Viewing a house for sale

splashthecash

Hey all...going to view a house this weekend and was wondering are there any obvious questions that should be asked at time of viewing that for one reason or another don't come to mind at the time

Examples:
What is the BER?
How much oil is needed in a typical year to heat the house?

Thanks

Doom

Is anyone living in the attic?

Thoie

Have you ever had any problems with flooding?
What are the neighbours like?
Are you the kind of person who'll take all the lightbulbs with you when you're leaving?
Where do visitors park (if it's not obvious)?
Have you ever had problems with mould?
What's the water pressure like?
Why are you moving? 99% of the time the answers will be because of job, want/need a bigger place/closer to family. If they answer (because of the axe murderer next door, you may want to rethink things
Depending on the age of the house, you might want to ask if there's any asbestos around. It's only a problem if you need to tamper with it.
Is there any crime in the area? All areas will have encountered some crime at some stage, but if every house on the street is knocked off on a regular schedule, that's not a good thing.

Elfinknight

Is it insulated?
Is the area prone to flooding or located on a flood plain or anything that could make it harder to insure?

And maybe not for looking at a house but definatly for the one you do buy,

Where the shut off valve for the water is?

I was in our place 10 years before I found out in an emergency but i had to ask next door.

TheDriver

remember its like buying a car: "Is there anything wrong with this car".....Of course not sir.

Ask questions they can't get out of and lots of answers will be answerable by yourself or asking neighbours
Ask if pipes have ever frozen, flooding, visitors. Also ask why they are selling (i.e. messy divorce situation?). Also foundations/subsidence etc

Elfinknight

While I'm not a hundred per cent sure about this,I have heard that if you buy a house that was used as collateral and the current owner doesn't transfer it to his new house and then defaults on it after he sells it, the bank can take the house even though he doesn't own it anymore.

So asking if there is finance outstanding on the house may not be a bad idea.

As I've said, I'm not totally sure about that so maybe someone more knowledgable in this area could advise you better.

TheDriver

if someone has a mortgage, then the house has finance outstanding. Solicitors will have all that checked and statement of amount owing is less than purchase price because the funds will be initally used to settle debts and rest given to owner. If neg equity, then bank must agree that it can be sold for x amount and will have paperwork for rest of the debt to be transferred to the seller rather than on the house.

I think!

Elfinknight

Personally I think it is a very gray area. What if the balance was transferred to the current owner and he flakes off to Australia or someplace and falls off the planet.

I know that kind of thing can happen with cars where HP is concerned because they interviewed some car finance guy about things to watch out for when buying 2nd hand cars, and that is a case of "buyer beware" and make sure you ask the right questions.

Sorry I can't give a station or names or link coz a I came across it in the waiting room of my Doctor's surgery about a month ago.

Sorry for going off topic.

OP make sure you get an engineers report on whichever properties you decide on.

D3PO

Elfinknight wrote: »

While I'm not a hundred per cent sure about this,I have heard that if you buy a house that was used as collateral and the current owner doesn't transfer it to his new house and then defaults on it after he sells it, the bank can take the house even though he doesn't own it anymore.

So asking if there is finance outstanding on the house may not be a bad idea.

As I've said, I'm not totally sure about that so maybe someone more knowledgable in this area could advise you better.

sorry but this is absolute nonsense. Total and utter rubbish. :rolleyes:

Master_Bateson

FIXTURES AND FITTINGS

After I bought my pad and was about to get the keys the Estate agent called me looking to ask if it was ok to give my number to the previous owner as the wife of the seller was looking to talk to me. Apparently, They were removing the last of their stuff from the house that weekend. Somthing like that cant remember the exact sequence anyhooo

I was like yeah sure grand ASSUMING he wanted to give me a call after i moved in, in case I had any teething problems....

A day later I get a text message from the sellers wife....

"Hi Gary Just wondering if your interested in buying the built in fridge also the built in counter top oven/cooker also or should we take it can do for 350?"

I was like they are built feckin in ! Like an idiot i handed over 350 euro :mad:
I looked through the paper work and allthough those items were not mentioned it would have been some job to remove them. I think it was just trying to pump me for another few quid.
I also asked where the curtains included was told yes.... But they took the curtain poles lol they left the curtains folded neatly on the window panes :rolleyes:

TheDriver

true, my solicitor was very exact on all contents because people can end up fighting over an old fridge.....

JohnFalstaff

Estate agents tend to give you the answer they think you want to hear but there's a few things you can take note of yourself without asking the estate agent.

• Take note of the amount of natural light in the house - for this reason it's important to view during peak daylight hours. Where is the sun in relation to the house?
• Look at the size and shape of all the rooms and how useful they might be to your needs.
• Look at the houses next door (discreetly!) Are they well maintained? Can you tell if they are they owner-occupied or rented?

The things you should ask the agent about include:

• Wiring, Insulation, Roof, Exterior and Plumbing - are they all in sound order.
• Has there been any work done on the house? (is the work documented correctly)
• Why are they selling? How long has the house been on the market? Have there been any offers on the house? (What are they?)
• Are there any management fees/rates in the area?
• Is there anything that could affect the value of the house that the agent is aware of?

Your points about BER and heating are also good questions to ask. As regards fixtures and fittings, if you go to sale your solicitor can include a clause in the contract that outlines exactly what is and in not included in the sale. It is worth taking time and being as detailed as possible in this - I have heard stories of doors and showers being removed from houses by the previous owners!

Good luck with the viewing.