Are Solar Panels Worth It?

Updated: Apr 26 There are a plethora of surveying firms working in the Reading and Oxford areas we cover. Many of them have been established far longer, have more staff, more snazzy websites and much much bigger marketing budgets than us. So what is it that keeps us ticking? Makes us stand out from the crowd? And provides our point of difference that mean so many people choose us to carry out their building survey? Well, in this short series we will discuss just these points. Starting with ............ Drone Surveys Surveyors in Reading and Oxford would be remis to think that they could be providing a top level service and not inspect chimneys, roofs and gutters with drone technology. As yourself this - 'Can I see every part of my roof, chimneys, gutters from here, standing on the ground, or even on my 3 meter ladder?' The answer is no, you can't. Your surveyor isn't some exalted being that can see what you can't from the ground. Granted, they will know what to look for, and should certainly be able to ascertain more than you can, but ask yourself, could they spot this from the ground?

Updated: Apr 26 Its been an interesting year, or three. Normal rules have not applied to the housing market since the onset of the covid pandemic in early 2020. The market flew. Who would have thought that when we were facing an unknown threat to our health. House prices soared with renewed demand and asking prices were routinely trumped, sometimes by over £100,00! But we can't put this all down to the pandemic. The housing backdrop for the preceding few years had been one of slightly lower demand, the number of properties for sale had been gradually rising and was due to reach tipping point. Cue, our little friend covid. This light the torch paper on greater movement in the housing market that was ready and waiting to develop. Add to this the 'race for space' and the stamp duty relief measure put in place to ensure things keep moving, and we have what happened from 2020 to 2022. You can't have such price rises and not have a downturn at some point. House prices got out of hand, and really still are. Lower valuations are as much to do with interest rates as they are to do with the market finding its level in any event. We have been keeping our eye on the state of play in Berkshire and Oxfordshire. The bulk of our surveying work is carried out in Reading and Oxford and their surrounding towns and villages. Knowing how many houses are for sale in our areas, roughly how quickly the are increasing and decreasing etc helps us be the best surveyors we can be. In January 2023 there were roughly 56,000 houses for sale within a 40 mile radius of our base for surveying slap bang in the middle of Reading and Oxford. This grew rapidly and consistently up to 69,000 houses by May - each a potential job for a local surveyors. Over the next 3 months there was very little change. The market moved more and we received more enquiries for our surveying services. Fast forward to now, September 2023 and the number of properties for sale within our catchment of Oxfordshire and Berkshire is racing upwards again. This is likely due to the majority of vendors taking a summer break and listing their property when they return. But what for house prices and what for the future? Well, anyone that can give you a firm answer is a liar. The truth is no one knows. But this is what we think is likely - House prices will continue to fall, albeit slowly, until spring 2024. This will be aided by more houses coming on the market, a stagnation or further increase in the BoE base interest rate increasing the average cost of a mortgage and concerns around the economy. Then will follow a period of stagnation as the market adjusts and buyer come to terms with what a typical mortgage now looks like, and then we will see an uptick again. Timings unknown on the last two predictions! As always, and regardless of house prices, it is always a good idea to have your house surveyed prior to purchase by a reputable surveyor. A survey can save you money by finding issues that you didn't know where there that you can then negotiate of you sale price - this is true regardless of the market conditions. So whether you are after a building surveyors in Oxford, a surveyor in Newbury or Didcot's finest surveyor - please give us a call, email for a quote . We look forward to hearing from you. Like reading our posts? Check out our housing market appraisal from Spring 2023 .

