What are your tips for when going to view a house?

Legacy_user

Eg, what should I look out for?

Can I make an offer after I've viewed the house and like it?

Pete9501

berbastrike wrote: »

Eg, what should I look out for?

Decide if you like it

berbastrike wrote: »

Can I make an offer after I've viewed the house and like it?

Yes if you like it.

slopemaster

Pete9501 wrote: »

Decide if you like it

on your first visit.
If you do, go back with a checklist and look at lots of things - age of boiler, condtion of roof, ease of parking, etc etc etc

DTDfanBoy

Always view the property at least twice before making an offer, it's amazing what those rose tinted glasses will hide on the first viewing :eek:

Loopy28

I viewed a house and offered on it the same day at asking price and it was rejected and they wanted 5k over asking. I think we must have looked too keen but that property was new to the market, if it has been on a while they might not be so much like that.

Have a good look around at the walls and ceilings for anything untoward, the condition of the carpets/flooring (as these are an expense to consider when offering if they will need replacing soon)

Is the garden practical for your needs/private (if that is important to you)/what way does it face-north might be no good if you want the sun.

Look at the size and layout of rooms, can you fit in the furniture you want.

Does the kitchen have room for washing machine, dishwasher, tumble dyer or is there an alternative place for these items

Is there adequate parking for your needs.

If you love the house, don't declare this to the EA!

cloo

DTDfanBoy wrote: »

Always view the property at least twice before making an offer, it's amazing what those rose tinted glasses will hide on the first viewing :eek:

Though that said, we felt more strongly about the house we're now buying the second time we saw it!

I'd say on first viewing, try to imagine whether you can see your stuff in there.

Look out for damp, cracks (though in older houses these don't necessarily mean anything dreadful)

As loopy28 said, check the kitchen fits everything you need (especially in flats or smaller houses)

Ditto in smaller places, is there somewhere to sit down and eat other than the sofa?

surfsister

we took a friend who is a builder with us when we bought ours and he looked at the condition of the roof/chimney and pots/damp proof course on outside of house/how water drains away into garden and whether there are drainage inspection points in the garden(small manole covers)/the state of pointing/he looked for subsidence outside and inside/the age/state of boiler and asked if there was a safety cert./age of rads/state of inner roof by going into loft space & checked how much insulation/state of windows and sills/ age of wiring/cavity walls and are they insulated/fuse boards for age and condition/checked floorboards for condition/gnerally for cracks and damp.

so plenty to look for. also he advised going back at different times of day to see if it's noisy at certain times eg school run/ sat night etc- no good looking when the estate agent want you to!

also not to show any particular interest and mention you are looking at lots of others then make an offer below the asking price to leave bartering room unless the area is really popular.

good luck

stator

I don't know if this will work but here's my spreadsheet:
Address:



Estate Agent:








Cavity wall insulation yes no don't know
Loft insulation yes no don't know
Council tax band



Owned for 12 months?



BT? yes no possible
Virgin Media? yes no possible





Electrics



Fuse box Wire type Trip switch

Burglar Alarm yes no age?
Heating Gas Boiler Electric age?
Hot water Combi Boiler Electric






Outside



Parking Driveway On road Allocated
Fences



Check roof



Guttering



Lounge



Radiator



Sockets



Flooring Carpet Laminate Wood Vinyl




Dining Room



Radiator



Sockets



Flooring Carpet Laminate Wood Vinyl




Hall/Staircase



Radiator



Sockets



Flooring Carpet Laminate Wood Vinyl




Kitchen



Radiator



Sockets



Flooring Carpet Laminate Wood Vinyl Cooker Gas Electric

Windows








Bathroom



Shower electric from boiler none
Bath



Windows








Bedroom 1



Damp? yes no

Radiator



Sockets



Flooring Carpet Laminate Wood Vinyl Ceiling/Light fixings



Windows








Bedroom 2



Damp? yes no

Radiator



Sockets



Flooring Carpet Laminate Wood Vinyl Ceiling/Light fixings



Windows








Bedroom 3



Damp? yes no

Radiator



Sockets



Flooring Carpet Laminate Wood Vinyl Ceiling/Light fixings



Windows

trailingspouse

Decide what you need from a house before you look. It's easy to be blown away by the fabulous kitchen and just not notice that there's no parking or the roof needs fixing. If you go with a checklist/shopping list, you'll be able to stay more focused.