FabSwingers.com forum: Not technically what this site is for!

By *tudiousPip OP Woman
over a year ago

W Yorks

This is a bit random, but I'm looking to buy a house in Huddersfield and wondered if there were any Fab builders, electricians, plumbers, roofers etc who'd be prepared to pretend to be my boyfriend when I view a property. A sort of 'kick the tyres' but for house buying...

I'm obvs not gonna trade your experience for sex - Hudds is still in lock down and I work in the NHS - but I feel a bit out of my depth as a single woman and would appreciate someone who knows about buildings helping me!

I've made my profile public, so if you message me offering help put 'Toblerone' as the subject - so I can ignore all the thirsty blokes willing to break social distancing

Thank you in advance x

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By *tudiousPip OP Woman
over a year ago

W Yorks

Or if anyone has any advice, please post it here! I know to check water pressure and count the plug sockets, but what else should I check for?!

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

why should you count plug sockets

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By *r kink8585Man
over a year ago

ireland,

Check for dampness also ask for a viewing in the evening at eround rush hour for noise and noisy neighbours, also it wouldn’t be a bad idea to check for broadband signal.. very important lol but aside from that the kitchen and bathroom are the first thing most people will look at in dept for leaks etc.. best of luck in your new house.. ps I’m in Ireland I don’t expect anything in return lolol

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By *tudiousPip OP Woman
over a year ago

W Yorks

Some older houses have far fewer than a modern household needs. You can only run so many extentions!

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By *nabelle21Woman
over a year ago

B38

I don't have any house hunting experience really. The minute I viewed the house I now live in and have done for 16 years I knew it was my house. It felt so right.

Good luck with it all and I hope you find 'your house

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By *tudiousPip OP Woman
over a year ago

W Yorks

"Check for dampness also ask for a viewing in the evening at eround rush hour for noise and noisy neighbours, also it wouldn’t be a bad idea to check for broadband signal.. very important lol but aside from that the kitchen and bathroom are the first thing most people will look at in dept for leaks etc.. best of luck in your new house.. ps I’m in Ireland I don’t expect anything in return lolol"

Cheers!

And I'm not above this thread leading to future meets

Very distant future unfortunately

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By *ovegames42Man
over a year ago

london

Signs of damp of wood rot ( smell and imperfections in plastered walls is a give away.

Lift carpet and inspect the flooring, if wooden suspended floors have a discreet little bounce around to test strength and support.

Look above windows and doors for and cracks appearing a possible indication of load barring structures above them giving way.

Look for signs of cracking down the main walls from ceiling to floor and in the outside walls a possible sign of subsidence

Look at guttering, down water rain and drain pipes “ badly installed or broken one can lead to water running down walls causing damage by water ingress.

Look at roof for any bows In the food line a sign of weakness in roof joist / check for cracked or missing tiles.

Check the central heating boiler / system, a non condensing boiler is uneconomical expensive to operate and expensive to upgrade.

Check for the Mains water stop cock / Gas meter And main earth bonding.

Check loft spaces for signs of asbestos,

( very expensive to get removed ) and check the insulation.

Hope this helps and good luck.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

"why should you count plug sockets"

To match with the plugs she’s bought. Just in case got 15 too many

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By *ovegames42Man
over a year ago

london

Food line, dam predictive text ( roof line not food line ).

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By *ovegames42Man
over a year ago

london

"Food line, dam predictive text ( roof line not food line )."

Almost forgot, inspect the electrical consumer unit if not sure take an image and get an electrician to take a look at it should be at least RCD protected

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By *ovegames42Man
over a year ago

london

"Food line, dam predictive text ( roof line not food line ).

Almost forgot, inspect the electrical consumer unit if not sure take an image and get an electrician to take a look at it should be at least RCD protected "

Just one more thing “ sound like columbo now “

Check for any lead piping older properties can sometimes have it installed, become porous over time and you don’t want your potable water running through lead pipework.

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By *ovegames42Man
over a year ago

london

"Food line, dam predictive text ( roof line not food line ).

