Buying a new home can be one of the most exciting purchases you make in your life. But how do you stop that dream house, from turning into a nightmare? The solution is to get a home survey from a chartered surveyor.

For all of us, buying a home will be the most expensive purchase we ever make. When we buy a home, whether we’re planning to live in it, rent it out or renovate and then sell it on, the last thing we want to find is that there are structural or cosmetic issues that need to be addressed when we move in.

Of the ten things that annoy homeowners the most, two – damp and rot – can be identified by a building survey. Don’t move into a home and then suffer the extra financial and mental cost of having to make improvements to a home you want to live in.

You could end up spending up to £5,750 and more, if you’re not careful. However, you could avoid it by getting a home survey from a registered chartered surveyor.

Home surveys assess a property, and provide a detailed, expert opinion on the state of a property and any problems that need to be dealt with. You would be within your rights to ask the property owner to see to any of these issues, before you make an offer on the home.

If you get a home survey done before you move into a property then you could end up saving yourself thousands. Fail to do so, and any problems that you may have missed when you looked round the property will become your problem once you move in.

The type of survey you get depends very much on the type of home you’re buying. There are 3 main types:

CONDITION SURVEY

If you’re buying a conventional property or a new build home, then this report will suffice. A condition report examines just the condition of the property and offers guidance to any legal advisors and highlights any major defects.

HOME BUYER SURVEY

Includes the features of a Condition Report, but also includes a market valuation and insurance rebuild costs. There’s also advice on defects that may affect the overall value of the property after repairs, and also on-going maintenance advice. This is ideal for homes that are a little bit older, or have sustained more damage over the years.

BUILDING SURVEY

This is the most comprehensive of the reports, which gives you an in-depth analysis of the whole condition of the property, with advice on defects, repairs and on-going maintenance options. This is absolutely essential if you’re buying a large, older property.

Buying a property is a risk, whatever type of property it is. But you can help to reduce that risk with a survey from a registered chartered surveyor.

Give yourself peace of mind and know that the property you are buying is totally secure. You can have confidence that a chartered surveyor will identify the problems that exist and advise you on the best way to repair them, in clear and jargon-free English.

As official members of the RICS we can provide all of these surveys for you. Download the RICS guide to Home Surveys.