Buying a house - viewings

mimihops

Hello, well I have decided to start looking to buy a house (a home to live in for 10 years plus!), am totally aware that prices will drop still but due to several circumstances it is a good time for me to buy personally. The thing is that I have never bought before and would really appreciate any tips on what I should be looking for in the first viewing? There was a link posted here before with a list of things to look for but its dead now unfortunately.

Also, how many houses have you viewed before deciding one was right? Is it ok to view a good few?

When should the offer be put in after the viewing, and is it still ok to put in a much lower offer than the asking even though the price was dropped recently, only by 10k though? Kindof nervous of making the correct decision as I want a long term home, not some random investment or rung on the "property ladder"!

Cheers!

mathie

Hi mimihops

what I should be looking for in the first viewing?

Well many factors really - Location, Type of property (House, Apartment etc), even the aspect of the back garden (if it has one)

Then down to the property itself you should have an idea of what your needs will be. Do you need a playroom / office? A big garden for a dog?

Structurally you will get a surveyor in when the time is right but you don't need to worry about that until you've found a decent target

Also, how many houses have you viewed before deciding one was right? Is it ok to view a good few?

My sister is looking at the moment and I told her to view as many as possible.
She's looked at roughly twenty and bid on two.

You can't view too many!

When should the offer be put in after the viewing

Whenever you like. There's no rule there!

is it still ok to put in a much lower offer than the asking even though the price was dropped recently, only by 10k though?

Yes. Yes. Yes.
It's a buyers market.
House prices are dropping faster than ever before.
And with the IMF forcing NAMA to list properties some people believe we aint seen nothing yet.

I won't get into it as it's discussed widely here and on the web but suffice to say there are few or no indicators to state that house prices will go up anytime soon.

Kindof nervous of making the correct decision as I want a long term home, not some random investment or rung on the "property ladder"!

I think the only scenario where people should be buying now are if you're going to live there for a long time, you've a nice deposit and you get a bargain - and when I say bargain I mean something that is 15 - 30% below average sales prices recently.

I advised my sister to throw in lowball offers (which even now get laughed off).
You through in enough lowball offers and someone will be desperate enough and will bite. You only need one desperate seller. And they are out there!

Best of luck!

lainey316

I think I've viewed 20+ and bid on none. The more you see, the more you know about what you really need and what you'll compromise on (if you need to compromise at all)

Dades

Viewing loads of houses will give you an idea of what you might be able to get for your money - and what things you might have to compromise on.

Location, size, garden, aspect, parking, schools, potential to expand... You should know exactly what you are looking for - what you must have, and what potentially you can live without.

Go and see loads - it's much more fun viewing a house than selling one!

John Mason

Ask to see the rads working.

ask to see the BER Cert.

If it has a flat roof extension, find out when it was last replaced.

Depending on the age of the house check when it was last re-wired.

check windows for signs of mould or if they are wooden what condition they are in.

check around the bath for mould and check the tiling.

check that the ceiling do not sag in the middle (if they sag, they will need to be replaced - missed this one)

Check the kitchen fully - check if their are drawers (again, i missed this one - no drawers)

ask loads of questions.

go visit the places at various times of the day, night, weekend.

check out the bus routes and times even if you have a car.

go and see as many houses as possible, this will give you an idea of what you want or dont want. i realised by doing this, i want a seperate kitchen and sitting room, and that the the kitchen had to big enough for a table

Mr.Triffid

You should consider what kind of amenities there are such as shops, schools, what are the neighbours like, are they noisy, is there a green area like a park nearby, things such as these can be just as important.

the groutch

ask about utiility restrictions (heating, broadband, telly,etc)

I know this is more relevant to apartments, but even with a house you don't want to be in an area where you can only get basic 2gb broadband (or even worse dialup), or don't have and can't convert to gas.

mimihops

Thanks everyone for the tips and stuff! Going to view plenty of places, there's no rush anyway so I'll take my time and see what's around. Had my first viewing yesterday, odd the layouts people choose for their houses, smallest bedroom was the master with an ensuite that only had a bath! Anyway am happy to compromise of course on certain things, providing I get a good price. Trying not to lead with my heart on this too much, and engage the brain a bit!! Thanks again!

swirlser

Some brilliant advice from people, the only thing Id add is to actually make a list of things to check/ask and bring it with you.

