Viewings and testing lights, taps, windows etc

MRSB

Hi, I'm just posting to agree definitely to checking taps etc on a second viewing. The house my parents own at the moment has terrible plumbing and everytime an upstairs tap or shower is turned on all the pipes creak and clang so loudly that you have to turn up the TV downstairs in the lounge to be able to hear it properly. My in laws also moved in to their current home and all the taps were not suited to the water pressure so again there were loud noises everytime the taps were turned on. Obviously it depends how important these things are to you, and things like changing taps is not that big of an issue, but it is another expense and something that I personally would like to be aware of before we buy our first property.
Also, my SIL has just bought a house and has young children. Only since she has moved in has she found that although the modern double glazed windows on the first floor look good, they are not safe for her children. The windows open outwards from the bottom, and have no catch stopping them from opening out extremely far. The window sills are very low meaning that children could fall out of these easily and she has had to rig up temporary measures to stop her children opening the windows as they don't appear to lock properly either. She will eventually want to replace them with a safer design but again that will cost money that she was not expecting to spend having just looked at them.
Like you say this is a huge financial undertaking and I will definitely be checking things like this (within reason) when we start house hunting.

WHITEyy118

I'm with the majority. For a second viewing a more detailed look is expected but there is no need to go into too much detail.

If you like a house so much for a second viewing your cant let a stiff door or a creaking floorboard stop you from buying a house.

mlz1413

I'm with the majority too, I don't want a house where every time you flush the loo the water backs up and doesn't drain away - ok so it might only be a blockage, but if so why haven't vendors sorted it out they live there after all.

My friends house has got really bad banging pipes when you use any water in the bathroom, once the kids are in bed they have to be aware of any water usage.

Windows - if any are open make sure they shut, I once looked at a flat and the windows didn't shut, I only realised this as the music from a flat below was blaring in (I walked away on the first viewing)

Lights - you probably won't be able to tell anything from turning them on & off as any wiring problems are likely to be an issue when circuits are under load.

Most of us spend all our money on a house purchase so have very little left for instant repairs that with a few checks could be taken into consideration when negotiating the price.

Only thing I would draw the line at is people looking in my cupboards - you are only buying the house, I'm taking my food and clothes with me!

tBagpuss_2

See, I would open cupboards on the same principal as opening windows - I want to know whether they open and close smoothly,are stiff or difficult to latch / close etc.

Maybe it's down to what experiences you have in the past - I moved into a rented house and found that half the kitchen drawers had no backs. When my parents bought their last house the kitchen had been really badly fitted and s several of the cupboards didn't open properly (in heir case, it didn't matter much because they immediately ripped the kitchen out any way, but unless you know for sure you're going to do that, it's worth checking)

Equally, I know that the door of built in cupboard in the bedroom of the house I'm buying is going to need sorting you because I did open it, and i's very tricky to close as it has (I think) it's dropped on it's hinges. It's not a massive issue, but it was one of the things which was brought up in my negotiations over the property as it will need to be fixed.

aliby21

I would definitely do lots more turning on/off opening/closing generally checking things work next time I move. Agree, on a second viewing not first, when I am seriously thinking about putting in an offer. But next time, I don't care how weird it looks, if I am spending hundreds of thousands of pounds I want to know if the windows are stuck shut, or if the central heating works properly, or if you can get hot water out of the shower, or if the woodburner is safe, or the TV aerial is operational, or .... I could go on and on!

It IS caveat emptor when buying a house, and there are an awful lot of things that are not within the remit of a surveyor, even on a full structural survey - things that are too small for him/her to look at if you like.

I didn't do much checking, with this house I moved into in the summer, mostly because I felt embarrassed to, and there are so many things I wish I had poked into. OK, I might still have bought it, but at least I'd have known what would need doing, and could have budgeted for that. Or I might have decided that all the superficially nice looking stuff covering up bodge jobs was too much work for me to take on! At least I'd have been in a position to put in an offer knowing what work needed doing.

You are basically buying 'as seen', so make sure you see everything you want to!

Errata

Perhaps it would be sensible to send a vendor a list of all the things you want to check/do. Some will tell you take a hike, others not.

hamster2013

as with what everyone has said, i would not bother with the above.
Only ensure you check the wiring, best way is to see what is going in and out of the central fuse box, as that will inform if the house electric wiring will need updating or not.

for anything else, its not something to bother too much
I bought a house where i didnt check any of those
the kitchen tap leaked (not from the plumbing but from the tap itself into the sink.... so constant dropping even when the tap was closed)
and the guest toilet flush was broken (it would flush, but with some wire pulling.... definitely not something you would expect your guests to do)

When i moved in, I fixed both myself.... cost me less then £30 for both, and I got to put a kitchen tap that was better suited for my needs (ones that you can pull out)

basically : test what could cost you a hefty sum to fix.... anything over £500
anything else, you are wasting your time and going to look weird towards the vendor.... not good if you want to bargain later with him.

societys_child

MRSB:
Also, my SIL has just bought a house and has young children. Only since she has moved in has she found that although the modern double glazed windows on the first floor look good, they are not safe for her children. The windows open outwards from the bottom, and have no catch stopping them from opening out extremely far. The window sills are very low meaning that children could fall out of these easily and she has had to rig up temporary measures to stop her children opening the windows as they don't appear to lock properly either. She will eventually want to replace them with a safer design but again that will cost money that she was not expecting to spend having just looked at them.

Window child locks / restrictors from £3.49. She's not that skint surely?

societys_child

witchy1066:
why turn on the lights ? I don't understand what this would tell you other than the bulb works,

:rotfl:
Yeah . . and anyway, I might take all mine with me when I leave - low energy are expensive . . .

just kidding . . .

Prothet_of_Doom

having Bought 3 houses, and sold 2, I've never opened a window, never turned a tap on, and never had a viewer that did, but I wish I had.

Much to a few estate agents bemusement, I've measured the ceiling heights in more than a few lofts (potential for an extra room, can not be underestimated) and insisted on measuring the garage. (Is it a garage or a glorified shed ?)


One Vendor insisted on showing up the 'basement' potential of a house on a hill, which involved him lifting up an access panel under the stairs and us climbing down into a 7 foot high void under the house, the floor of which was rubble. Put the wife off and we never made an offer.