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