A big milestone for our MD this month as James celebrates 20 years of being a Chartered Surveyor.
This means he can carry out surveys to assist with property purchases but also valuations for other purposes for example:
Rebuilding Valuations
How much would it cost to rebuild your house? When you take out home insurance you’ll have to fill in a value and it’s important to get it right. If it’s too low, then you would have to cover the difference in the amount you are insured for and the actual rebuild costs yourself. For example if your house is under insured by £50 000, that would be a lot of extra money to find, on top of all the stress of having your house rebuilt! If the figure is too high, then you’re probably paying too much for your insurance premiums. We recommend that you have your rebuild costs valued every five years to make sure you are covered and that you are paying the right amount in insurance premiums. There’s more information here.
Probate Valuations
After a death, family or executors will need a probate valuation to help determine any tax liability. The HMRC recommends people use a professional surveyor like Hawkesford to carry this out on behalf of a family. Again, if the value is incorrect it can have serious consequences. Find out more about how we do this sensitively and professionally in a previous blog.
Matrimonial Valuations
Matrimonial valuations are needed when relationships have come to an end. They are used in divorce or separation agreements and help courts decide how the couples’ assets are split. Both parties agree on appointing the valuer and the report is often supplied directly to the court.
Accounting Valuations
Accounting valuations are used to make sure assets are correctly valued in company accounts. Once again it is something that is really important to get right as both under and over valuations could have serious implications.
Party Wall Agreements
James Hawkesford can also act in Party Wall disputes. A Party Wall divides the buildings of two owners with the boundary between ownerships usually positioned at the centre of the wall. Examples are walls between semi-detached or terraced houses or walls that form the boundary between two gardens. Find out more about when this might apply to your property.
Did you know, anybody can set up as an Estate Agent. There’s no regulation on that whatsoever. But, if you’re also Chartered Surveyors, Valuers and Auctioneers, like we are, everything has to be checked.
We have ISO 9001, so that banks will give us valuations. The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors comes in once a year to check our accounts. We’re Members of the National Association of Estate Agents. James Hawkesford is a Fellow of the National Association of Valuers and Auctioneers.
Not only that but we’re coming up to 30 years in business so our knowledge and expertise in the local property market is second to none. If there’s anything we can help with please get in touch, we’re working throughout this latest lockdown but please phone or email in the first instance so that we can keep you and our staff safe.
