Questions to ask when viewing a house

Shinbin223

I’ve arranged a house viewing this evening for a house in an estate. This is my first time viewing a house and to see I am naive about the whole thing is an understatement.
From what I know of the estate is was built around 2005 and from driving around the estate, it looks decent.
I am just a bit worried that I am so naive about this that I will look stupid. What questions apart from the obvious should I ask?
Or is there anything that’s a no go question wise? Can I ask has there been many viewings/bids? How interested can one appear on first viewing? I’m just unsure as I’d be buying on my own and this is completely new to me.

Bob24

Yes it would be pretty much a standard question to ask if there were previous viewings an whether there is any current offer. I would also always ask if a bank/financial institution is involved in the sale (repossession or the like).

If the property is rented, you should also confirm tenants will be leaving and the property will be sold unoccupied.

If there are management fees you can also ask about those.

And I wouldn’t shown crazy enthousiasm to the agent even though I loved the place (but if you are interested do go pretending you don’t care either, just avoid saying “I love it and I want it” - which I once heard someone saying to an agent :-)).

adriaaaan

Always ask why are the vendors selling. It gives a good insight and you can usually be sure the EA will be honest about it. If they are family with young kids trading up tona bigger house, ask yourself will you be in the same position in a couple of years.
I viewed a 5 bed house with a family with 4 young kids (look at pictures on the wall). The EA said they were downsizing but that made no sense and was a lie. I looked into it further and there was PP granted for houses behind this one.
Don't be afraid to ask any question. But don't give any excess info to the EA
Good luck

spaceHopper

Who is selling
Why
Are they in a chain
Any offers, are they mortgage approved or cash, don't bid against dreamers, all you are doing is putting up the price.
If you bid stress to the EA you are mortgage approved and can raise the money, beyond this don't show your hand.
When was the house built
Is the estate handed over
Managment fees
House orientation
What's included in the sale.
Has EA any similar more suitable properties.
What school catchment area is it in.
Local transprot, shops.
Kids hanging out causing trouble.
Is there much traffic outside.
Any changes to the house, did they need palnning, are they to code and certificed
Planning in the area, you need to check this your self, look at the local area plan on CC web site.
Also google the address check news articale. Check if other houses in the estate where sold on the property price register.

WoollyRedHat

Has there ever been any murders in the house.

seagull

Any cases of pyrite in the estate.
What are the neighbours like.

gargargar

Spacehopper's list is good. Also, take a good look at the neighbour's houses either side. Do they look run down? Always worth trying to suss out what you will be moving next too.

grahamor

Is the house located near an airport flight path or could it potentially be in the future ?

xper

Having attended a regrettably large number of viewings over the last couple of years I feel that while many of the suggested questions above are pertinent, EAs are rarely able or willing to give you a reliable answer to most of them, particularly there and then at a viewing, and absolutely everything they say must be taken with large pinches of salt.

I have found the vast majority of EAs are very professional and courteous of course and you will generally not be deliberately lied to but I have caught one or two out giving incorrect answers to basic factual questions like when was the house built. If the topic is more subjective such as about local traffic levels or scumbag quota, you will of course be spun the most positive answer possible. They'll generally know surprisingly little about the house they are standing in - "Where's the hot water tank?" usually stumps them. They will be completely ignorant of or feign ignorance of any planning or structural issue with the property* or any development planned in the immediate area (unless its an obvious big positive) - that stuff is up to you and, eventually, your solicitor and surveyor. (* in some exceptional blatant cases, they may be semi-upfront about an issue, even in the ad, especially if it would screw up a mortgage application - beware of "cash buyers only").

What EAs will know are the circumstances of the sale and it is important to ask about that - Is it a probate sale? If so, is that process completed? Are the sellers in a selling chain? Where are they in that, still looking themselves or at sale agreed or have actually bought or what? Who's living here now, if anyone? When are they moving out? If there are tenants, have they been given notice? It is in the EAs interest to be clear about this stuff because they don't want to waste their own time dealing with a buyer and seller whose timelines or needs just don't match up. And because of that, if you ask these questions, you will be similarly gently quizzed. You will probably be asked casually one way or another if you have mortgage approval. The correct answer is "yes", nothing more. And you really should have mortgage approval in principle from one lender or another before you start viewing properties - it doesn't take long and you'll be disabused of any false ideas of what you can afford.

JustAThought

All good advice here -I wouldnt expect a minute of accuracy or honesty from EA -from bitter experience. If you want the correct answers you will need to be doing your own research. Watch out for the vague EA reslonses -I would umagine/I presume/it must have... all signifying they have been told to view the place and given the key and brochure but other than a walkthrough before and a scan of the brochure they are as much in the dark as you.

Id be definately looking online at the planning permissions in the area in the county council website - some may have been granted 10 years ago and not yet built which could explain why a low price beautiful house overlooking a field may be going for a song. Id also be looking at the area using google maps and satelite view - youd be amazed at how many things you can see from the air that are hidden from the road like travellers camps and dumps and factories.

mrcheez

What soundproofing is like. I.e. can you hear your neighbours sneeze??

Put your ear to the walls and see if you can hear the neighbours. Something I wish I had done and instead had to depend thousands soundproofing the place after

Oral Surgeon

Take a drive over to the area late at night to see if there are any kids handing about causing trouble...

Bob24

JustAThought wrote: »

Watch out for the vague EA reslonses -

Sometimes it’s even comical.

Once viewed an apartment and just a few meters away facing the balcony was what looked like (small and well maintained) council flats, but I was not sure. I clearly pointed at the buildings which couldn’t be missed and asked the agent if they were private or public housing. Pointing at other houses a hundred meters away she replied “that is xxx estate, lovely privately owned houses”. No way she could have genuinely misunderstood which buildings I was talking about, so I just smiled and let it go; and once back home I posted the picture of the place on boards and someone confirmed they were coucil flats.

Oral Surgeon

Bob24 wrote: »

Sometimes it’s even comical.

Once viewed an apartment and just a few meters away facing the balcony was what looked like (small and well maintained) council flats, but I was not sure. I clearly pointed at the buildings which couldn’t be missed and asked the agent if they were private or public housing. Pointing at other houses a hundred meters away she replied “that is xxx estate, lovely privately owned houses”. No way she could have genuinely misunderstood which buildings I was talking about, so I just smiled and let it go; and once back home I posted the picture of the place on boards and someone confirmed they were coucil flats.

Whats wrong with council flats?

Bob24

Oral Surgeon wrote: »

Whats wrong with council flats?

Some are fine, some aren’t and generate more than average antisocial behaviour. And that one was literally facing the balcony of the apartment just 3 or 4 meters away, so you want to inquire a bit before paying several hundred thousands and locking yourself into a mortgage and the associated property.

It happens that when I googled the name of the council flats after a poster on board gave it to me I found a few bad stories, so I didn’t pursue it further.

The apartment I was looking at was surprisingly cheap for the area and not getting offers for a while which got me wondering what the reason might be, and I think that was it - actually later on I saw another poster on boards asking the exact same questions about the same apartment and coming to the same conclusion.

And when you get home (or maybe before the viewing so you can ask questions); check the local planning situation online on the house itself and the area in general. Check the property price register. And google the address for news or events. Also go to google earth and look at the locality.