Almost forgot, inspect the electrical consumer unit if not sure take an image and get an electrician to take a look at it should be at least RCD protected

Just one more thing “ sound like columbo now “

Check for any lead piping older properties can sometimes have it installed, become porous over time and you don’t want your potable water running through lead pipework."

Electric consumer unit should also be mounted on non combustible material.

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By *alandNitaCouple
over a year ago

Scunthorpe

"Food line, dam predictive text ( roof line not food line ).

Almost forgot, inspect the electrical consumer unit if not sure take an image and get an electrician to take a look at it should be at least RCD protected

Just one more thing “ sound like columbo now “

Check for any lead piping older properties can sometimes have it installed, become porous over time and you don’t want your potable water running through lead pipework.

Electric consumer unit should also be mounted on non combustible material."

Like a wall?

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By *KMaxMan
over a year ago

Bristol

When you're in the house turn on 'check who is near'thing on Fab. You dont want to be living next to a bunch of perverts

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By *ereagainlolMan
over a year ago

Lerwick

"Some older houses have far fewer than a modern household needs. You can only run so many extentions!

It's pretty easy to change single sockets into double ones. I did that in a house I stayed in."

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

The forum is for whatever you want it to be for

I wouldn’t pretend to be your boyfriend but I can offer some advice on house buying.

If you like the area and you get the feels for the house when you view it then make an offer of 15% below asking price.

I wouldn’t worry about any other factors regarding the building as a survey will show anything really untoward and minor problems can be sorted out fairly easily.

Basically, if you love it... buy it

Good luck

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By *obsrocketMan
over a year ago

Loughborough

Check the gas and electric meters. Bought a house once with prepay meters. Very expensive and a pain when moving in during the winter with no gas and no cards to pay for it.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

"The forum is for whatever you want it to be for

I wouldn’t pretend to be your boyfriend but I can offer some advice on house buying.

If you like the area and you get the feels for the house when you view it then make an offer of 15% below asking price.

I wouldn’t worry about any other factors regarding the building as a survey will show anything really untoward and minor problems can be sorted out fairly easily.

Basically, if you love it... buy it

Good luck"

Agree with this... Go round with the vendor then when you've had the tour, go back round.. Take your time. If you like it, do a second viewing

Think about what is important to you.. Is it everything in good order, is it the view, location, the garden, size of rooms... Storage?? Is it near a main road.. What is the noise like, how is the parking. What are the compromises you'd have to make

Think about how much diy /modernisation you can afford to do. Check if it has double glazing, radiators. Ask how old the boiler is and what type (condensing combi etc)

Omg i love house hunting and know Hudds a bit... Happy to look at any online brochures xx

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By *stbury DavenportMan
over a year ago

Nottingham

Run the shower and taps to check the water pressure.

Walk around the surrounding neighbourhood a bit to get a feel for how safe the area is. Who else lives round there? Students? Pensioners? Professionals?

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

I have no additional advice for you I'm afraid, but great username!

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By *2000ManMan
over a year ago

Worthing

o/p visit immediate neighbours and ask them how things are? Good luck and hope the move goes well.

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By *ophieslutTV/TS
over a year ago

Central

I'd get the heating turned on, to evaluate its effectiveness. Not ideal during a heat wave of course. This isn't the major factor in house purchase but would be good to know before moving in during colder weather.

You could check planning permissions in nearby properties too.

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By *uke olovingmanMan
over a year ago

Gravesend

Kick some plug sockets and tut

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By *ovegames42Man
over a year ago

london

"Food line, dam predictive text ( roof line not food line ).

Almost forgot, inspect the electrical consumer unit if not sure take an image and get an electrician to take a look at it should be at least RCD protected

Just one more thing “ sound like columbo now “

Check for any lead piping older properties can sometimes have it installed, become porous over time and you don’t want your potable water running through lead pipework.

Electric consumer unit should also be mounted on non combustible material.

Like a wall?"

Exactly, I have come across them installed on stud walls line with ply board.