Because you may read all of these things and obviously have your own thoughts and ideas, but its amazing the little details you can overlook when your walking around a place for the first time your trying to take so much in you dont always think of some of the most basic things, so having some key points to check and ask at hand is a good idea.

Oh and 1 more thing, touch everything! Seriously, turn on the taps, flush the toilets, knock on the walls between you and your neighbours.... That cabinet which the EA just told you is made from the best materials money can buy and has the most masterful craftsmanship hes ever seen bar none is actually flat pack from ikea with load-bearing sticky tape at the bottom keeping it together - touch it!!

Happy hunting!

antiskeptic

mimihops wrote: »

Also, how many houses have you viewed before deciding one was right? Is it ok to view a good few?

When I look now at some of the houses I put offers in on (in '99 - when the sense was that if you didn't get a house soon, you wouldn't get one at all) I cringe. Not only can I see glaring downsides of them now - but many of the advantages of the house I did get only revealed themselves well after I'd purchased. I'll be far more careful next time round. Far more careful.

1) South/South west aspect. There is nothing worse than a dark house and in this market the price difference between good and bad aspect will be at it's smallest.

2) Big enough to grow with your needs or big enough garden to extend out onto. You're looking at 1600-2000 sq ft for a comfortable family home these days. Is the attic convertable? It would make sense to get something that will fit your needs for good - it means you can invest in it more freely than if it will only suit 10 years.

3) Take a tape with you and consider the volume of the house rather just than square footage. Higher than average ceilings give a sense of space but don't appear in the vital stats of the house.

4) Location. What's the immediate area like, where are the nearest rough spots, what's the approach to the area like by car - it's nice to have a pleasant one, how long to get to major arteries like dual carriageways and motorways, will you get stuck in traffic every time you want to go anywhere, schools, shops, amenities. Is it a cul-de-sac or it is a rat run? What are the neighboring houses like? Tatty gardens and shabby paintwork is a sign of a rental. Too many of these and you'll find it hard to form longstanding neighbourly relations.

5) Don't be put off by tatty, shabby examples. They are the ones I'd go for since I'm not having to pay for pristine decor/kitchens/fireplaces that are completely contra my taste and are going to have to be pulled out. You also get the advantage of being able to bring insulation up to modern spec too.

6) Plan your layout before your purchase and see how well the house fits. House after house in Ireland utilizes the same old livingroom-through-to-dining-room-through-to-kitchen-L-shaped-layout. The kitchen gets extended into a diner/sun area, leaving the dining room as a bit of a spare leg.

7) Typically, living rooms are cramped, narrow affairs due to the hall/stairs taking up house width. If you can get something with a 5m x 4m or bigger living room then prize it.

8) Before making any firm decision, I'd visit the area on foot at different times of the day and on different days just to get a feel for activity that might not be manifest during a viewing. Get talking to neighbours if you see them on the street just to chat about the area. If you see a cop on the beat do likewise to find out if there are any anti-social issues attaching to things.

9) Finally, look at as many houses as you possibly can. You'll start noticing things that you fancy which will make things you might be neutral on now into absolute no-no's. By immersing yourself in it you increase the chances of coming up with a relative gem.

ShadowHearth

I bet it was mentioned, but if not, here it goes:

Go and talk to neighbours. Ask them if they know anything about property for sale. Hows the area. Any problems in erea.

You will be surprised how much you can find out about property for sale, that your EA didn't told you... It saved me once already from making a huge huge mistake.

Dades

Any house we've had serious interest in we used to drive by all the time, day and night.

Bad sign @ 8pm: Lads with bags of cans walking past the house...

Good sign @ 8pm: Young neighbourhood kids playing in the street...

Really bad sign @8pm: Young neighbourhood kids with bags of cans in the street outside the house... :pac:

swirlser

Dades wrote: »

Any house we've had serious interest in we used to drive by all the time, day and night.

Bad sign @ 8pm: Lads with bags of cans walking past the house...

Thats a little judgemental dont ya think Also a little glass half full here, better 8PM than AM right? Now if they were drinking it while sitting on your potential future garden wall, thats a little more tricky to put a nice spin on...

But in all seriousness, it is one of if not the most expensive thing you will ever buy and you could be spending years or decades there. So it really is worth the hassle of making a number of trips at different times of the day/week. Take a stroll around the area, sit in the car for a bit, get a feel for the place. And once again, touch everything! Touch it like dinner cost €250 (Things that come with the house of course).