It’s all too easy to get carried away with the excitement of buying a new home. You like the feel of the property, the location’s perfect, or you’re just desperate to move house. But before you sign on the dotted line, you need to do a little research.
Your home or business property is one of the most important investments you’ll ever make. And most of us will be paying off a mortgage for 15 to 20 years, so it’s wise to make sure that you won’t be paying extra on repairs and maintenance work too.
There are so many things to think about when you’re purchasing a property, and so many things that can go wrong. Some issues can go unnoticed for years before they come to your attention, and by that time it could cost you a small fortune to get it repaired – such as a replacement roof, for example.
When you’re buying a property, it doesn’t come with a warranty – when something breaks down, you can’t take it back and demand a refund. This is why a thorough inspection of the property is essential.
Having your property inspected can save you from all sorts of problems down the line. It can uncover issues such as roof damage and leaks or structural problems such as cracks in concrete floors or the foundations. Remember, it may look like a dream home but when you get down to the nitty-gritty, there could be underlying problems that cost you dear.
With a property inspection, you’ll be in a position to negotiate on the price of the property. You can go back to the seller with your property inspection report and ask that the problems be rectified before you sign the deal. Or you could ask for the price to be dropped to reflect the condition of the property – after all, you’ll have to spend more money to have these problems fixed. You’ll have more leverage to ask for the problems to be fixed before you buy if the problems are concerned with health and safety.
If the seller won’t budget, then you have some serious thinking to do about whether you’re prepared to purchase the property as-is. Even if you’ve fallen in love with the property, you have to weigh things up properly – will the cost of roof repairs or structural repairs push the costs up too far? Will you have to wait before you can get the work completed, and can you put up with these problems until you can get them fixed?
A property inspection does not just apply to old homes. You should be equally wary when buying a new-build. Mistakes can happen and a plumbing inspection showed that the builders had forgotten to put in some of the plumbing!
A disclosure notice is a form that the seller fills out telling potential buyers about the condition of the property – that is, anything that they’re aware of. Don’t be lulled into a false sense of security just because you have a disclosure notice. If the seller does not know about a problem, it will be difficult to rely on the disclosure notice if you run into any problems. A full disclosure notice should flag up any issues, including problems with the neighbours that may affect your property or even problematic Japanese knot weed in the garden!
When you’re hiring a property inspector or a roofing firm to undertake a roof report, make sure that they’re fully trained and have the correct insurance. Ensure that they have the right credentials to inspect the property. If, for example, you have a listed building or a period property, you’ll want a specialist in this area.
Make sure that you’re there when the inspection is carried out. This will help you familiarize yourself with the property and any work that needs to be done. You’ll also be able to ensure that nothing is overlooked on the inspection.
Some of the things you should look for in a property inspection are:
– Gas safety
– Energy performance
– Plumbing
– Electrical safety
G&A Roofing and Building is a leading roofing firm. We can undertake a full roof report or roof survey for your property. Our trained roofers deliver top-quality care for your home or business and will always undertake a risk assessment before starting any work.
A professional roofer will offer you a roof report that will give you roof the full lowdown on the condition of your roof and tell you what’s needed to fix any problems. You can then discuss how to proceed with a trained roofer and decide how you want to proceed.
A roof survey will allow you to find out the condition of a property you’re interested in purchasing. Armed with an independent roof survey, you’ll find out if there are any problems so that you can negotiate a fair price for the property.
Call G&A Roofing and Building to speak to a trained roofer today on 0800 626430.
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