House Viewing with EA and Vendor - What Questions Do I Ask Vendor?

drummer_666

I'm seeing a house on a road I love. I fell in love with a house on the same road a month ago, but found out it was leasehold.

So i'm seeing another one that's come up. It's only a few houses down and I'm expecting it to be pretty similar. But on the land register the same property is listed twice, once as freehold and once as leasehold. From what I gather the same person probably owns both??

The vendor will be at the house as well as the estate agent. There's no chain.

Now, if I like it. I need to make the most of the vendor being there, for my negotiating. Any pointers?

Apart from the obvious 'why are you selling'.
Do I say something about the asking price? i.e. is there room for negotiation / what price are you looking for realistically

Also, I put an offer on another house on wed, not heard back yet. So if I like the house tomorrow, do I ring the EA right after I've viewed it to put an offer in or wait til Mon?

Richard_Webster

He had the lease and bought the freehold later - that's a non-issue.

Main things are about why he is moving. If it's for a job move or larger house for a growing family then that makes sense.

However they may give vague reasons which don't really add up, e.g.:

• They may be looking for some dream property that they will not find in their likely price range and so you will be waiting for months while they find something to buy
• They may be splitting up and the sale will be delayed while they argue about how much each gets.
• There is some neighbour/neighbourhood problem they don't want to tell you about.
• There is something wrong with the house they don't want to tell you about.

.

Be particularly careful if there are two sellers and they are not saying the same thing....

If the estate agent tells you they will move out without buying on to enable the sale to proceed, don't believe them until you have spoken to the seller(s) and checked out that he/they actually have somewhere they can go to and are prepared to do so.

If the sellers or the agents tell you something which is important to you about the property then make sure your solicitor knows about it so he can check that what they have told is true. So many times people come on these forums with some tale about what the estate agents told them which they assumed was right and never checked it through their solicitor.

jimpix12

If you like the house and are considering putting in an offer, ALWAYS think it through overnight and wait until the day after at the very least. If you place an offer same day not only will you feel like you're rushing in, you'll also look desperate to the vendor and the EA , and they will see you coming!

Ask when it was built, what is and isn't included, council tax band, how long it's been on the market etc. If it has any planning issues/protection as a listed building, etc. You can ask about pricing and offers any time, there are no rules, but I would wait until you know you are truly interested in living in the place before doing this as it might just be a waste of your time.

irishcol

First of all, don't let it be known that you love the house! Be non-committal. Ideally if you're with someone else, make some comments along the lines of "it's not as big as the one in XXX Road" and "the kitchen isn't quite as nice as the one in YYY Close".

I wouldn't discuss price with the vendor ever - always through the EA. And not at a first viewing.

If you like the house, then there's no harm phoning the EA afterwards (or on Saturday morning, if they're open) to say that you are interested, but need some time to do some sums and work out if you are prepared to make an offer. Ask to be kept informed of any developments. In today's climate, there are unlikely to be many (real) offers coming up within the next few days.

In terms of specific questions to ask the vendor, then I would ask:
1) Is it definitely a frrehold property?
2) Has the owner already found somewhere to live?
3) How long have they lived there? (You can find this out in advance from zoopla/land registry etc, but it's always worth seeing what the vendors say, as they'll often expand on why they moved there and why they're moving out)
4) What are the neighbours like? If relevant, what are local schools/bus links etc like?
5) What are the bills like?

If you're interested in doing some work to it in the future, then it can often be worth discussing with them whether they have ever considered extending / putting in a downstairs bathroom etc. Or if any of the neighbours have done this. But I would generally leave this until a second viewing, as otheriwse you come across as either too keen or too critical of the current property.

Good luck!
5)

drummer_666

Thanks guys,

You missed my point saying it's chain free tho lol.

I was pretty sure that was the case of them owning the leasehold and then buying the freehold but I'll ask them about it too

Also good advice to ask about possible planning permisson too

I was thinking asking them about the price, may give an indication of what opening offer to put in (if i want to put an offer on)

OK if I like it, I'll wait until Mon to put an offer on.

Thank you

cattie

Never, ever ask a vendor if they will negotiate on price. All vendors are hoping to get pretty close to the asking price. But, Sometimes if a house has been on the market for a while, the EA will give an indication of a price that they feel the vendor will accept, this has happened to me a couple of times in the past, so the EA is the person to sound out I think.

If you want to make an offer, offer the lowest you feel the house is worth, (do your homework first & see what other similar properties have been up for & check their sold prices). If you offer is too low, then you can increase, in stages if necessary, to the max price you are willing to pay.

devotee

I'd ask about the council tax band, how much the bills are pm, when was the boiler serviced etc. This way you can find out more about the vendors than why are you moving etc?

I had FTBs once asking me why was I moving - it was a one bed flat, two of us with dogs etc... Why the hell do you think???

If it's a chain free then it could be a probate sale, btl etc. Do not ask about the price!

China2

Ask where the nearest shop is that sells cup-a-soups

hazyjo

Ask what the neighbours are like. What has bothered you in the past? Barking dogs? Parking issues? Try and think about what would make a difference to your life if you lived there and make sure it's not happening on your doorstep.

Jx

roger196

Ask for the five good things about the house /neighbourhood and the five worst things(you will need to phrase this tactfully).
Distance to schools, shops, bus, railway station, doctor, dentist, hospital.
Have they carried out any improvement work ,approx cost , did they get pp, building regs. Some improvements add value, many do not.
How old is boiler, when serviced, are rads hot, how old are electrics.
Look for damp/ subsidence both inside and outside property.
Check gutters, down pipes, drains
Check roof tiles, any missing or slipped, check flashing,
Any re-pointing needed, state of chimney.
Before you go extract list of sold prices of other property in street. Which are comparable ie 3 or 4 bed so that you compare like for like.
When did they buy this property and for how much. Adjust this figure to todays date by multiplying by todays price index and dividing byindex at date of purchase. Use Halifax |Price Index or similar, best to use not seasonally adjusted figures.