determine the value.

These valuations are not full surveys. They aren’t looking at all the details such as electrics or maintenance. They certainly aren’t looking at if it’s been hoovered .It is about the broad value of the property in relation to the loan that is given.

Often a valuer is a different person to the surveyor. They can be the same person but often people want their own survey carried out whereas the valuer is essentially working for the mortgage lender even if it’s you who has to pay.