House Surveys: A Comprehensive Guide

Whether you want to renovate or ensure that the structures are sound, understanding a house survey is vital. This article will take you through the different types of surveys, their benefits as well as their significance in the property market. Similarly, buying, or even maintaining a property is one of the most costly ventures that you will undertake considering the property market itself.

What is a House Survey?

A house survey is an inspection of a house designed to understand its condition. From new house buyers to experienced real estate investors, everyone can benefit from a properly executed survey so that they are able to make informed judgments on the property. It brings out the full truth for the houseowner regarding the quality, structural integrity, required repairs, and maintenance of the prospective property.

The Benefits of House Surveys

1. Protect Your Investment: A markup is put on the estimation if it identifies any structural issues.
2. Ensure Safety: Ignored, structural problems can generate structural concerns.
3. Save Money: Not waiting until things go wrong helps save money.
4. Enhance Negotiations: The price or terms for sale can be amended by the reduction in value that the survey suggests.

Property Surveys Description

Building Survey

A Building Survey is also referred to as a Full Structural Survey and in this instance, it is a more sophisticated examination with a focus on the structural elements. This is especially true for older or more unique properties as it assesses everything from the walls to the roofs and even drainage systems.

Some key benefits of building survey.

• Information about the structural remnants.
• Outlines necessary repairs or maintenance needed.
• Capable of assessing changes made to old buildings.

Structural Survey

Hand in hand with a building survey, a structural survey deals with assessing the viability of a structure. Engineers conduct studies on the critical solidity elements of a building which includes: the load-bearing walls, the foundations and so much more for the purpose of determining the safety and security of the property.

Drone survey

With aerial photography in real estate, technology allows for a complete, unique and new approach to viewing properties or sites before their inspection or construction. This approach is particularly useful for chimney, roofing and large estate inspections.

 There are some advantages of drone survey

1) A precise detail survey is conducted where the approach is difficult e.g. roof area. Gables, rafters, roof trusses, gutters and many more. 

2) Provide enlarged pictures for better and more accurate interpretation.

3) This will be ideal for dealing with complex structural or tall buildings.

How to Choose the Right Survey

There are many aspects to look at when choosing a type of survey depending upon your concerns and the given features of the property. The given factors can make this process simple for you.

1) Age of the Property: Surveys are more effective when seeking out older homes, especially structural ones.

2) Specific Issues: For issues pertaining to a roof, drone surveys are able to provide better analysis.

3) Budget Constraints: It is important to understand the tradeoff between expenses and the end result with what you’re prioritizing.

The House Survey Process

It’s normal to feel stressed or overwhelmed during a survey. However, this can be eased with the correct expectations being set beforehand and a proper understanding of the process being acquired.

1) Pre Survey consultation: This is an important step as you communicate your end goal to the surveyor.

2) Inspection: Another crucial step, it enables the surveyor to identify and eliminate potential issues that can occur later down the line.

3) Report Delivery: You can discuss all the underlying issues once you have received the report and further make the necessary changes.

4) Post Survey actions: With the report in hand, you can either make arrangements for repairs or negotiate with the seller.

Key Benefits of Investing in a House Survey

There are three main takeaways of doing a home survey, they are as follows.

1) Peace of Mind: Understanding the structural condition of the property removes any worries that one might have regarding it.

2) Enhanced Property Value: It enables you to get a better deal when reselling as any structural issues would have been identified during the survey and fixed.

3) Future Planning: Enables you to identify any potential issues that may arise in the future.

What Is The Difference Between a Structural Survey And A Building Survey?

Both the building and structural survey are essential as they are used to evaluate the property but they evaluate it from different perspectives.

Structural Survey: This is a highly detailed assessment that covers only key elements and the supports of the property like the foundation and loadbearing walls which make it ideal for homes with visible damage.

Building Survey: This is a wider form of inspection as it covers most parts of the structure, including those that may not be seen. A Building Survey is ideal for historical buildings or those with irregular shapes, it gives a detailed picture of the place and its small defects and advises on how to maintain it.

Are Drone Surveys Worth It for Residential Properties?

The advanced technology of drone surveys has gained commendation due to its uniqueness and efficiency. Also, it is specifically helpful for:

Roof Inspection: It allows one to assess any damage or depreciation without scaffolding.

Chimneys and Elevated Structures: It is also useful in flying to inaccessible zones.

Large Estates: It gives a complete view of the property and the area surrounding it.

Conclusion 

Buying or conducting a house survey is an effective way of protecting yourself against potential loss in your investment. Building surveys, structural surveys, drone surveys, and any other type of survey have a different number of uses when it comes to them. Hire an expert property surveyor to make sure you have everything planned in advance.

Do you wish to start the process for the protection of your investment for the long term? Book your survey now and take a step further into making decisions that you wish to take!

Q: How long does a house survey usually last?

A: The duration depends upon the type of survey that is being done, Surveys, for the most part normally take anywhere between 2 and 4 hours A few days after most underwriters send out reports, the Long Home Loans team sends reports to mortgage applicants.

Q: Do drone surveys violate any laws and are they safe? 

A: Certainly, licensed professionals offer secure drone surveys while accurately assessing the situation without breaking any rules or regulations.

Q: What is the difference between the RICS Home Survey and the Structural Survey?

A: An RICS surveyor conducts a complete survey of the property highlighting all the aspects of the property including a basic view of the structural aspect (if there is any). However structural surveys focus purely on the structural integrity of property or building. The structural surveyor inspects in detail any structural crack causes, subsidence, foundation issues, roof structure, ground density, soil composition, and many more.