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By *abioMan
over a year ago

Newcastle and Gateshead

"o/p visit immediate neighbours and ask them how things are? Good luck and hope the move goes well."

actually one of the sneeky things i got told is order a local taxi... and get the taxi driver to tell you about the areas... they tend to be really blunt, have all the really good local knowledge and the will tell you where to good and not so good areas are....

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By *tudiousPip OP Woman
over a year ago

W Yorks

Some great advice. Thank you!

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By *ovegames42Man
over a year ago

london

[Removed by poster at 15/08/20 18:23:54]

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

Some good advice already.. I haven't got much experience of it myself but definitely look for damp and Japanese knot can cause problems.

Also I wouldn't like to take the owners word for things.. You should check the deeds and make sure you own the parking space if there is one said to be included and make sure that all is on the deeds.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

alot of this advice while correctly things that should be checked... are all the things you are paying the surveyor and lawyer to do already

like others have said your part is to get a feel for if you like the house / area etc

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By *ovegames42Man
over a year ago

london

"Some good advice already.. I haven't got much experience of it myself but definitely look for damp and Japanese knot can cause problems.

Never take the owners word, like politicians they will tell you what you want to hear and not what you need to know

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By *ovegames42Man
over a year ago

london

"alot of this advice while correctly things that should be checked... are all the things you are paying the surveyor and lawyer to do already

like others have said your part is to get a feel for if you like the house / area etc "

Agreed, but how many surveyors reports should one be paying for

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By *ob Carpe DiemMan
over a year ago

Torquay

Good luck I love my place, been here four months now, sadly not in Huddersfield, happily in Torquay with a nice sea view, I was careless and didn't bother with a survey but got away with it

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

"alot of this advice while correctly things that should be checked... are all the things you are paying the surveyor and lawyer to do already

like others have said your part is to get a feel for if you like the house / area etc

Agreed, but how many surveyors reports should one be paying for"

unless the rules are different in england you cant get a mortgage til you pay for a survey ... you pay for the survey once you know you want the house

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By *inky_couple2020Couple
over a year ago

North West

"Some good advice already.. I haven't got much experience of it myself but definitely look for damp and Japanese knot can cause problems.

Never take the owners word, like politicians they will tell you what you want to hear and not what you need to know"

Agree. Our house was the house of dodgy DIY horrors, but looked superficially OK. He'd done certain jobs on the cheap to make it more saleable, but it was a case of once you looked under one thing, you had to knock the whole thing down and start again. We are still finding crazy things 10 years later

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By *icentiousCouple
over a year ago

Up on them there hills

Like most areas, there are some not overly nice places.

Huddersfield was voted the worst place to live in England a little while ago.

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By *layfullsamMan
over a year ago

Solihull

Have a look to see if you like the property and the area etc and you can always have a second viewing

Worth paying an expert as it will help you negotiate if he finds things wrong

Some problems aren't that easy to spot on a viewing

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By *ove2pleaseseukMan
over a year ago

Hastings

"Signs of damp of wood rot ( smell and imperfections in plastered walls is a give away.

Lift carpet and inspect the flooring, if wooden suspended floors have a discreet little bounce around to test strength and support.

Look above windows and doors for and cracks appearing a possible indication of load barring structures above them giving way.

Look for signs of cracking down the main walls from ceiling to floor and in the outside walls a possible sign of subsidence

Look at guttering, down water rain and drain pipes “ badly installed or broken one can lead to water running down walls causing damage by water ingress.

Look at roof for any bows In the food line a sign of weakness in roof joist / check for cracked or missing tiles.

Check the central heating boiler / system, a non condensing boiler is uneconomical expensive to operate and expensive to upgrade.

Check for the Mains water stop cock / Gas meter And main earth bonding.

Check loft spaces for signs of asbestos,

( very expensive to get removed ) and check the insulation.

Hope this helps and good luck."

Take your time don't be rushed smell is under estermated. All ways do a second visit and get a full survey report done.

Asbestos is hard to spot but left un-disterbed is ok but not disarable.

