Comments on: Interview With The Hippy (HIP Consultant) http://www.propertyinvestmentproject.co.uk/blog/interview-with-the-hippy-hip-consultant/ DOCUMENTING ONE MAN'S JOURNEY TO BECOMING A PROPERTY MILLIONAIRE Wed, 08 Feb 2012 21:13:32 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Paul http://www.propertyinvestmentproject.co.uk/blog/interview-with-the-hippy-hip-consultant/comment-page-1/#comment-60777 Paul Wed, 19 Aug 2009 12:09:34 +0000 http://www.propertyinvestmentproject.co.uk/blog/?p=425#comment-60777 Well, my recent experience of selling a property (me as executor) wouldn't get me rating the HIP scheme. The agent was all too quick to sign me up to the HIP, and of course they have the law on their side now. Their charge was £350 if I paid up front, which I did so that I could move to a different agent at a later date if they didn't perform as expected. They offered a pay-later scheme, but it would have cost £400. It took weeks for me to obtain a copy of my HIP - I kept sending emails and phones calls to chase it up. I was surprised that there were no details about the fixtures and fittings in the HIP. Well, I should have guessed because no-one asked me anything about the property prior to producing the HIP. When I got a buyer, I enaged a conveyancer and then got a load of forms to fill in with, yes you guessed it, all the fixtures and fittings. Plus I had to provide details of boundaries and stuff. It seems that the buyer has to pay a great deal more and is required to do more work than at any time in the past. It's a con. This article makes a similar point: http://www.laystar.co.uk/magazine/ID/32/Home-Information-Pack-Rip-Off.htm Well, my recent experience of selling a property (me as executor) wouldn’t get me rating the HIP scheme.

The agent was all too quick to sign me up to the HIP, and of course they have the law on their side now. Their charge was £350 if I paid up front, which I did so that I could move to a different agent at a later date if they didn’t perform as expected. They offered a pay-later scheme, but it would have cost £400.

It took weeks for me to obtain a copy of my HIP – I kept sending emails and phones calls to chase it up. I was surprised that there were no details about the fixtures and fittings in the HIP. Well, I should have guessed because no-one asked me anything about the property prior to producing the HIP.

When I got a buyer, I enaged a conveyancer and then got a load of forms to fill in with, yes you guessed it, all the fixtures and fittings. Plus I had to provide details of boundaries and stuff. It seems that the buyer has to pay a great deal more and is required to do more work than at any time in the past. It’s a con.

This article makes a similar point: http://www.laystar.co.uk/magazine/ID/32/Home-Information-Pack-Rip-Off.htm

]]> By: Richard Large http://www.propertyinvestmentproject.co.uk/blog/interview-with-the-hippy-hip-consultant/comment-page-1/#comment-17078 Richard Large Thu, 14 Aug 2008 15:27:49 +0000 http://www.propertyinvestmentproject.co.uk/blog/?p=425#comment-17078 answers: HIP pricing is everywhere. The cost of the EPC is most likely to vary according to house size but many are a fixed cost. EPCs ought to cost around £80-100 typically; some desparate people do them for less. The rest of the HIP is really only the searches and Land Registry cost; searches vary enormously from council to council. Problem with cheaper personal searches is that many buyer's solicitors won't accept them - that is one reason why these have a bad name with many solicitors who ask for the full searches, thus duplicating and increasing costs. Also a Land Registry title HIP should be rather cheaper than an unregistered title - most are now registered. Go to your local council website & see (usually under Land Charges) what they charge for a search - it can vary from around £75 up to about £300. For the same stuff. Quite daft. The other costs are trivial, Land Registry is £6 for the title and plan. All homes going on the market need a HIP (with some very rare exceptions) - the bedroom number phasing in ended last December. As regards haggling, think of it in precisely the same way as when you go to ask a solicitor to handle the sale or purchase of your house. If you would haggle with them, fine, haggle away. It's just about the same situation. In fact, really, it should be the solicitor who puts the HIP together - it's whatr they always used to do (obviously they have to get an energy assessor to do the EPC). answers:
HIP pricing is everywhere. The cost of the EPC is most likely to vary according to house size but many are a fixed cost. EPCs ought to cost around £80-100 typically; some desparate people do them for less.
The rest of the HIP is really only the searches and Land Registry cost; searches vary enormously from council to council. Problem with cheaper personal searches is that many buyer’s solicitors won’t accept them – that is one reason why these have a bad name with many solicitors who ask for the full searches, thus duplicating and increasing costs. Also a Land Registry title HIP should be rather cheaper than an unregistered title – most are now registered.
Go to your local council website & see (usually under Land Charges) what they charge for a search – it can vary from around £75 up to about £300. For the same stuff. Quite daft. The other costs are trivial, Land Registry is £6 for the title and plan.
All homes going on the market need a HIP (with some very rare exceptions) – the bedroom number phasing in ended last December.
As regards haggling, think of it in precisely the same way as when you go to ask a solicitor to handle the sale or purchase of your house. If you would haggle with them, fine, haggle away. It’s just about the same situation. In fact, really, it should be the solicitor who puts the HIP together – it’s whatr they always used to do (obviously they have to get an energy assessor to do the EPC).

]]> By: Stuart Wallace http://www.propertyinvestmentproject.co.uk/blog/interview-with-the-hippy-hip-consultant/comment-page-1/#comment-17049 Stuart Wallace Wed, 13 Aug 2008 19:16:36 +0000 http://www.propertyinvestmentproject.co.uk/blog/?p=425#comment-17049 Hey m8, I have 2 questions, hopefully you can help. 1. I remember reading that HIPS only applied 2 bedroom houses. Is that true? 2. Like with letting agent fees, can you haggle with the HIPs prices? cheers Hey m8,

I have 2 questions, hopefully you can help.

1. I remember reading that HIPS only applied 2 bedroom houses. Is that true?

2. Like with letting agent fees, can you haggle with the HIPs prices?

cheers

]]> By: anne http://www.propertyinvestmentproject.co.uk/blog/interview-with-the-hippy-hip-consultant/comment-page-1/#comment-17047 anne Wed, 13 Aug 2008 19:04:35 +0000 http://www.propertyinvestmentproject.co.uk/blog/?p=425#comment-17047 hi, That was a great read and perfect timing because im in the process of selling. I'm indifferent about the topic but i can see why people are opposed to the hips and vice versa. I do have one question though. The estate agents i'm using actually told me that they charge the packs based on the size of the house because it requires more time to put together, and pricing guidelines is set by the government. But from what i just read, its down to the actual distrubiters of the packs to choose how they want to structure their pricing? Was I lied to because i'm selling a 5 bedroom property. i'd be extremely grateful for your thoughts on the matter. many thanks, Ann. hi,

That was a great read and perfect timing because im in the process of selling. I’m indifferent about the topic but i can see why people are opposed to the hips and vice versa.

I do have one question though. The estate agents i’m using actually told me that they charge the packs based on the size of the house because it requires more time to put together, and pricing guidelines is set by the government. But from what i just read, its down to the actual distrubiters of the packs to choose how they want to structure their pricing? Was I lied to because i’m selling a 5 bedroom property.

i’d be extremely grateful for your thoughts on the matter.

many thanks,
Ann.

]]>