First Time Buyer - Viewing for the first time!

gazza85

Im a first time buyer and have booked in three viewings this Saturday. We aren't in any kind of rush, but thought we may as well start looking at houses matching our requirements / price range. As I haven't done this before I was just after any advice on what sort of questions I should be asking the estate agent...


I will ask about boiler / plumbing / roof etc..



We know the area well we are looking at and already know things like parking will be an issue at times.


Wasn't sure whether I should ask about previous offers / what seller is likely to accept, or if they're even likely to give me a truthful answer regarding this.


I have done my homework regarding listed dates and any price reductions to date.

ReadingTim

I wouldn't bother with any of that for a first viewing - the only things you really need to think about at this stage are as follows:

• Do I like it?
• Can I afford it?
• Do I think I can do a deal with the vendor and agree a price we're both willing to accept?

The rest is mere detail and can be sorted out on subsequent visits or in writing with the vendor's EA / solicitor.

hazyjo

Only bother asking questions if you're genuinely interested.


If you are, ask if they've had any Japanese Knotweed on or near the property. The property form is vague at best and some people who have treated it are not classing that as 'current', even though there might be an ongoing treatment plan in place.


If newish house (last 20 years), ask if there's a maintenance charge, and check it's freehold.


No, don't ask about previous offers or what price they would accept. It's awkward and uncomfortable for most - and one of the reasons they employ an EA to do that for them.

RelievedSheff

First viewings are all about deciding if you like a property enough to live in. Don't get too bogged down with the detail, that can come later on at subsequent viewings if you like the property and decide to go back for a closer look. This first viewing is all about getting a feel for the property.

Cash-Cows

1. Walk over checking particulars against what you see. That way you can later refer to particulars as being accurate.

2. Look for obvious show stoppers such as a drive that says two cars but it not being wide enough. Take your own measure.

3. Don't worry if you don't like the colour. All changeable cheaply.

4. Is this the house for you in 2 or 3 years time? If not then it's probably not worth buying. There are massive costs in buying and selling and multiple moves every couple of years leads to drain on finances and an ever increasing mortgage.

hazyjo

Cash-Cows wrote: »

2. Look for obvious show stoppers such as a drive that says two cars but it not being wide enough. Take your own measure.

Reminded me of one - you'd also need to check there's a dropped kerb! Seen a couple of posts on here recently where the EA and the buyer haven't noticed.


Chances are, not applicable as it looks like parking is a compromise, but still worth thinking about just in case and for future readers of the thread.

Hopeless123

I prefer to meet the current owners than be shown round by an agent, but I realise that's not always possible. I may be a bit weird but I've viewed and bought quite a few properties. These are the things I do, although not always on the first visit, as that tends to be about the feel of the place:-
- Try to park where I would park if I lived there.
- Use the loo*!
- Sit and talk to the agent or owner in the place I would naturally sit if I lived there. Sitting down gives you a different viewpoint than just walking round and chatting standing up.
- If any lights are switched on, switch them off and see why they were on in the first place!
- Ignore the decor.
- Find out when the boiler was last serviced. How much is the average annual utility bill.
- If it's raining, or has just rained, check there aren't any areas outside that seem wetter, indicating blocked or problem guttering.
- Look at next door's gardens.
- Are there plenty of power points?
- Open and close a few windows.
- If there's a lot of clutter, is it because the house is lacking storage?
- Don't worry about the things that are easy(ish) to change.

You may need to compromise a little, but if one is trying to persuade the other that it's the right house, it may not be. If there's a house that you really like, visit it at different times of the day. A quiet road mid-morning might be a busy one at 6pm, or a very noisy one at 10pm. Talk to the neighbours if you see any. If you're working out commuting time, actually do the commute at roughly the time you normally would.

(* past experience, I asked to use a downstairs loo only to be told I'd have to use the upstairs one as it wasn't actually plumbed into the drains and the owner admitted it hadn't been used for years!)

Good luck!

Saga

I'm a prospective FTB and have had a handful of first viewings. One thing I've come to notice is that the EA representative conducting the viewing is unlikely to know much about the property! My most recent viewing, the poor lad had no idea about boundaries, lease length, knotweed, boiler age, glazing, electrics... In his defence, I naively always had assumed the EA would know these things and thus, for sellers, that was part of the service they are paying for - to effectively market the property.

warby68

None of that really OP

If these are the first houses you've viewed, you're going to get a feel for what you like and what you feel you can live in. When you've seen a few and narrowed that down, then you can have second viewings and ask some specific questions.

Obviously a sense check of the area and that the listing is largely correct or if anything particularly unusual strikes you but fine detail? Not really on your very first viewings.

Will the age of the boiler really determine which house you buy? Probably not.

Be prepared, the feeling of whether you could live there or not can be an instant, literally in seconds, hit. Don't waste time on things that don't 'feel' right either. Those can be the worst, living somewhere that ticked the boxes but still never felt right.

Mkaa

I would say make a list of things you want to ask or notice! It's easy to forget on the spot and difficult to picture later if the property has that or not!

Observe! Video it if you could, to view later as the provided pics don't show every thing.

As a FTB, if it's a group viewing try and listen ( no need for eaves dropping, some discuss sooo loud) to get ideas on it's potential. As some buyers maybe skilled in DIY or even have a builder etc with them

Murphybear

We used to visit the area and have a look at the outside of the property before viewing, both for buying and renting. We saved ourselves a viewing once because a house was too near a busy road and wouldn’t have been suitable for our little cat. You can’t tell how busy a roads going to be unless you see it in person

Secondly if you like the look of a house then before offering visit it again (just the outside) at different times including schools kicking out time and in the evening if you can. You can decide if it’s too noisy or too busy.