When should first time buyer arrange a survey?

[JumpingFrogs]

DD is a first time buyer. Offer accepted 6 weeks ago, but vendor still hasn't had an offer accepted although he has been actively searching. DD has instructed solicitors some weeks ago, but has not yet organised survey. I'm worried she may lose money if vendor can't find a suitable property, so do you think she should wait a while? I haven't bought a house in several decades so feel I'm a bit out of touch when it comes to these things!

I'm a FTB a bit ahead of you. Offer accepted in July. We got the survey done at the same time as the mortgage valuation, which was quite efficient.

I would wait for the vendor to get an offer accepted. You want them to be completed committed to the sale before you pay out money for a survey. Money you won't get back if the vendor decided not to sell because they can't find anywhere else!

@dd207, yes that's what I was thinking. Her mortgage has been approved, but I do worry that the vendor may mess her around/try to squeeze more money out of her, and if that were to happen she would walk away so would hate to waste any more money than necessary

No point spending any more money until the chain is complete. Surveys are pretty quick to organise (I had three done on my two failed and one successful buy two months ago, and most I had to wait was a week). Whereas searches are only about £200 and can take weeks. So if get those done but hold off on a survey.
I'd also keep looking though.

@maofteens yes, I'm trying to persuade DD to keep looking, but it's hard when she's fallen in love with the place. Think she needs to let her head rule her heart instead of the other way round!

[quote JumpingFrogs]@dd207, yes that's what I was thinking. Her mortgage has been approved, but I do worry that the vendor may mess her around/try to squeeze more money out of her, and if that were to happen she would walk away so would hate to waste any more money than necessary[/quote]
I would be telling her to tell the estate agent they need to sell the house without upward chain

Normal advice is not to do anything until the chain is complete so nobody wastes any money. Over the past year and a bit, people have been hurrying things along and getting things done straight away even without complete chains, but you have to accept you might make a loss.

@Talktalkchat yes, I agree, I want DD to put a bit of pressure on vendor via the agent, in the hope he may choose to do that. He wants to buy in a different area, busy property market but also plenty of rental properties available
@readytosell yes, I got the impression people were getting surveys earlier these days, but think that's too risky for her