| Buying a house can be a really stressful | | | | and construction and was built in the |
| time. It's the biggest purchase you'll | | | | last 30 years, this will probably be |
| probably ever make, plus it's a | | | | fine for you. |
| difficult process to go through. And | | | | The survey will establish if there are |
| when you have found the right home, | | | | any major problems to be worried about, |
| there's sometimes a little voice at the | | | | and whether or not the property is worth |
| back of your head saying "what if | | | | what you have agreed to pay. |
| something goes wrong?" | | | | If it's an unusual house, you will need |
| Are you justified having these fears? Or | | | | a building survey, which is much more |
| is buying a house actually no worse than | | | | expensive but considerably more detailed |
| trying to sell property? | | | | (and will spot any serious structural |
| We look at some of the worries you have | | | | defects). |
| and what you can do to fix them. | | | | Another fear of people buying a property |
| First off the obvious ones, caused by | | | | is that they will move near the |
| the seller. They may gazump you, which | | | | neighbours from hell. And for good |
| is where they accept your offer for the | | | | reason. A survey by the Halifax out this |
| house then later accept a higher offer | | | | week revealed that a quarter of us have |
| and reject yours. This is perfectly | | | | had neighbourly disputes. |
| legal as the price of the property is | | | | The biggest problem quoted was noise, |
| only fixed on the day contracts are | | | | topping the poll with more a quarter of |
| exchanged. | | | | people blaming it for a dispute. |
| The seller can also throw a spanner in | | | | A disagreement over boundaries was the |
| the works by withdrawing their | | | | next biggest complaint, affecting 14 per |
| acceptance of the offer, for example if | | | | cent of people. And then pets and |
| they have changed their mind about | | | | parking were considered issues. |
| moving. They can even accept more than | | | | These are one thing, but here's a |
| one offer, in what's known as a contract | | | | statistic likely to strike fear into |
| race. The first buyer to complete gets | | | | anyone buying property. Eight per cent |
| the house. Amazingly, this is legal. | | | | of complaints in the survey were caused |
| Another concern is that there will be | | | | by antisocial behaviour, other than |
| something wrong with the actual | | | | noise. The behaviour of children caused |
| structure of the building itself. The | | | | seven per cent of complaints, while |
| fear of subsidence or damp is a genuine | | | | rubbish was only an issue for two per |
| one - it happens and can be financially | | | | cent of complaints. |
| ruinous if it strikes your property. | | | | More women than men admitted having a |
| The answer of course is simple and | | | | dispute with their neighbours in the |
| relatively inexpensive. You should get a | | | | last 12 months - 34% of women compared |
| full property survey done on any | | | | to 29% of men. And women were more |
| building you are thinking of buying. | | | | likely to complain about antisocial |
| Surprisingly, it's estimated only one in | | | | behaviour, whereas almost three in ten |
| five people do this when buying a home, | | | | men who had disputes admitted it was |
| perhaps because they think the mortgage | | | | because of noise. |
| survey is enough. | | | | Scared you yet? There are ways to fix |
| But the mortgage survey is there just to | | | | the problem of falling out with your |
| establish that the house is worth at | | | | neighbours. There are free mediation |
| least as much as is being loaned on it. | | | | services available, and you can also ask |
| For full peace of mind you should | | | | your local authority's environmental |
| consider getting a homebuyer's report. | | | | health officer to look into noise |
| If your property is of conventional type | | | | problems. |