The latest RICS UK Housing Market Survey confirms the consensus that the property market remains flat with prices static or falling for the majority of the UK. This is unlikely to change until the general economic outlook improves. London is the clear exception with a balance of Chartered Surveyors reporting an increase in property prices…
In September 2012 the Government announced changes in housing and planning to try to boost the economy. For First Time Buyers: There is an extension to the Firstbuy scheme whereby first time buyers are given an equity loan of 20% to fund deposits, an extra £280m is to be made available helping 16500 more first…
We have recently carried out home survey inspections on three modern houses in Bath and Bristol, all built within the last fifteen years, and all with potentially expensive problems which could have gone undetected had a property survey (in these cases, a RICS HomeBuyer Report) not been carried out. To our knowledge none of the…
You might expect us to say ‘definitely’ but ‘probably’ would be my honest answer. A Chartered Surveyor will spend between two and six hours in the property and will follow a set routine so no elements are overlooked. Even if you have a good knowledge of property you are unlikely to be able to spend…
We were recently asked why our fee for a Building Survey was so much cheaper than that quoted by a mortgage lender. By way of an example take a recent client who recently paid their mortage lender close to £1000 for a HomeBuyer Report on an albeit large property in Bristol. After VAT, administration charges…
Edwin Lake Ltd have now started providing the new RICS Condition Report. This is a concise report suitable for modern houses or flats. Like the RICS HomeBuyer Report all the main elements are covered each being given a condition rating of 1, 2 or 3. The report includes a brief description of each element and…
Property Surveys It’s estimated that on average only 20% of all homebuyers commission a professional survey. This is somewhat surprising considering that buying a property is probably the biggest purchase in most people’s lives. One explanation for this low take up, is that many homebuyers believe the mortgage lender’s valuation is sufficient. In fact, the…
I am sure that we have all seen the increasing number of solar installations on our roofs in Bristol and Bath. We recently carried out an inspection of a new-build house on the Mortimer Gardens development close to UWE. These properties were constructed to Code 3 Sustainability standards which exceeds Current Building regulations in terms…
Published 19 December 2011 RICS is encouraging householders and businesses to be aware of the damaging effects of the treacherous weather conditions to their property. Property experts recommend that people who are spending the Christmas holidays away from home should be careful to protect their property from any potential damage that the weather may bring….
RICS Housing Market Forecast 2012 Sales of homes may rise a little over the coming year but prices will struggle to follow suit, according to the RICS Housing Market Forecast published today (22 December 2011). Prices at a headline level will edge lower by around three percent across the UK. However, the low level of…
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