Buying a home - Due diligence.

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Hi, so you are looking to buy a home in a part of the country you never been too and have no friends or contacts in that area. What process or steps you would take to make sure this a forever home without the pitfalls and traps lying in wait.
   -https://www.police.uk/  - Check the crime rate.
   -https://check-for-flooding.service.gov.uk/ - Check if your on a flood plain.
   -https://nethouseprices.com/house-prices/ - Check house prices in that area.
   -Check broadband connection.
   -New Build home – Check Facebook.

   -Park up nearby at daytime, at night, speak to the neighbours.

How would you do it?

theoretica

Check google satellite, look out for local industry etc, local news,

look up public transport, shops, facilities that matter to you personally - whether that is events, doctors surgeries...

And - when I did it - 6 months rental in the area!

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Funny you should say that, I was checking out a newbuild bungalow going cheap and it was ticking my boxes. Local shops walking distance, two main supermarkets close by, a general hospital not a million miles away. Check with google maps there was a very large industrial complex near by. I was thinking of the huge traffic jams. 

I did forget to add doctor surgeries..

Thrugelmir

Take a short break and stay in the area. Get to know the locality. Walking is the best way of exploring. I've learnt so much about my own locality since going for regular walks. Found places I never knew existed. 

youth_leader

I live in the NE and hoped to move to Broadstairs in Kent.  I saw a house I really liked on line, travelled down to view it, amongst others, but unfortunately the owner cancelled my viewing,  so I went on a walk past.  The road was a really fast rat run, I couldn't even cross the road it was so busy.  I agree that walking is the best way to explore. 

hazyjo

We stayed here for a few weekends in Airbnbs before moving. Walked lots. Had lots of nights out here. I spoke to locals and asked about roads, rat-runs, rumours, etc. I joined every local FB group and read local news. And googled every street I considered and had google alerts set up.

NameUnavailable

Definitely visit the area for a couple of days, a weekend trip or whatever. Go out during the day and during the evening, visit a couple of the local bars and chat to people. Gives you a great idea of what to expect.

TripleH

We noted up from the South Coast to the NW. We rented in the area we intended to move to but decided to look elsewhere due to a change in priorities due to covid.

We were lucky in that we made friends whilst renting with people who knew the surrounding areas as well, so could steer us in more appropriate locations for us.

RS2OOO

First place I bought I sat in my car for from dusk till dawn on the street. I saw happy families with kids, people coming home from work at 6pm, a retired couple coming back from their allotment and offering vegetables to a neighbour. Just usual stuff really and nothing to put me off buying, so I bought, and lived their happily for 16 years.

I didn't do any of that on my last house purchase, and regret it. Kids on mopeds / quad bikes / trials bikes racing up and down the road day and night, every night, hearing shouting and arguing most nights which is exasperated by living on a corner. Its not terrible by any means but can be disruptive and if I had gained an insight beforehand it may have swayed my decision to buy.

Nowadays there's another very useful tool - Google Maps Street View timeline where you can go back and view the street as it was 10 / 15 years ago which can let you into some secrets, i.e the Caravan on the neighbour's drive with smashed windows that's been sitting there since 2008, houses that have had extensions (if recent these can help identify whether planning permission for a similar extension on your prospective purchase might be granted), general tidiness and maintenance of the street over the years. Whilst nothing was mentioned when I bought and there was no paperwork, I can see that my house had a new roof between 2008 and 2012. All helpful stuff.

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RS2OOO said:

Nowadays there's another very useful tool - Google Maps Street View timeline where you can go back and view the street as it was 10 / 15 years ago which can let you into some secrets, i.e the Caravan on the neighbour's drive with smashed windows that's been sitting there since 2008, houses that have had extensions (if recent these can help identify whether planning permission for a similar extension on your prospective purchase might be granted), general tidiness and maintenance of the street over the years. Whilst nothing was mentioned when I bought and there was no paperwork, I can see that my house had a new roof between 2008 and 2012. All helpful stuff.

Didn't know that. Thanks.

Regarding my opening post you are taking control if you follow these simple rules. But for a happy and blissful home life  you still need lady luck, you can’t pick and choose your neighbours.

My first home was a flat very nice too, first few years neighbours were great, but sadly the person below died and the person next door move out. I will spare you A4 list of problems when the new people move in.

My second home a house, again first ten years bliss in my ‘forever home’. Same story, next door neighbour move out and the bliss level quickly descended to stress levels. I won’t bore you.

Hopefully my last and ‘forever’ home will be a detached bungalow with it’s own drive tuck out the way for other people not to dump there cars out the front because ‘their house’ doesn’t have enough room.

On a personal note and out of the remit of this forum I find some people .......Well, lets not go there.     

TheJP

Nowadays there's another very useful tool - Google Maps Street View timeline where you can go back and view the street as it was 10 / 15 years ago which can let you into some secrets, i.e the Caravan on the neighbour's drive with smashed windows that's been sitting there since 2008, houses that have had extensions (if recent these can help identify whether planning permission for a similar extension on your prospective purchase might be granted), general tidiness and maintenance of the street over the years. Whilst nothing was mentioned when I bought and there was no paperwork, I can see that my house had a new roof between 2008 and 2012. All helpful stuff.

Not all streets have this option, my old house street view is from 2012 and i have no option to go back or forward. It will depend if google carried out the mapping each year.