Updated: Apr 26 We carry out lots of surveys in Reading. It is the most populous town in Berkshire and is the nearest big settlement to our base in South Oxfordshire. It is always interesting to hear news of potential housing developments. The need for more houses in the whole of England, let alone Reading, is clear to anyone that has paid attention to the average house price, that continues to rise apace. The reason for this is that there are not enough houses, plain and simple. So what is being done to build more houses in Reading? So we need more houses, but there also must be rules, or else all hell would break loose. Local areas such as Reading will have a 'Local Plan'. The aim of this document is to outline what the need for housing is in an area, and go about meeting it in a fair and sustainable way. There will be affordable housing, affordable rent, social housing, buying schemes, over 55's housing, as well as traditional straight to market properties. There will be large developments, blocks of flats and unique 'one off' builds, all combining to increase the number of houses in Reading. Now these things need periodic updating. And after a recent review the local plan for Reading advised that more buildings were needed. The number of new homes required was at 699 but has been upgraded to 833. This is great news for a surveyor in Reading. More houses, more transactions and therefore more surveys! Of course, we won't be the first surveyor in Reading to see this opportunity. But it could be so much better. The local plan also stipulates that there should be a cap on the amount of new residential buildings in Reading, this stands at 965 per year. Sounds like a lot. But it's not. Let me explain. Reading is a great place to live. Direct and fast train lines into London, world class University , business parks, and world leading in computer science. No wonder Reading, already the largest town in England, has desires on becoming our next City. Population continues to grow, business continues to expand and the world renowned Shinfield Studios nears completion. Reading is well and truly on the map, so ...... we need more houses! It is difficult to make this point without it seeming like we are after more gigs. The truth is, more buildings in Reading means more surveys in Reading. Anyone looking for a Reading surveyors would not be disappointed in any of our services - take a look at our reviews. But really and honestly, we need to remove some of the red tape around building houses in England. Every area has a local plan, every area has a group of hard nosed oppressors who 'don't want to look out my window at a building site'. Problem is, this sentiment is swiftly followed by 'my grandchildren can't afford to live in the area'. You can't have your cake and eat it. I understand that there need to be some rules. But the housing crisis is out of hand. The term 'generation rent' is banded about but it just trivialises the problem. The solution is more houses, and it must be made easier. The potential problems are clear. Lack of supply, lack of skilled labour and then lower build standards. We have to get past this tough. Home ownership should not be a thing of the past. I have some ideas, which I will share with you. Watch this space. But until then. See what sets us apart for our Homebuyer Reports and Building Surveys in Reading. Give us a chance to put our drone up and check a chimney or two. Still need convincing? Check out our reviews. Our dedication to customer service helps set us apart among Surveyors in Reading. Want a no obligation quote ? Please contact us and we will get straight back to you.

Updated: Apr 26 Picture the scene, You find the house of your dreams, submit an offer, offer accepted! Should we get a survey? Oh I don't know? should we?! Mortgage offer comes in - would you like to book a survey through us? Oh yes that will be easy, thanks. Great, that's £1250, we can just add it to your mortgage fees, don't worry. Survey comes, back - 500 words and no pictures, no follow up phone call - why did we pay £1250 for that!!!! What a rip off!!!! Oh well, at least it says there says nothing wrong ....... A path well trod, that one. In another life I used I carry out damp and timber surveys as an employee of a brilliant little independent residential surveyors in Oxford . There are lots of old houses in Oxford, and damp issues were everywhere. What struck me was the amount of times I would speak with the owner who said that nothing was flagged on their survey. Sometimes they only got the survey a year or so ago. Sometimes, they would show me bits of the survey they had instructed. Every time, without fail, there was a large bit of caveat text that basically released them of any blame. Now don't get me wrong, there does have to be caveat in areas of our reports and terms. We cannot see behind wallpapers, in the pipework, behind cupboards or through the whole drainage system. But, there are theories and methodologies that we can explain in our reports, based on what we can see, that should be passed on to clients. So why is this not standard in our industry? Well, because it takes time. And time in money, friend. So why is this important when you read the title of this post? '100% Independent' It is important because as an independent residential building surveyor, we are not beholden to anyone. We do not pay referral fees, we are not instructed by banks and we are not trying to please anyone - Even you! We are here to tell the truth as we see it, and give you the most accurate and comprehensive opinion, on the property you wish to purchase, that we can give. We are not worried about upsetting an estate agent, or making sure the bank can lend to you (and charge you interest for 25 years). We will, though, tell you if there are significant works required to the property. And this may come as a surprise. But would you rather know now, or after 3 years of living there, when the rectification costs will be exponentially higher? Being independent is our unique selling point, it is a superpower. Take a look at our Testimonials, and Google Reviews. Happy customers. So, if you are looking for a fully independent surveyors in Oxfordshire, look no further. We pride ourselves on a high levels of customer service and would love you help you with your building survey or homebuyer report. See our area guide on Surveyors in Oxford. We also cover Berkshire. From Reading and Basingstoke to Newbury and Thatcham. If you're looking for a RICS surveyor in Reading, look no further.

