Survey came back not what we need to hear

[Themadcatparade]

We are in the middle of buying our dream home, first home also, we have been looking for over two years now so we finally have somewhere we are 100% for and this has been a super anxious time.

High interest in this property amongst viewers. We offered over asking and after a little bit of bidding our offer got accepted at 12k over. Luckily for us, the bank valued it at what we offered so we didn’t have to make the difference up. Happy days.

The sellers wanted to exchange within 4 weeks which was ambitious, they have a property ready to move in to and wanted the sale completed as smoothly and as quick as possible. This raised red flags for us, as they only bought it last year but their story seemed straight enough.

It took 3 weeks for our mortgage offer to come though, we had previously asked if they had done a survey last year and they said no. So we went ahead to arrange a building survey only to find that the sellers tried blocking the surveyors even making an appointment.

Again this raised red flags for us, so we persisted. It took three back and forth phone calls for us to push having this survey as the seller was insisting a ‘no’ to a survey being done.

Anyway the survey has come back and basically there are a handful of issues that are going to be very expensive structurally to sort. It’s going to need the whole roof redoing for one, and we have been advised to do it sooner rather than later. There are other issues also which have had us worried but can be fixed but again this will be at a cost to us.

The EA and sellers have told us repeatedly that they will not budge on the sale price before now. I spoke to my partner today and said the best thing to do would be to get a quote for redoing the roof and see if they can take this (or a sum of it) off the sale price. He seems to think that they won’t budge (and I think he’s right they have been arsey from the start) but I feel like we have solid reasons for asking.

So far, we have been blocked from using our own solicitor (EA told us that they would have to drop out of the sale if we used the first person we chose) so we backed down, and then we got blocked from doing a survey which was bizarre in itself, and now we have this outcome I feel like it will be the same story again - take it or leave it.

Can anyone offer any advice? I’m going to be so heartbroken if we have to drop out of this house, but I’ve said to my partner we are at risk of potentially having thousands of pounds that we do not have fixing our house up.

Also - can a surveys result affect the value of the sale or potentially decrease the amount the bank has offered to loan?

If you walk away do they have to declare the issues to next people?

If you buy this house, whilst it's your dream house now, will you feel the same after fixing everything at your cost?

Or will you end up resenting it?

I'd walk away.

So many red flags.

What is for you won't pass you by so have a think. If this house means no holidays, scrimping everything, possibly delaying starting a family will it be your dream home still or a money pit round your neck.

If you decide to move, are these all things that need doing eventually? How much will you need to sink into it?

I bought my ex council house from the council (I know I will go to hell) but I've sank thousands into it to get it as I want and I had to sink thousands to get it liveable.

I'm probably even stevens with what I'd get if I sold it. Which I'm not planning on.

I second going back to have a look with a roofer and builder to get further advice on the work - surveyor's reports often sound really bad - get the report and go through it with the surveyor. It might be that these things need checking rather than replacing immediately. What age is the house? We had an edwardian house still with the original roof, no roofing felt at all and were told we would need to replace the roof ‘soon’ - we never did and i think the same roof is still there 18 years later.

Negotiations aren't done through solicitors they will need to be done via the agents.

OP, please listen to your head and walk away from this. The fact they wouldn't let you choose your own solicitor is really bad, and they are deliberately being evasive and pushy and difficult.

If I completed on this purchase I'd feel sick.

It is disappointing to lose your dream house, but it's absolutely heartbreaking to watch it turn slowly into a nightmare.

Of you don't negotiate, or better still, pull out of this sake you will end up hating the house.

It's horrible and hard for you OP, I'm sorry, but please go into this with your eyes open.

How high is the wall in question? Any photos ?

Bildog has some good advice there. Our last house was Victorian 120 years old and never had any felt under the tiles we were there 20 years and it sold without any on. All it’s there for is to keep insects/ birds out and dirt blowing in.

They are desperate to sell because they know there is something really wrong with the house. They are pushing you to make a bad decision, once it’s sold it’s your problem even if they knew about an issue.

I had to walk away from my dream house due to problems on the survey. I ended up somewhere better!

@Imthedamnfoolwhoshothim

They are supposed to but they probably won’t.

We we’re the second buyers on a property with a serious woodworm issue and subsidence. We were told the previous buyers pulled out due to job losses. There were no known issues in the survey. We loved the house and tried to find out how much the issues would cost to fix (never got to the point of renegotiating price) but the sellers got antsy and decided to go back on the market as it was a really lovely house in a very sought after area and they wanted their max sale price.

