What to ask when viewing a house?

elrasho

elrasho

elrasho

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I'm going to see some houses this week and was wondering what kind of questions I should be asking, and advice would be greatly appreciated :)
 
Who pile of questions you could ask!!

When was the boiler replaced?
Any issues with the house?
What are the neighbours like?
How are the local schools / shops / entertainment?
How quiet / noisy is the street?
Crime levels?

etc etc, literally you could go to a house and ask a million questions and be there all day!
 
Deposit, money in advance, agency fees, who's responsible for bills, are landlords going to do anything like cut the lawn(usually no, but landlords do this in my current place and it ***** me off no end, never thought to ask that). If there's issues who to contact, especially out of hours, like leaks/boiler etc.
Ask about water if it's metered/fix/included in rent. Water is far more liekly to be included in rent than others. I assume as there's still a lot of houses on fixed cost.

Wouldn't bother with neighbours and local things. Agencies are unlikely to know and/or unlikely to answer with the truth. Do your own reserch on that.

Get the address and when you get home, find out about service providers/Internet speeds, council g, tax.

Edit - some reason I thought renting but it doesn't seem you said renting. I would do it differently if. Buying.
 
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Yep, don't feel bad about knocking next door and saying hello - neighbours can make or break a property. If the house is noisy the vendor is unlikely to tell you it's awful! Neighbours might be a bit more honest.

Find the council tax band.


Other questions rather depend on your circumstances (schools for your kids, transport link for work, etcetera).
 
Coucil Tax Band.
How long have they lived there.
How old are the fixtures, roofing, windows, doors etc.
How long has it been on the market?
When was the boiler last serviced?
Has there been any re-wiring or internal refurbishment in their time there?
What is the neighbourhood like in terms of crime, personal safety at night, etc?
Have they been victims of any serious crime or anti-social behaviour around the property?
What are the neighbours like?
What's the local transport infrastructure like? Easy to get a bus etc. if necessary?
Local amenities, eg. schools, surgeries, shops etc?

After speaking to them, go round knocking on a few neighbours' doors and ask them their opinion of the area, and the house in question. If you start to get a bad vibe... walk away.

I can't stress enough that if this is a purchase you are considering, bring a dictaphone and record the entirety of your conversation/answers to questions from the current owners. If they say the area is quiet, and they've never had any trouble only for you to move in and discover that the property is the favoured bullseye for the local pond life (as happened to us), you'll need the recorded proof in order to raise a case for Misrepresentation in the courts. Otherwise, it's your word against theirs and nothing will stand up.
 
Factors fees, people always forget about them.

If in Scotland most info is on the home buyers report but neighbours won't be and as said above find out about them and if the properties either side are rented or council (as there's more chance of them changing).
 
Subsidence?
Structural works done/needed?
Any gas/water mains run through the property that may be an issue in the event of a leak (i.e. garden/lounge etc need digging up)?
Any planning applications refused on the property, or any 'accepted' applications pending allowing extensions etc?

Look at the windows - double glazed? If yes, how old? Any condensation between the glass? Look at (as far as is practical) the wiring - poke your head up in the loft. How old is the house? Has it been rewired? If it's 1950s or before, it may be wired with rubber-insulated wiring. The house will likely need rewiring if it's old rubber and not PVC as rubber degrades with time, goes sticky and can crumble away from the copper. This will cost several thousand to put right.
 
Do you really think that owners will tell the truth about crime rates or disruptive neighbours? That is something you need to investigate yourself. Drive to the perspective house at the weekday and weekend at the early hours of the morning to suss out how the neighbourhood is.

If you get loads of ****** hanging about just walk away.

Also you could find out the local exchange and what broadband is available in the area. I turned down a house because they were connected to a non fibre exchange lol
 
what kind of house is it? my house is a terraced house so can only really comment on this.

if it is terraced, does it have a drive? if not, where are you going to park. i'm lucky enough to have a drive with space for 2 cars. my friend was not so lucky, his terraced house has no drive, 9/10, he'd get home from work and someone else is parked outside his house. first come, first served etc.

do any of the other houses have a right of access across your back garden? you'd be surprised at how many terraced houses have this. if your neighbour needs to get a large item of furniture into their house, they may be using the access at the side of your house (if there is one, alleyway etc) and entitled to go through your back garden to do this.

where does the drainage start/terminate and is it of an age where you are still liable for any blockages or repairs.

is the land freehold. it should be, with it being a house. still ask.

the posts on subsidence etc are valid but you will be required by your mortgage company to have a survey on this kind of stuff carried out anyway.
 
whatever you do, dont show that you are too keen. Just keep a poker face and find a couple of things to complain about the house. The more keen you show yourself the tighter the deadline the agent is going to put on you (or if it's for purchase he will pass on that info to the sellers who will be less willing to negotiate down).
 
One thing I've always been told is to go and take a look at the neighborhood at night. As well as the general day-time viewing.
 
worth checking if they have had any kind of ceiling cat or floor horse infestation or similar

edit: ok yes if you're buying worth checking that the boiler is actually serviceable. Our boiler is actually totally unserviceable because somebody had the clever idea of totally building it into a cupboard so that the front can't be removed, and no-one will touch it anyway because of the asbestos. ho hum. (but the boiler is part of the reason it was cheaper than average so am prepared to pay for a replacement if it ever breaks down)
 
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