Re: Snag list
I agree with Chris.
I got my house professionally snagged for major problems. I stayed on and did a detailed snaglist myself. When I obtained the profession snag list , I edited it with additional snags I had found - and was also very picky.
Within a few days the estate agent was on saying all snags were complete. I knew this to be untrue as I always visited the site after hours. In the end I agreed to perform a second snag even though I knew stuff was still outstanding.
When I still refused to close, I ended up dealing directly with a director of the (well known) builder. It then got very nasty. The builders solicitor threated my solicitor with removal from the recommended list if he did not force me to close. They accussed me of stalling on purpose (not the case) and said I would loose the house unless I closed. In the end I was forced to close with an undertaking that remaining sangs would be completed.
After a few months the snags remained. I got fed up calling the estate agent / builder who would not take my calls. I contacted the builder's solicitor directly and got abused and accused of harassing him. He really got my goat up, so I decided to report him to the law society - only to be told I couldn't (only my solicitor could!). However, it did the trick - next day the foreman was at my door completing the snags.
The solicitors and builders have all the power, not the poor (over charged) customer - Buyer beware!
I really hope I cross paths with the builder's solicitor in the future, so I can give him some of his own medicine. It's high time overpriced conveyancy is deregulated like in the UK.