5 questions you should ask a professional property surveyor

5 questions you should ask a professional property surveyor

About to engage the services of a surveyor?  Then here are a few questions to keep in mind:

1. Are you qualified and do you have professional liability insurance?

First and foremost, before you enlist the services of a surveyor, you want to establish that they are suitably qualified; and that they have liability insurance so you are covered should any problems come to light in the future.

Choose a surveyor that has good local knowledge, so they’ll be aware of any issues affecting the area; and crucially, one that is independent of your estate agent. You want to ensure that your survey is completely independent of the selling process.

2. Is there any reason why you shouldn’t buy this property?

Once the survey has been completed, the crux of the matter is, is there any reason why you shouldn’t buy the property? Are there causes for concern that are grave enough that you should withdraw from the purchase? This is where house surveying is crucial; for it can save you time, trouble, stress and ultimately prevent you from making a bad investment.

3. Is the property worth the purchase price?

Hand in hand with this reassurance; is confirmation that the property is worth the offer you’ve made. A survey is vital in helping you to negotiate a better price should any significant work come to light. You don’t want to be paying over the odds for the property, and you want to have sufficient funds available to do any work required.

4. Is there any reason why you wouldn’t get a mortgage on this property?

Your purchase may well be dependent on securing finance, so one crucial question to ask is whether there is any reason you may have difficulty securing a mortgage on the property. Some non standard building techniques can make it more difficult to obtain finance, for example, if the property is timber framed, has a thatched roof, is a prefab house or is built as a log cabin.

A reluctance to lend may also relate to the history of the property, for instance, if there is no record of money ever having been lent on the property before, like when a house has been in the ownership of a single family for several generations for example. Also, it could relate to information that the prospective lender has, that you do not, so always ask the question ‘why?’ – if you are rejected for finance on a particular property.

5. Are there any local issues affecting this house, road or the local area?

Another crucial question to ask your surveyor is are there any issues, like flooding or heave for example, that could potentially affect your prospective home, the row of buildings in which it sits, the road or local vicinity. This is where engaging the services of an experienced surveyor who knows the area is advised; they are likely to be aware of any local issues, plans for investment or developments in the vicinity of your new home.

So there you have a few questions to ask your surveyor in the lead up to your purchase.