Things to look out for when on a viewing
Buying a home is one of the most significant investments that you will ever make.
Yet, the average property viewing is only around 20 minutes long.
Just 20 minutes!
If you have decided to move home, you will inevitably have to view some properties.
It is doubtful that you will buy a new property without looking at it first.
Buying a home is one of the most significant investments that you will ever make.
Yet, the average property viewing is only around 20 minutes long.
Just 20 minutes!
Isn't it crazy that you will make such a momentous decision after viewing the property for only a short time?
If you will only spend this amount of time in the property before you decide to live there, it makes sense to look for some key things on the viewing?
CONNECTIVITY
- Phone signal - Being able to get a mobile signal in your home is very important. We live in a world where people are accessible all of the time. It would be very inconvenient if you could only access your calls and messages when you go out for the day. Now, if you choose to turn your phone off when you are at home, that is your choice, but at least you have had the choice! I wouldn't expect that a property can NOT receive a signal from any network, but you will need to decide if you are happy to change phone network if yours doesn't get a signal.
- Broadband accessibility - working from home has grown in popularity and looks like it is here to stay. Since the dreaded C-word, more and people are working from home. That is nearly impossible if the broadband is painfully slow. When almost all meetings are 'zoomed', it could be awful for business if your broadband can't keep up. Not to mention how annoying if you can't stream TV online!
LOCATION
- Neighbours - If you buy this property, you will be living next door to these people. Do they look like you may be able to get on? Do they look after their property? Or do they park cars all over the place and play loud music with their windows open? Of course, you should never judge a book by its cover, but do you want to live in this street near these people?
- Parking - Is there plenty of parking with each property in the area, or do cars spill out onto the pavement and roadside? Does the property offer enough parking for your household, or will you have to park on the roadside too? If so, will there be enough additional parking available for you and your family?
CONSTRUCTION
- Cracks in the property - Checking for cracks in the property's exterior is often done, but do you know why you are looking for them? Is it a deal-breaker if you find them? No, not always. Sometimes cracks in the walls can mean subsidence, which is serious and will need further investigation. But there can often be a much simpler explanation and more straightforward remedy. Don't worry unnecessarily, but make sure that you are aware of the potential for issues and be prepared to have a specialist in to check things out for you before you complete.
- Roof - It is good to stand back from the property and look at the roof tiles. Are they in good order? Are there any areas where the tiles look out of line? Have any of the tiles slipped? But also, it is essential to look in the loft space if you can. This can show areas where a slipped tile has resulted in a leak, or any tears in the roof lining. A slipped tile is not an extensive repair and will likely not cost much to fix, but if you need to refelt the whole roof, that could be costly and need dealing with before further damage is caused to the property.
- Damp - Telltale signs of damp are watermarks on the walls, usually either at the ground floor level or the ceilings on the first floor, from water ingress either rising or from a roof leak. This can take on many different forms. There could be 'wet' areas or brown/black staining. The paint could bubble up or wallpaper peel off. The severity and cause of damp are not always apparent at first, but you can always arrange for a specialist to look further down the line.
- Storage space - where will you put your 'stuff'? Ironing board, kitchen bin, hoover? You may forget about everything whilst you are viewing, but if you have nowhere to put an iron and ironing board, are you going to have to have it out all of the time like an ornament? That would not be ideal, would it? If there is an understairs cupboard or utility area for those items, that is perfect, but think about what you have and where it might go if you were to live here.
Finally, how do you FEEL in the property?
You may have to change your phone provider, and there may be no storage whatsoever, but can you SEE yourself living there? Can you overcome these points?
After all, there is never going to be a property that is 100% perfect.
There is bound to be some compromises here and there, but if you look at a property without double-checking the points here, you may fall in love at first sight and end up regretting your purchase after completion.
Forewarned is forearmed, as they say. Viewing with your gut instinct is fine, but checking through carefully and logically too could prevent issues further down the line when the survey picks something up that you hadn't noticed.