Q&A

Your property queires answered

Should I get a plasterer?

My new house is a small terraced redbrick (100 years old) and while it could do with a new kitchen and bathroom I can only manage some decorative work (painting and so on) at the moment. The ceilings in the livingroom and the diningroom are covered in stipple plaster and I hate it. As I intend spending most time in those rooms, I wanted it skimmed, but a plasterer I contacted wouldn't touch it and suggested getting a small builder in. Is that a bit extreme?

Maybe or maybe not. It's worth remembering when you look up at your much-hated stippling that the previous owners who put it up there mightn't have been mad about it either. It could very well have been suggested to them as a cheap way of putting a uniform look on uneven patchy old ceilings. Given the age of the house, that's probably what put your plasterer off. When it comes to walls and ceilings it is always inadvisable to plaster over something unless what you are plastering over is basically sound. An old ceiling like yours is likely to be made up of strips of wood and plaster, and underneath the stippling it might be damaged. Already another layer of plaster - the stippling - has been added. Depending on how deep the stippling is, this might have required a lot of plaster and therefore weight. If you add yet another layer of skimmed plaster it might prove too much weight for the old ceiling - and in the worst case scenario the whole lot could come down. That's where the small builder comes in. As you hate it so much, you are better to budget for getting rid of the old ceilings - a truly filthy job - and putting in new ones. The end result will be worth it and you can also use the opportunity to maybe rethink the lighting in the diningroom, for example put in halogen downlights in the ceiling and take out the central light in the livingroom.

An offer before auction

I noticed from reading your auction results from the first big week of auctions that most of the houses were withdrawn. This made me nervous as my house is for auction in two weeks. In the first week of viewing we received an offer. Should we take it? Or is it better to go to auction and see what happens on the day?

Generally speaking there are two types of buyers who make pre-auction bids - people chancing their arms looking for a bargain (and good luck to them) or people who want the house so much they are prepared to offer usually well over and above the guide to clinch the sale and avoid going to auction. Pre-auction bids happen all the time although few houses are sold before auction. You don't give any indication which category your bidder falls into. Does the auctioneer think that the bidder is bone fide? Is the bid what you were looking for? Can the bidder sign contracts in the same way he would be asked to do on the day of the auction. Before you get too nervous about going to auction remember that while houses might be withdrawn on the day they more often than not sell fairly quickly afterwards. Sellers go to auction hoping that the price will go beyond what they were hoping for. Are you a conservative "a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush type" person or do you want to take a chance? Only you can make the decision.

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Unfortunately, it is not possible to respond to all questions. The above is a representative sample of queries received. This column is a readers' service and is not intended to replace professional advice. No individual correspondence will be entered into.