Property Purchase – Getting a survey done

PropertyHunt

Hi all,
Looking at purchasing a property and trying to suss out the order of doing things.
So if a bid is in and we get word that it has been successful, and we want to get the property checked out that it is structurally 110%, and no hidden issues, who do we employ to get it checked out? Is it an engineer? A surveyor? How thorough will they be? How long will they take and likely cost?
Obviously, it’s the biggest purchase we’ll ever make etc, so want to make sure there are no issues a year or two down the line.
Also, from sale agreed date how soon do purchasers typically have keys in hand, based on fact that no purchaser is not in a chain etc, how long will it typically take? Already Mortgage approved.

Corruptedmorals

The cost of a survey will be somewhere between 400-700. They are a little limited in that they cannot drill into a wall etc. to fully assess and they will be clear on limitations. Structural quality and stability, any cracks in walls and ceilings will be assessed if they are settlement cracks or an underlying problem, damp and mould will be thoroughly looked for, rot and woodworm especially in the attic on the exposed beams, insulation and ventilation, state of the roof from the inside, quality of any alterations or extensions, quality of flooring etc. Ours did so I presume most would also thermally assess the walls and chimney breast. They will visually assess the gutters and roof from the ground. They should try the heating and water but they are not experts in heating, wiring or plumbing but hopefully flag if that needs to be investigated further especially with an older house or one that has been left empty. They will roughly compare the property and boundaries to the land registry map and flag any discrepancy but this is so that it can be legally investigated further as the actual deed/maps etc. would be needed as they might be different.

Ours cost €560. Presumably pricing changes if the house is very big and/or comes with a lot of land. It's well worth it even if it doesn't find a significant problem it will always have an area or two to keep an eye on and will mention minor improvements that can be made. Great to have along with the BER report.

Plan for 3-4 months and anything less is a bonus. That's what we are doing and neither side is in a chain either. We have been really quick and one month in and everything is done, set up and the loan is fully through and underwritten and with the solicitor. But the legal side will take as long as it will take, the other side might be significantly slower than yours. It can take more than a month for them to get the deeds from the bank and you are at the mercy of annual leave of either side grinding everything to a halt.

Sunrise_Sunset

I got quotes from Surveyors recently and most were just under 700 euros.
If all goes smoothly it can take about 9 weeks from sale agreed.

Geuze

I paid 400 + VAT = 492 for surveys in Galway in 2018.

I recently sold - eight weeks from Sale Agreed to signing contracts, then another week to close.

So nine weeks from Sale Agreed to closing the deal / transfer funds / release keys.

TheChizler

Went sale agreed a month ago today and the vendor still hasn't facilitated the survey, hope you have better luck. It's supposedly underpinned according to the auctioneer but they keep batting me off any time I ask for the relevant certificates, which our engineer needs. I think our survey quote was €400 + VAT, and he came highly recommended by 4 different people independently.

Gumbo

https://www.scsi.ie/documents/get_lob?id=6&field=file

PropertyHunt

Hi Corruptedmorals and everyone else who responded
Many thanks for your response, and thorough insight.
I presume they’d look at Garden area too for any unforeseen issues.
(Probably sound slightly paranoid on the above but can never be too certain).
Noted on the time frames, surprised but not totally shocked, sounds like holidays/Christmases etc can really impact on pace of progress.
@TheChizler
Shocked by what you have written, why would a vendor halt a survey from taking place? Surely they want to sell the place? You aren’t going to proceed without a survey surely..
At what point does the purchaser inform the seller that they want to conduct a survey? When the estate rings to say your bid is accepted?
Thanks folks.

TheChizler

PropertyHunt wrote: »

@TheChizler
Shocked by what you have written, why would a vendor halt a survey from taking place? Surely they want to sell the place? You aren’t going to proceed without a survey surely..
At what point does the purchaser inform the seller that they want to conduct a survey? When the estate rings to say your bid is accepted?
Thanks folks.

Well they are strongly encouraging us to go ahead with the survey without first checking the documentation, which is ringing alarm bells for me. They've previously told me it's available so I'm not going ahead without it basically.
Hoping they just can't find it or something.