• Who is the vendor?

Is the vendor the original house-holder, a building society/bank, or the vendor's employer? In the latter two cases you're in, because their priority will be 'getting shot' as soon, AND EASILY, as they can. Don't make things hard for them. If you're involved in a long chain sale on your side (i.e. the purchasers of your property have to sell theirs first before they can buy yours etc.) you'll be of less interest than a "cash" buyer or a first-time buyer.

If you ARE a cash buyer (i.e. you've got no property left to sell) then push HARD on the price - you're just what they want and BOTH sides know it.

• How realistic is the price?

Remember, the price on the sales details is only the offer price. You have to make a reasonable offer based on what you believe to be a true market valuation of the property (and how little you think you can get away with!). A 5% discount would be the starting point for consideration, 10% the norm. Any necessary works should be deducted from the price. If you know of other similar properties in the area that have sold at a lower price, use that as supporting evidence for your offer.

Play hard, but fair. Remember, if the vendors actually take a dislike to you, they may sell to virtually ANYONE else if the difference in offer price is marginal. Don't beat them into the ground, just make them feel that their original price was for the birds and this is reality we're talking about!

Striking The Bargain

Getting the deal at the price that YOU want to pay is a careful blend of skill and science. It is worth putting a VERY CONSIDERABLE AMOUNT of effort into because it involves a VERY CONSIDERABLE AMOUNT of money.

The way to think about it is this: You may be negotiating over £5,000, which might be only 5% of the purchase price, but just how long would it take you to EARN £5,000 NET? How much effort will earning that money take? Just think about that before the you start the negotiations.

The first consideration is:

• How desperately do the vendors want to sell?

Are we talking bailiff-on-the-doorstep, doing-a-bunk desperate or just "let's see what it's worth". You would be astonished how many time-wasters put their homes 'on the market' with very little intention of ever selling - they just want to see how much they could get.

I would consider it essential to get a structural survey carried out when you are looking to buy ANY property. At the same time you should get a full report on the underlying ground conditions (the surveyor will provide this detail).

Chalk, limestone and sand-stone are fine - well-drained and stable. Clay and fen provide unique problems, usually overcome only by having the property built on a 'slab' - literally a concrete raft floating on the underlying ground. Old properties built on fen or clay should be avoided unless 'underpinning' (effectively rebuilding the foundations) has been carried out.

Very hard rocks, like granite, provide very stable footings, but the problem that has recently come to notice is that of radiation. Granite tends to leak radon gas through cracks. This can collect in basements and under hollow floors and inhalation of large quantities over time has been linked with lung cancer.