Advice on What to Look out for When Viewing a House

Buying a house is a hugely significant milestone in your life, and likely to be one of the biggest purchases you make. As such, it’s vital not to rush into the transaction. When you view a property you should take your time and ask any questions you may have – however minor – to ensure that you don’t miss any important details and later regret your decision to buy. Here are some of the most important issues to consider. 

Advice on What to Look out for When Viewing a House
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Be wary of structural issues

One of the biggest headaches with a property is having expensive structural problems to fix, so be sure to check the exterior for any warning signs. For example, check if there are any missing tiles on the roof, cracks in the brickwork, or issues with the guttering. When it comes to the interior, check for any damp patches, mold, cracks, discoloration, flaky plaster, or similar indications of problems. Of course there is a limit to how much you’ll be able to spot as a layperson, so it’s key to have a survey done by a professional before purchasing a property. 

Inspect the interior carefully

As well as looking out for structural problems inside the property, you should have a checklist of key fac-tors to examine. This includes whether there is enough storage space, whether there are enough electricity outlets and what condition they’re in, whether the property is in good decorative order or if it will need expensive redecoration, whether the heating works, whether the house is adequately soundproofed or if you can hear everything the neighbors are saying, whether the plumbing works, whether the windows are double glazed, whether the attic is in a good condition, and so on. Remember to be objective, and not to be fooled by how the sellers have presented the house! 

Money matters

Another thing to bear in mind is money. Whether you’re using a help to buy scheme for your first property, or this is the second or even third home you’ve bought, don’t get carried away by properties which are outside of your budget. This isn’t just in terms of the asking price – if a house needs a lot of work, this could add up to a lot of extra costs that take you over what you originally intended to spend. Be careful not to get emotionally attached to a property, as this might result in you being persuaded to spend more money than you can realistically afford. 

Check out the local area

The property itself is not the only factor that matters. Take a walk around the neighborhood to geta feel for what it would be like to live there. Try and do this at different times of the day for the most accurate picture. 

Check out where the nearest shops, schools and other amenities are, whether there are any local pubs or bars that might get noisy at night, how good the public transport is, how busy the road that the property is on gets and so forth, to see if you would be happy to call the area home.