Updated: Apr 26 After the slowest December, January, February we can remember, the housing market in Berkshire and Oxfordshire kicked on and we saw an increase in enquires for both Building Surveys and Homebuyer Reports in March. The fated 'mini - budget' at the end of last year caused huge panic in the housing market. Stock markets dropped, interest rates rose and the housing market stood still. Moving into what is traditionally a slow period in housing, the fallout from the Chancellor's decisions hastened things along and really things were never going to pick up before the end of the year. Looking at the stats, the picture is muddled. Residential property transactions in the UK: December 2021 - 93,370 January 2022 - 70,460 February 2022 - 80,790 December 2022 - 91,780 January 2023 - 64,900 February 2023 - 65,850 Ok, so there is a slow down in each month when compared to the year earlier - when things were flying and we were still riding the post pandemic wave. But really there is nothing significant until February, where there were 15,000 less transactions in 2023 as compared to 2022. This does tally with our feelings. Demand for building surveys in Reading, Oxford, Newbury and beyond was slower in February. It is, however, cold comfort that the stats simply agree with us! So what for the future? The UK economy hasn't really done much for years now - we are ready for some growth. The problem is, we are so much beholden to global politics and the economic implications that come with it, that now the US seems destined to crash (financially), we will be collateral damage. Be it a rapid decline, or a slow drop, there seems to be no averting a recession, even if the British bankers want to keep poring over the figures that tell us we 'narrowly missed a recession'; this is, for all intents and purposes, a recession, and the housing market will take a hit. Often, housing downturns don't manifest in reduced valuations, no growth also represents a loss in value, especially when inflation is high. Recent figures say that house prices dropped in March - year on year - by 3.1%. When you factor in over 10% inflation over the same period, we are looking at a loss in value in real terms of over 13%. Merchant of doom I may be, and there is a good chance I'm wrong. The economic figures say that the UK is pretty much past the worst, there will be growth by the year end and we should return to calmer waters in 2024. Lets hope the US economy doesn't hold onto us like a trapped anchor as we try to sail out of the storm. Building Surveys in Berkshire and Oxfordshire In times like this you have to offer something different, be at the top of the game and simply out-perform your competitors. The biggest area of growth we have seen in the last month has been enquiries for Surveyors in Oxford. We have sent more quotes out for building surveys in Oxford than we have any other area. Why is this? Well, we offer a high quality service, in areas such as Reading, Newbury, Oxford and the surrounding areas of Berkshire and Oxfordshire. Our Building Surveys and Homebuyer Reports are completed by RICS surveyors who come highly regarded. To book a Building Survey or Homebuyer report in Berkshire or Oxfordshire click on the quote link below. Give us an opportunity to use our drone to survey your roof, or thermal imaging to check for hidden defect, and show you why our customers rate us highly.

Updated: Apr 26 There are lot of reasons why you might get a building survey before you commit to a purchase. Common reasons are; ‘I can’t see anything that bothers me, but I just want to be sure there is nothing majorly wrong’ There are some cracks I saw when viewing, I want to know if these are anything to worry about?’ There was mould in some rooms, I really like the house but not if there are damp and mould issues, could you let me know if these are easily resolved?’ Now lets be clear - the perfect property, in a perfect condition, with the kitchen and bathroom suite you would have chosen, and the colour scheme to match – pretty much doesn’t exist. You will always want to do something to a property when you move in. Be it cosmetic like a new colour scheme, or more intensive like a new kitchen or extension, there will be costs associated with this. These costs are not something likley to be given as part of any building survey (unless, I suppose, you ask and it is factored into the quote). But it is worth bearing in mind that even a basic kitchen will cost you between £4k and £10k, and a full internal re-paint of a three bed semi-detached property will cost you around £1k in materials alone (and about a week in your time to do it) or around £4k to get the professionals in. So a Building Survey won’t save you these costs, realistically the price of the property should reflect if any of these desperately need doing, otherwise this is your choice and should not affect the value of the property.

Updated: Apr 26 The RICS Building Survey - now called the RICS Level 3 Survey - is the second most common survey carried out on properties in the UK. A Building Survey is suitable for the overwhelming majority of properties – non-standard construction should be looked at by a relevant specialist – and is the most in depth of the RICS surveys. Does you property not fit the above criteria? Is your property built after 1950? Of standard construction? Not significantly altered or extended? Try out our RICS HomeBuyer Report (RICS Level 2 Survey). A Building Survey gives a true and in depth reflection on the condition of the property you wish to buy. We use the RICS Building Survey template that utilises the traffic light system to rank the condition of each element within the property. This greatly helps the understanding of a report that can contain some complex findings. These are characterised as follows: Condition Rating 1 – No repair concerns were noted, the areas must be maintained in the normal way. Condition Rating 2 – Defects were noted requiring repairing / replacing. They are not however considered to be serious / urgent. Condition Rating 3 – Defects of a serious nature noted requiring repairing / replacing urgently or investigated further prior to sale. Using the traffic light system, the RICS Building Survey can identify problems that you may not have noted when you first viewed the property. These could be relatively minor now, but develop over time and cause significant damage to the property if not rectified. A Building Survey can advise of these problems (defects) and how they may cause deterioration of the building fabric over time, if not rectified.