Questions to ask at viewings

jay-jay

Were viewing properties at the minute, what sort of questions should I be asking the vendors to get the most from each viewing. Bought our first house after 4 viewings so havent got much experience.

THanks

kingkano

That depends what you already know? I always ask the water rates, council tax and approx heating costs. Just to see if the vendor has the answers (they are helpful of course though). Ask about the neighbours to see what they say. Ask about their plans and current situation ala their next purchase. Ask why they are selling. Then there is things specific to you, transport links or local shops, other stuff you know is important to you.

Things more particular I'd leave until the 2nd viewing, like what fittings they might leave, boiler age/servicing etc.

Melissa177

Somebody posted a list on here a while back with a really comprehensive list - I wouldn't have the foggiest how to find it, though.

sortofok

Check all the screws in the door hinges and see if there are any missing.

jay-jay

hoping for a second viewing tomorrow with a likelyhood of an offer but want to make sure I ask all the right things

shelly

jay-jay wrote: »

hoping for a second viewing tomorrow with a likelyhood of an offer but want to make sure I ask all the right things

If you are thinking about making an offer then you should have asked all your questions by now IMO. No good making an offer, have it accepted, ask a question and find the answer not to your liking then you pull out. Thats wasted your time and the vendors.

Most popular questions we asked when viewing were....

How long has property been on the market? (If a long time then you might get it for a better price but also could mean something wrong with it)

Have any other offers been made? If so ask what they were so you know where you need to be to secure the property.

What fixtures and fittings are included?
How much roughly are main utility bills? i.e water/gas/elec/oil....depending on what they have.
How soon are the vendors looking to move? Do they have somewhere to go?
What are the neighbours like? (They are always perfect )
Are there many families in the street? (If that matters to you)


These are just a few, ask about things that are important to you. We didn't ask about transport links as we never use them. Didn't ask about local schools as we don't have children yet. etc etc

epz_2

sortofok wrote: »

Check all the screws in the door hinges and see if there are any missing.

???? i hope thats a joke, i cant see anyone losing a house for 3ps worth of screws.

i always ask about parking and noise, but then my only requrements are cable internet, somewher to park and not disturbiing/being disturbed by neighbors

beedeedee

Sometimes worth asking if the house next door is rented (no disrespect to any tenants) but it's nice to know if the nieghbours are likely to keep changing and is there a dog nearby? We once moved because a neighbour's dog was left on it's own all day and barked constantly.

Running_Horse

Almost all our viewers asked what the neighbours were like. We have been very lucky with good and quiet neighbours, but you wouldn't tell anyone if it was different, so why ask?

We asked about facilities for children in the area.

kingkano

What would happen if they were rotten neighbours, and the buyers solicitors found out you had made complaints to the council. Im guessing at the least the buyer would be peeved you said they was fine.... I guess most people rely on honesty too much lol.

sortofok

epz wrote: »

???? i hope thats a joke, i cant see anyone losing a house for 3ps worth of screws.

i always ask about parking and noise, but then my only requrements are cable internet, somewher to park and not disturbiing/being disturbed by neighbors

I kid you not my friend.

It's not the money - it's about the tricks of the trade. If the vendors have renovated the house themselves this is a very good indicator as to the standard of the job.

If the standard of work you can see is poor, what about all those hidden jobs that you can't ?

I could tell you about some other things to look out for If you want.