More families are shunning full building surveys so they can raise enough cash to buy a home
The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) warns that that purchasers are risking nasty surprises and huge repair costs by not obtaining a pre-purchase survey.
One in five of those who did not bother obtaining a survey later uncovered faults, according to research involving more than 1,000 buyers conducted by ComRes for the RICS.
Remedial work cost £5,750 on average.
The RICS said 17% of new owners ended up paying more than £12,000 to make their homes habitable.
Read the full article on the BBC News web site.