Questions to ask during a viewing?

Soldato
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I've just booked a viewing for a property for sale near me, I'm not 100% sure I'm ready to buy yet but it was interesting enough to go have a look.

Anyway, I'm used to looking at places from a rental perspective rather than buying so not sure what I should be asking, all I can really think of at the moment is:

Council tax band

EPC details (the agent have shown the grading bit, which shows D currently but could be B, would be nice to know what they reckon is needed to get to B)

Is any of it listed, it has an outbuilding that appears to be quite old but no mention of and listed status on it.

Also would it be worth asking how long it's been on the market?

Anything else I should be asking, or even just specific things to look for in/around the property?
 
Have a look at the boiler, fuse box, radiators (check for TRVs), hot water tank to get an idea how recent they all are.

Check all the corners of external walls, especially behind furniture etc for signs of damp/recent paint.

Hard to inspect a roof without getting on it, but have a look as best you can. If you can get in the loft, great.

See if the agent tries to hurry you past anything, or gloss over details of something. If they do, have a very good nose at whatever it is!

When you are just considering options is a great time to look. If you have a friend or relative who is in the building trade or experienced at home buying maybe take them along too.

Yes, ask how long it's been on the market. Also check for info at www.mouseprice.com
 
check the home report for a fuller break down of what the house construction is. It'll give you a better idea of what will improve it up to a B rating. First guess from me is replaced windows, cavity insulation, replacement boiler and no doubt they'll chuck in something like solar panels / photovoltaics as well. So pretty much a good few grand needing to be spent to improve it.

You;ll be able to check english heritage website for any listings on the building (if its anything like historic scotland website)
 
Always a good idea to check the toilet flush too, you don't want to end up with a toilet which won't be able to deal with a decent load....lol ;)

Other than that, most things are covered above. Also worth checking the local area and trying to get an idea of the parking situation too. I remember one property we looked at when I was buying at the end of last year it seemed like a lovely quiet road when we did the viewing but when we went back one evening to have a nose about the area, there were cars parked down both sides of the entire road and it was a nightmare to get along it!!
 
Always a good idea to check the toilet flush too, you don't want to end up with a toilet which won't be able to deal with a decent load....lol ;)

Might as well check taps and shower at the same time, I hate a weak shower or taps that take 100 turns to get going.
 
If it's a hot agent showing you around, always ask "Do you come with the house?" and then duck swiftly to avoid the swing from the other half.
 
If it a flat ask about ground rent, service charges and how long the lease is for.

Have a good look at the outside to see it a bit "wonky" of any other signs of subsidence around doors and windows.

And know one cares about EPC details ;)
 
Ask when the gas/electrics were last serviced/upgraded.
If you're serious about a house, always worth driving by at different times of the day to see how busy/noisy it can get.
 
A lot of it depends on the age of the property really!

Things I would check

Tenure - Freehold or Leasehold
If leasehold then ask how many years remain on the lease.
It's worth noting that if a lease gets to circa 68 years 99.9% of lenders will refuse to lend on it and if it's close a lease extension can be costly. (Circa 3-10K dependent on management company).

Again if leasehold.

Ground Rent -
Maintenance Charge - What does this include, is it a sinking fund?

General things to look for -

- Windows
- Double glazed?
- Blown sealed units?
- How old are they? (Some windows you can see how old roughly they are by looking at the seal at the bottom of the window pane)

- Heating system condition
- What type of energy system?
- Has it been serviced regularly?
- How old is it?
- What type of system is it?
- What make of boiler is it?
- What condition are the radiators in?
- Has the owner taken on the green deal?

General Condition
- Any cracks?
- Flooring Condition
- Recent painting to hide any nasties?
- Kitchen / Bathroom age
- Electrics condition?


There's lots more all depends really on the age as to how in depth you go and what to look for if I can be of any help just ask!

General other useful questions are Council tax band, schooling areas, bus routes, local amenities, is the property on a water meter?
 
Thanks all for the suggestions, loads of stuff I would've missed :p

Should've thought of freehold/leasehold, it's not mentioned in the ad but will make sure to ask.

It's a house so ground rent/maintenance charges shouldn't exist afaik?

The interior has been 'recently' redone, not sure how recently but not sure I'll be able to see any 'nasties' like cracks/damn or whatever. But I'll have a good look.

Derek W, good point on english heritage, had a look and they list 3 properties over the road as grade 2 listed, but nothing else on the street so looks like that's clear which is good news.

EDIT:
I know the area fairly well (I live about 1 mile from there at the moment), parking on the road is nonexistant (double yellows one one side and single on the other) but there is one off-road space a the front and space for 3-4 cars around the back so that's not a problem. Water Meter the company around here fits them for free, which I'd definitely be doing if it's not already done.
 
Apart from those things above.

Don't be afraid to poke about, move things etc.... surveyors wont do this if you decide to buy, and its amazing what they miss.

If you can speak with the owner themselves, ask about neighbours (in as casual a way as you can) to try and determine the current owners relationship with their neighbours. Check ownership of any boundary features with the agent/owner and clarify with title deeds available to download for a few quid from the Land Registry.

I speak from bitter experience and whilst it may not seem relevant at the time, it can bite you on the bum later on.
 
Thanks again for all the help, had the viewing today and it was interesting actually looking at a property with thoughts of buying rather than the easier choice of renting.

Ultimately I think it's way overpriced for what I feel would be needed to make it into a 'nice' place to live/own, and even then it's limited really in how it's laid out to ever work, but not sure if I'm looking for a 'perfect' house without a budget to match :p
 
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