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By *arksxMan
over a year ago

Leicester / London

"alot of this advice while correctly things that should be checked... are all the things you are paying the surveyor and lawyer to do already

like others have said your part is to get a feel for if you like the house / area etc

Agreed, but how many surveyors reports should one be paying for

unless the rules are different in england you cant get a mortgage til you pay for a survey ... you pay for the survey once you know you want the house "

You can definitely get a mortgage without a survey.

A mortgage company requires a valuation only, during the banking crisis of 2008. The population choice was kerb side valuations.

Which in part was driving prices up at unpredictable levels.

Kerb side valuations are exaclty that, looking at property on the kerb side.

Why do you think mortgage lenders and builiding societies keep saying house prices are going up in their reports every month.

Are thet going to say oh no you don't need a loan for £200k this house is undervalued.

As long as they move debt of their books after the mortgage is completed they don't care.

Its the op that lumped with a property with negative equity... The bank still gets the full loan back

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By *arksxMan
over a year ago

Leicester / London

Whilst there are some good basic tips in here op

I'd pay way more attention to the finances of the deal then wether or not the skirting boards are made out pine or oak.

I have a background in both physical and financial risk specialising in property claims and capital project lending.

If you need some specific help feel free to message me

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By *a LunaWoman
over a year ago

South Wales

I’d visit the outside of the property of an evening and of a weekend so you can check for potential noise nuisances and parking issues.

There’s often one house with 5 cars taking up half the road - particularly suspicious if Estate Agent says “parking is not an issue”.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

"Like most areas, there are some not overly nice places.

Huddersfield was voted the worst place to live in England a little while ago.

Really? its actually quite a nice place, but not much to do.. But like you say, gotta choose the area carefully, but that goes for all places I'm sure

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

Depends on the age of the house but for full piece of mind get a building surveyor to check the house prices vary massively from 4-500 up to 1500 depending on the size of the house.

But for the obvious stuff damp or you can smell damp. look at the brick work that nowhere looks like a set of stairs on the outside lol are there any certificate electric or gas energy ratings.

Also use a google search for that area for any known issues with other properties such as subsidence etc list is endless really

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

As for negotiating price you go low horrifically low

then slowly work your way up.

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By *olieandSlaveCouple
over a year ago

Stafford

Get a feel for how old the double glazing is. Ensure all the doors and windows open and close easily.

Ask if you can have a look in the loft. There should be a decent amount of insulation up there, at least 20cm if not 30cm. If it is below par, then it's not too expensive to rectify, but it tells you something about the homeowners and whether they have really spent money on the house.

If it has a condensing boiler, see if you can find out how old it is. They are rated to last around ten years. You can ask too if the central heating system was flushed when it was installed.

Look for severely sagging ceilings or dipping floors.

Check the external brick work, particularly that the damp course is intact and the pointing looks okay. Not too many cracked bricks or courses of bricks that aren't level. Be cautious of any large trees within 10m.

If there is an extension, ask when it was erected.

If you can spot anything early on it will save you time and of course the expense of a home buyers report or survey.

We've got a bit of a situation now thanks to years worth of unsympathetic electricians, plumbers and gas central heating engineers.

If I were to buy a house now, I would probably take a long spirit level and a damp Meter with me to a second viewing when I get to the point of being serious about buying a property.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

"As for negotiating price you go low horrifically low

then slowly work your way up. "

It's good if you can chat with the home owner instead of the estate agent. I was lucky enough to get hold of the owner on the phone when I visited the estate agents and I done the deal there and then.

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By *tudiousPip OP Woman
over a year ago

W Yorks

"When you're in the house turn on 'check who is near'thing on Fab. You dont want to be living next to a bunch of perverts

I'm not looking to move too far from where I'm renting so I've already blocked the local odd bods

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By *tudiousPip OP Woman
over a year ago

W Yorks

"Like most areas, there are some not overly nice places.

Huddersfield was voted the worst place to live in England a little while ago.

I have lived in Huddersfield most of my life... Not sure why it was voted worst place to live, cos it's lovely! I'm looking to buy near where I'm renting, so I know the area.

And I've already paid my protection fees to the ganglords

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