Top tips on house hunting
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Finding your perfect home will probably take time, effort and plenty of patience. And rightly so – it’s far better to think carefully about your choice than throw everything into a property which reveals hidden faults and costs later on.
We’ve put together some top tips to ensure you find the property that is right for you……
We’ve put together some top tips to ensure you find the property that is right for you……
- Make a list of the qualities you want in a house, for example:
- do you want a house or a flat?
- do you want a garden?
- how many bedrooms do you need?
- do the local amenities, schools and transport meet your needs?
- Looking for your home
- Viewing property
- have there been any obvious alterations made to the property?
- are the floorboards very creaky?
- are the window frames cracked or rotten?
- is there evidence of damp, such as moist plaster or peeling wallpaper?
- are there any stains on the ceiling indicating a leaking roof?
- are there broken gutters or missing slates?
- Asking questions
- Remember costs
- Legal fees
- Mortgage fees
- Stamp duty
- Removal costs
- Furnishing and decorating
- Insurance
- Life assurance
- Estate agent fees
Start with the internet. Checking property websites is the quickest and easiest way to find out what properties are on the market in your chosen area.
The next stop is the estate agent or property centre. They’ll supply you with details of suitable homes and will put you on their buyer list and send you details of relevant properties as they come onto the market.
Check out newspapers and specialist property publications too.
Remember, be patient; your dream home could be just round the corner.
Take time to view as many properties as you can. Try not to be swayed by décor and furnishings and look at the design of the rooms as well as the general condition of the property. Remember the exterior as well as the interior.
View at different times of the day and on different days of the week. A place that might seem quiet during the evening could be noisy during the day.
Other things to look out for include:
Try to get an idea of the running costs and bills whenever you view a property. For example, what sort of heating the property has and any maintenance charges you’d have to pay.
Determine whether fittings such as carpets, curtains and white goods are included in the sale.
Ask about the neighbours, the local area and the nearby amenities.
Once you’ve found that perfect home, remember you’ll need to budget for the many other costs involved with moving in which may include:
