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What surveyors look for when assessing your property

07.07.25
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Focusing preparation efforts on the right areas before listing helps you avoid difficult price negotiations down the line.

What do property surveyors focus on?

The primary focus is on identifying defects that might affect your property's value or safety, such as damp, subsidence, structural movement, and building regulation compliance issues. Surveyors also flag potential legal problems, such as unauthorised extensions or missing warranties.

What's included in a home survey?

A Level 2 Home Survey, a popular choice for home buyers, includes a comprehensive visual examination of accessible areas, covering roofs, walls, floors, windows, and doors. Surveyors investigate loft spaces and assess how well your home keeps out weather and drafts.

Fixed services, including heating, plumbing, electrical systems, and drainage, are assessed, and any visible issues requiring further investigation are noted. They also inspect the outside of your property, checking boundary walls, fences, permanent outbuildings, and shared areas for flats, looking for movement, settling, or signs of damage. 

How surveyors assess structural integrity

Surveyors examine load-bearing elements, including the properties’ foundations, walls, beams, and roof structures, to identify stress, movement, or deterioration signs. They're specifically trained to spot subsidence indicators, like telltale cracks appearing around windows, doors, or wall junctions. 

After checking what your home is built from and how it's constructed, surveyors determine whether any alterations or extensions have been done properly and meet building regulations. They inspect wood for rot, metal parts for rust, and brickwork for crumbling mortar joints. 

How surveyors identify hidden issues

Experienced surveyors spot problems that aren't immediately obvious, such as early signs of damp, woodworm infestations, and timber decay that could develop into serious structural issues. Using moisture meters, they test suspect areas for hidden dampness, particularly around windows, external walls, and basements. Roof spaces are examined for adequate insulation, proper ventilation, and signs of pest activity or water getting in.

Guttering, downpipes, and surface water drainage are evaluated, as well as signs of poor ventilation that could cause condensation problems. Even though surveyors only identify visible issues, their experience helps them spot potential problems and suggest when you need a specialist to take a closer look.

Getting ready for a property survey

Knowing what surveyors look for puts you in a much stronger position as a seller. Focus your preparation on the areas they'll examine most closely: fix any visible damp problems, make sure your home is well-ventilated, check you have the right paperwork for extensions, and think about sorting out minor structural issues. Addressing potential issues before your buyer's survey strengthens your negotiating position.

Speak to our experienced estate agents  today about preparing your home for sale  and maximising its market value.

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Search for your next property

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Please view our current listings. Alternatively, get in touch if you don’t see any listings that match your criteria. We provide expert guidance to support your property search.

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What's your property worth?

What's your property worth?

Don’t hesitate to contact Hearnes for more information on how we will accurately value your property. Our team are on hand to fully explain our property valuation service so you know exactly what to expect.

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Marketing your property

Marketing your property

Do you have a question about how we’ll market and sell your property? Read on for answers to all your queries about our comprehensive service for sellers today. We guarantee 100% clarity from the outset.

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Latest info

Latest info

We write regular posts to share information on the world of property. Many of our posts provide real-time insights into local property trends. Take a look to find out more.

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Our reviews

Our reviews

Here at Hearnes, we have many happy clients. Read some of our reviews to see how we have helped buyers and sellers just like you.

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View our branches

View our branches

We have five branches, each dedicated to helping buyers and sellers in their local area. Find information, including contact details, for each of our branches here.

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Meet our team

Meet our team

Each of our branches has a dedicated and professional team ready to help buyers and sellers in their local area. Find out more about each of our team members here.

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Where service counts

Where service counts

Here at Hearnes, we are a people business operating within the property sector. We are all about service and going the extra mile to ensure our clients get the home they want as smoothly as possible.

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Contact us

Contact us

We're always happy to help. Whether you are looking to sell your home, buy a new one, or just want to chat with someone about how we can help with a stage in the process, get in touch, and we'll see what we can do!

Aerial photo of Wimborne Minister

Search for your next property

Search for your next property

Please view our current listings. Alternatively, get in touch if you don’t see any listings that match your criteria. We provide expert guidance to support your property search.

Photo of a river

What's your property worth?

What's your property worth?

Don’t hesitate to contact Hearnes for more information on how we will accurately value your property. Our team are on hand to fully explain our property valuation service so you know exactly what to expect.

Aerial photo of Badbury Rings

Marketing your property

Marketing your property

Do you have a question about how we’ll market and sell your property? Read on for answers to all your queries about our comprehensive service for sellers today. We guarantee 100% clarity from the outset.

Photo of a bench overlooking a river

Latest info

Latest info

We write regular posts to share information on the world of property. Many of our posts provide real-time insights into local property trends. Take a look to find out more.

Photo of Poole beach huts

Our reviews

Our reviews

Here at Hearnes, we have many happy clients. Read some of our reviews to see how we have helped buyers and sellers just like you.

Photo of a woodland walk

View our branches

View our branches

We have five branches, each dedicated to helping buyers and sellers in their local area. Find information, including contact details, for each of our branches here.

Photo of a country walk

Meet our team

Meet our team

Each of our branches has a dedicated and professional team ready to help buyers and sellers in their local area. Find out more about each of our team members here.

Aerial photo of Blue Lagoon, Lilliput, Poole

Where service counts

Where service counts

Here at Hearnes, we are a people business operating within the property sector. We are all about service and going the extra mile to ensure our clients get the home they want as smoothly as possible.

Photo showing an anchor in front of a building

Contact us

Contact us

We're always happy to help. Whether you are looking to sell your home, buy a new one, or just want to chat with someone about how we can help with a stage in the process, get in touch, and we'll see what we can do!