I got a friend to ring up and enquire about it, asking why it had been on the market so long and specifically ask if there had been issues with previous surveys. The estate agent said no, either myself or my partner had lost our job apparently. Very unfortunate. It was the same person who I’d been dealing with while getting builders out so she bloody knew alright!

Estate agents are cretins.

They are moving because there are loads of things wrong. People don't spend money moving after a year generally. There will be so much more a survey will miss. Please walk away.

“Please pull out. So many red flags there. EAs have absolutely no say in what solicitor you use, they sound as shady as the sellers.”

^This. I would also be reporting the estate agents for their shady behaviour

Ye Gods. Run like the wind. This has disaster written all over it.

They're moving so soon for a reason

Pull out!!

Pull out! This has disaster written all over it.

You keep asking for advice and everyone is telling you to pull out of the sale.

Either ignore everyone or just pull out!!!

You will find another house.

Surveys are always horrible.

Best to read them with someone in the know.

I’d definitely withdraw my offer if I were you. There are so many red flags here, the roof is probably one of the lesser problems. I think there’s a whole load of other issues that they are likely to be hiding from you.

If they won't let you select your own solicitor you need to pull out. Regardless of survey. It sounds like they're sending business to a solicitor in exchange for them burying something that would make the house unsellable/undesirable.

Also - can a surveys result affect the value of the sale or potentially decrease the amount the bank has offered to loan?

Very much so!

The retaining wall sounds like an expensive job!

Was your solicitor suggested by the EA?

I would have walked away from a seller that tried to tell me I had to use a solicitor that they approved of. That is a massive red flag. Independent, trustworthy legal representation is crucial and they think they can deny you this? No. Just unacceptable.

Then they try and block a survey. A standard step in the process to ensure the biggest financial purchase you are ever likely to make is based on accurate and fair information.

And they want to get the sale done and dusted in 4 weeks (or as quickly as they can bully you into) so you get little chance to find out whatever it is they are trying to hide and do the sensible thing and back out.

These sellers just want you to hand over your money with no due diligence, and to shut up questioning them why. They want to offload that property to someone and seem to think you and your partner are the ideal people to take the fall.

They do not, as you have described, appear to be people of good faith OP. I wouldn't trust them and I wouldn't give them a penny, I'd also avoid that estate agent too.

The whole point of a survey is that they are professional and you are paying them probably £££ to get their advice - so bloody take it 😂

Honestly shit like this could cost you your marriage 😂
if you buy this heap of shit you will feel like a absolute idiot day in day out .

you will probably take it out on your other half as he seeks to be more optimistic about it than you

The buyers are selling for a bloody good reason they know that - you know that as well
they just hope you are stupid and desperate to buy it from them .

my neighbour just had a complete new roof it’s one of those weird flat type A roofs not a typical roof but only a two bed terrace .
Cost 17k

The pub at the bottom of my neighbours garden had to fix the retaining wall last summer
They didn’t get change out of 20k - although it was a big wall and commercial building so that might have upped the price

And is it a possibility that the solicitor you wanted to use is aware of what the surveyor told you and cold be obligated to tell that

any solicitors know if this would be the case

Thank you for all your honest replies on this thread. Ill show them to my partner and hopefully he’ll be able to put his heart aside. This should have been such an exciting time for us but we haven’t had such luck with it. I don’t want to put anything else out there to chance

Your mortgage company won't lend you what they have agreed if the value of the property is a lot less than the initial valuation which it will be if it needs £30k of work off the bat. So if they won't reduce, you can't buy it anyway.

Roof - ask a roofer to look. I've never had a survey that was positive about the roof, yet I have never re-roofed a property. Or lived with leaks. I'd not trust a written survey re roof, only a well regarded roofer's opinion.

Roof dipping - can mean just adding some supports. I had to do this on a Victorian mid terrace I bought - chippie for half a day + materials.

Decking supports - meh. Non issue.

Retaining wall - starting to give way is vague and potentially arse-covery. High wall? Low wall? Could be a dangerous nightmare, could be easy. Get an experienced builder to look and confirm his opinion.

Solicitor - did you chose a sol with a dreadful reputation locally for being slow/useless? Surely the EA told you what their issue was?

Survey refusal by vendors - totally odd and out of order, but your survey does not sound bad enough (depending on height/severity of wall) to make me think they were trying to hide stuff. Sounds like a typical survey on an older home to me.

Moving after 1 year - problem neighbours would be my thought.

If you pull out of this one, expect similar next time (on an older property) esp re roof, unless the place has been entirely renovated top to bottom.