Why Should you Use a Local Surveyor?
The first and maybe most obvious reason to use a local surveyor is that they are very familiar with the local area. More importantly, they’re also aware of the types of construction used and the history of the area, which means they’re much more likely to know what types of defects to look for. For example, a surveyor based in the South will know that in Portsmouth the local authority has raised the level of pavements in front of rows of terraces, causing dampness to the walls, and they will know to check for this. They will also know to review the bomb damage map in Southampton to find out whether that strange movement is new, or it’s been there for decades. They might even know which houses are the most affected by traffic or aviation noise at certain times of day.
All of this local knowledge means they can give you between advice on the property you’ve fallen in love with. Not just in terms of the physical condition of the building, but of things to be aware of before you go ahead with the sale. After all, it’s always better to find out the negative characteristics before you enter into the contract!
Another benefit is that a local surveyor might not have the huge marketing budget that a big corporate does, which means they often rely more on word of mouth and reputation to gain new business. In our experience, this means they’ll bend over backwards to provide an excellent service that suits the client, with clearer and more human communication, and going into far greater detail in their reporting than you might find with the larger firms. This means you’ll also be able to have more confidence in your surveyor, especially if you’ve checked out their reviews online, since you’ll know that person has directly contributed to the positive reputation of the company.
Finally, local surveying companies generally don’t tend to be driven by hard-nosed accountants or shareholders. That means they’ll be completing fewer surveys a week, allowing their surveyors to be fresh for every inspection. Local surveyors focused on preparing high quality surveys will complete around 3-4 surveys a week, while bigger companies will demand 7 or more from their surveyors. This sounds like the corporate would be better – but in reality, doing fewer surveys means they can spend more time checking the property and explaining any defects or remedial measures, ultimately making the survey much easier to understand. They’ll also have more time to help you strategically price chip against the asking price, if required. But you do need to check that the surveyor includes this service within their fees – which of course we do at Harrison Clarke.
What do the Corporates do Better?
Big corporate surveying firms tend to have many more surveyors on their books, so if you need a survey in a rush, then they might be a good option. They tend to be able to inspect more quickly than a local firm or a one-man band. At Harrison Clarke, we have surveyors who are almost always able to inspect a property within 5 working days of instruction, no matter how buoyant the market is, thanks to the other types of work we do. It gives us much more flexibility than many other firms.
Some corporates will also utilise tablet technology to produce their reports. This means that their surveys will be delivered on the same day as the survey, which can be a good or a bad thing. Sometimes the quick turnaround is needed, but in most situations it’s helpful for surveyors to have some reflection time after their survey to make sure they’re giving the best advice. We know a few of our surveyors who have woken up with a ‘lightbulb moment’ in the middle of the night after a survey!
Incidentally, having seen surveys completed on tablets, they can often be clunky. Tablets don’t give the surveyor the ability to easily cross reference to other areas, which can make detailed explanations difficult. On the extreme end of the spectrum, we’ve met a surveyor who had never seen a completed report in his 5 years with his company – he’d just been entering data and letting the software do the rest.
Corporate surveying firms can also be a good choice if you just want to tick a box and say ‘please proceed’, since they’re often linked with mortgage lenders or estate agents. Just be aware that if you do this, you’ll likely be paying over the odds, since referral fees will need to be covered. Referral fees mean less money to pay the surveyor, and the quality of the survey will likely suffer as a result.
The final advantage of a larger survey company is that the survey fee might work out to be slightly lower. This is normally the result of a lower quality service, since the number of surveys each surveyor is required to do is much higher. However, if the residential market is quiet, the corporates might be looking to win work by lowering their fees just to keep cash flow going. This helps them to avoid making large scale redundancies, but does mean that quality can be affected.
What’s Right for me?
Ultimately, if the cost of the survey is the most important factor for you as a home buyer, then a corporate surveyor might be the better option for you. But if you do, just be aware that a lower up-front cost could mean that your rushed, overworked surveyor might well miss a defect, which would end up costing you more in the long run. If you’re looking for a really good, thorough survey that won’t miss any defects, performed by an experienced surveyor, then a local firm is the way to go!
Of course, we can’t ell you exactly who to use, because ‘local’ depends on where you are! But if you’d rather use a surveyor who can prepare a really great report, with excellent survey before, during and after your survey, then we can recommend one firm. Harrison Clarke chartered surveyors are expert building surveyors, and we work closely with property buyers to ensure nothing is missed. If you’d like to know more about how we can help you, give us a call on 023 8155 051.
For more expert advice on surveying and property matters, check out our range of informative videos on our website or YouTube channel. Harrison Clarke Chartered Surveyors is here to guide you every step of the way!
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