Ok, own up! What did you lumber your buyer with?

[BluTangClan]

Much like an old car, it's got to the stage with our house where we think "do we spend loads of money fixing it all, or bodge it all and try to sell it?".

So here's the opportunity to own up to; the mould you painted over, the crack in the wall that you moved the bookcase in front of, the hob that doesn't work when the oven's on, and the iron mark on the carpet that you put the rug on top of.

We will forgive you your sins without judgement.

@Thewithesarehere

RICS is the professional organisation for chartered surveyors. Most home surveys are done by one of them.

www.rics.org/uk/

@Forthisisnt

Awful thread

It is I am in the process of buying a house and now I am terrified. Glad that I read the thread I am taking my builder with me on my second viewing as advised by a poster on this thread

@NewHouseNewMe

So we had to shower in a pod on the drive for three months while insurance was sorted out. Wow that's a new one *@EdgedInBlue* Was it like a festival shower unit?

It's was a giant trailer/portacabin on wheels thing. Had a shower, loo and sink. Insurance provided its to us but had to run of our electricity and water and cost a fortune.

Door at the back near the gate from the back garden. Gate is a few metres from back door. Not fun nipping out in wind and rain.

I left my last house immaculate, had had a leaky tap replaced the day before the move and a couple of other minor things done. However as the removal men were moving the fridge freezer I noticed that the brick floor underneath it was ungrouted. I'd had no idea as a flooring company had done the grouting originally. It wouldn't have taken a lot for me to just grout but I didn't know where the grout was packed and the removal men were in a rush so I left it. Apologies lovely young couple if you're reading this

Our sellers left huge nails in all the walls. Claimed they had packed their tools. I was not impressed.

[quote GiantKitten]@Thewithesarehere

RICS is the professional organisation for chartered surveyors. Most home surveys are done by one of them.

www.rics.org/uk/[/quote]
Thanks @GiantKitten.
Are they more reliable than others?
On our next move, I will take do a full structural survey and will also take my builder friends with me for viewing.

I believe RICS are generally good although I only have bought one home. The survey we had was thorough and accurate. The market was a little slower then than now, and they valued the house at 5k less than our offer. 5k was the exact amount we used to address the issues. So the survey was a positive experience for us, I am amazed that some of the things here weren't picked up as much less significant things were mentioned on ours.

Surveyors are odd - on my current house he said there was an issue with the front bay (there wasn't, it was the BACK bay that had issues) and detected no damp. So I've had to spend almost £4000 putting in a damp course (including taking rads off and on, replastering and redecorating), and rebuilt the back bay. Front bay is still doing well.
Another house the surveyor made a huge deal about damp readings in a chimney breast. I got the seller to fix the flashing but the surveyor was all 'it will need plaster removed, dried out then replastered'. It didn't- four years and no problems at all. A surveyor missed the fact all the floor joists and plates needed replacing - I know they don't have xray vision, but if they can't spot such structural issues what is their point? I've had damp reports (recommended by surveyor) saying £4000 needed spending only to find it just needed better ventilation and the heat in in winter. I've had other damp reports totally missing wet rot throughout.
I've just had a full structural on the Edwardian house I'm buying and met him there after. He was very chilled and 'well it's and old house you'd expect x,y and z'. I suppose I should be happy he didn't find any horrors but I spent £1100 to be told stuff i already knew - I was hoping he could tell me why there were big holes stuffed with rags on external wall, all he did was shrug his shoulders and said 'maybe a boiler in the past'. The office convinced me I need full structural because of the changes I wanted to make, but all he said was that I'd need a steel beam when I took the back wall down (no kidding) and that moving the bathroom was possible if I ran the waste under the floorboards. Well, gee, I know it's not coming out the front of the house already! His written report was just the same as a Homebuyers except written out rather than the traffic light system. He came highly recommended too.
I've always left a bottle of wine, welcome letter and helpful tips like when the bin men come.

House we bought had slipped an inch and a half down the hill: surveyor totally missed this. They also missed leaking roof. (Electrics and heating condemned, which we only knew about because I basically tortured the truth out of the estate agent.) Bought with the intention of fully renovating.

But honestly what is the point of getting the survey done?

@Faranth

Not me, I wasn't involved in the sale - but a relatives ashes were buried in the garden before their house was sold.

The buyers have no idea.

A relatives ashes are in the back garden of our last house, not my relatives but the previous owners. I didn't think to mention it to our buyer, would they find that weird? I only know as the previous owner told us such and such a bush was called after the owners mum who lived with them. Felt a bit bad when we promptly cut it down but then digging underneath I found the ashes

@Ginflinger

House we bought had slipped an inch and a half down the hill: surveyor totally missed this. They also missed leaking roof. (Electrics and heating condemned, which we only knew about because I basically tortured the truth out of the estate agent.) Bought with the intention of fully renovating.

But honestly what is the point of getting the survey done?

Having watched our buyers surveyor go round our house, there's zero point in the homebuyers survey. We would always get full structural and even that is patchy at best as they won't move furniture or anything so it's easy to hide horrors.

We left ours immaculate, however, when we moved into our new house it’s was hideous, used razor blades in bathroom cabinets, shit wiped on the bathroom walls, dog crap and broken glass in the garden and pile of old vomit covered carpet. Also, an unpaid window cleaner invoice for £70, still at least something was clean

@toffeebutterpopcorn

I’ve muttered “Candyman” three times at it on dark nights, but haven’t been murdered yet and it’s been a few years.

Touch wood.

@BlessedBeTheFruitCake

We left ours immaculate, however, when we moved into our new house it’s was hideous, used razor blades in bathroom cabinets, shit wiped on the bathroom walls, dog crap and broken glass in the garden and pile of old vomit covered carpet. Also, an unpaid window cleaner invoice for £70, still at least something was clean

What was it like when you looked around?!

@Chocolatier9

Doesn’t anyone ever get left nice things?

My last seller left the most beautiful antique mirror in the hallway - it must have been deliberate, she couldn’t have missed it and I sent her a letter with her forwarded post asking if she wanted it back, but never got a reply.

More useful than nice, but the seller of my first house left a huge bag of charcoal so we didn't have to buy any for a while when having bbq's. Seller of this house left us a bottle of wine.

Nice stuff!, one mans rubbish, one mans treasure

ashes
Not us, but a house not too far away was sold with a grave in the garden. The deceased had been legally buried and it was fully declared to the buyers, I should add.

We actually had quite a pleasant (but on reflection a bit odd) experience when we moved into our first flat as we found the freezer had food in as well as food in the fridge like milk, cheese and sauces.

We found this a bit strange but were pleasantly surprised as it was all good quality M&S / Waitrose stuff. There was also various items of furniture left in the house which we were happy to have.

This was in London near one of the major hospitals and our sellers (both surgeons/doctors) were travelling back to New Zealand. I think they had shipped a major part of their stuff back.

A week befere we were due to move in they contacted us and offered to sell us the furniture. When we turned them down, as we already had lots of furniture, it seems they put it all on ebay and the stuff that didnt sell they left for us. So we acquired a strange collection of furniture and the contents of the fridge when we moved in.

According to our new neighbour on the day they moved out they just had four suitcases of clothes and so took a cab straight to the airport and were off. That to me is the stylish way to leave