The Good News for Welsh Homebuyers Looking for a Home in England

Even those who have lived their entire lives in the UK can get a bit confused when dealing with things like buying a home in one of the other countries that comprise the nation. With Wales, Scotland, England and Northern Ireland having similar laws, some of which are exactly the same and others having variations, it can be quite confusing when seeking to buy a home in one of the other three countries.

Here’s the good news for Welsh homebuyers seeking a home in England. The laws are pretty much identical so the process should be familiar – unless you are a first-time homebuyer, that is. Then again, nothing is familiar about the homebuying process so it shouldn’t matter much. With the good news out of the way, let’s look at what it will take to buy a home that you know is worth the asking price.

The Difference Between a Survey and a Valuation

Let’s say you are moving from Cardiff to Norwich, and you want to get a real valuation of the property and home to apply for a mortgage loan. You would need property valuers because they are the ones that assess monetary value. On the other hand, you would definitely want a house surveyor in Norwich to ascertain if there is anything substantially wrong with the home before finalising the contract and making a payment.

You would need what is called a “home buyers survey” and that is something within your rights to order. Whilst the current owner ‘can’ order a homebuyer survey, the party who orders it pays for it. Since they aren’t required, by law, to pay for RICS surveying of the property or home, the seller usually leaves that up to the buyer. Even though the seller is legally bound to disclose any issues such as leaky plumbing, a cracked foundation, the contract is actually more of a “buy as is” once signed and agreed. Whilst there have been exceptions, they are few and far between.

The Onus Is on the Buyer

Therefore, it really is in the buyer’s best interest to have an official report conducted and formatted by a surveyor RICS chartered professional. It is highly recommended that you get a building survey which is more detailed than a home buyer survey. Also, have a property surveyor get accurate size and dimension of the property along with any faults that should be made known.

It is vital that you have RICS chartered surveying completed prior to finalising that purchase contract. Once again, it cannot be stated enough that the onus is almost always on the buyer, so if you want to protect your investment, one of the biggest in your life, take the time to see that there are no major, costly flaws and that you are paying for the real value in

today’s market.

Leave It to the Experts

If there is one more bit of good news in all this, it would be that this is exactly what buildings surveyors and property surveyors are there for. It is their duty to assess the condition of the home and property so that you can decide if there are any major defects that would cost more than the home is worth. Property surveyors also give you actual size and dimensions of the property to ensure that you are actually getting the land which you ‘think’ you are buying. Leave it to the experts and you should be safe.