Viewing a Property
When you go around the property, try to dig out any information from the estate agent, for instance has there been much interest in the property, have they shown many people around. You can even ask if there have been offers in yet. Some estate agents won't know the answer, will be creative with the answer, or just won't tell you - but it never hurts to ask.
If you work full time, then consider booking the appointments for lunch time so that you can make valuable use of the time rather than sitting at your desk dreaming of your dream home. Or just after work - these are the two most convenient times.
Remember that, if you like a property, there is no reason not to view it more than once. You can even take along a local builder for instance with you to get an idea of what will need to be done to the property, though be prepared to pay for their time of course unless they are a friend and you can get mates rates!
Find out how long the property has been on the market. Take a look for any signs that something has been covered up - for instance a new carpet in the centre of the floor where everything is old can look out of place, and it could be covering something up. If the house is still lived in whilst you can't be too nosey, it is valid to move things carefully then put them back in place to see if they are concealing any little lies.
When you view a property, you should take a checklist of items to look for with you. We can easily get distracted and go off at a tangent when viewing properties, so being prepared up front in this manner will reduce the chance that you forget to check out something that you meant to!
More property related articles:
- Repayment Mortgages
- Purchasing a Penthouse
- Buying Thatched Houses
- Making an offer on overseas property
- What to do at auction
