First time buyer - house viewing

Im viewing a house tomorrow, and probably a number of others in the coming weeks. What sort of things do I need to be asking the owners/what should I look out for?

Obviously things like; has anyone been murdered here? Is it haunted? Do the neighbours buck really loudly every night? (It’s a terraced house) Etc’ etc’.
 


Im viewing a house tomorrow, and probably a number of others in the coming weeks. What sort of things do I need to be asking the owners/what should I look out for?

Obviously things like; has anyone been murdered here? Is it haunted? Do the neighbours buck really loudly every night? (It’s a terraced house) Etc’ etc’.
If you are buying a terrace house get a south or west facing back yard/garden.

Go and see the street at different times.

have a look at utility bills.

Noise from neighbours.
 
Im viewing a house tomorrow, and probably a number of others in the coming weeks. What sort of things do I need to be asking the owners/what should I look out for?

Obviously things like; has anyone been murdered here? Is it haunted? Do the neighbours buck really loudly every night? (It’s a terraced house) Etc’ etc’.
Parking access , check the roof, what's nearby (Pub/Kebab shop etc)
 
Nowt. If your lass likes it, you're moving in.
Pretty much this.

The current house we're in, i was full of myself after watching several 'location, location, location' type shows and had a master plan, go in at x% under the asking price, play the long game, we were first time buyers, no chain etc etc, i was bound to get a bargain.

I was allowed to put in my first daft offer, they came back and said no, our lass basically told me to offer the asking price and stop f***ing about, if we lost the house she'd rip my knackers off.
 
Pretty much this.

The current house we're in, i was full of myself after watching several 'location, location, location' type shows and had a master plan, go in at x% under the asking price, play the long game, we were first time buyers, no chain etc etc, i was bound to get a bargain.

I was allowed to put in my first daft offer, they came back and said no, our lass basically told me to offer the asking price and stop f***ing about, if we lost the house she'd rip my knackers off.

:lol: Yep. We had four viewings lined up for our first kip. Didn't get past the first one ffs :rolleyes:

*in fairness we both agree on the theory that the worst house on the best street is better than the best house on the worst street.
 
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We're replacing 30-odd year old windows at the minute and no doubt will have to get the roof and boiler replaced in the next few year. What I didn't do, but I would if I could go back, is ask how old those things are.

When we first looked around we just booked up to see everything that fit what we were looking for. First time we viewed a house we had 12 more to do the same weekend :lol:
 
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We're replacing 30-odd year old windows at the minute and no doubt will have to get the roof and boiler replaced in the next few year. What I didn't do, but I would if I could go back, is ask how old those things are.

When we first looked around we just booked up to see everything that fit what we were looking for. First time we viewed a house we had 12 more to do in the same day :lol:
Does your (Arise) Sir Vey not cover all that?
 
As far as things that could get expensive go...

Check for damp, especially around bay windows, drain pipes etc?

Is the boiler gas or oil, and more importantly how old is it?

Is the loft insulated and how good is it?

When was it built, when was there last a check on the electrics? If its an older house with the old style wiring, most electricians wont touch jobs without re-wiring the entire house to new specs.

Is it double glazed, and are the window frames wooden or Upvc?
 
We're replacing 30-odd year old windows at the minute and no doubt will have to get the roof and boiler replaced in the next few year. What I didn't do, but I would if I could go back, is ask how old those things are.

When we first looked around we just booked up to see everything that fit what we were looking for. First time we viewed a house we had 12 more to do the same weekend :lol:

Same here, our house is over 45 years old and we've got an old Oil boiler that's still going. It will drop dead any day now and its going to be a massive job to get it replaced as where it is placed is now illegal. Something to do with the boiler being too close to a window / door. So we face having to brick up the back door, replace the boiler and knock through a side window to make a new front door.

I would never have known about this in a million years. But when that boiler goes we are in for a massive bill.

We have replaced the roof since moving in too and also had to put new slopped roofs on what were previously flat bay windows, onc of which had serious damp issues.
 
If you want kids - even 10 year down the line, check for school catchment. If owt goes wrong with the housing market you could lose any built up equity and either be stuck or have to move for a hit when the time comes.

The rest may all feel a bit intrusive but if you're spending tens or hundreds of thousands it's worth it.
Check the heating works. Check all taps are working and there's no cracks in any sinks or en suites etc. Check all windows open and close as expected. Check the condition of any flooring and factor it into the purchase price. Look for any cracking in the walls. Look at roof and flashing round chimneys etc, general maintenance kind of stuff.

View the police crime map and see if you can spot anything regularly going on. Nuisance groups at shops and parks etc. Make repeat visits to the street to gauge what it feels like at different times of the day/week.
If you use public transport have a wander to the nearest stops and check timetables online. If you drive, try and do a commute to your work from the street at your normal time.

Check sold property prices and also check how many are rentals which may see a high turnover of neighbours. Try and find out what type of neighbours you'll end up with.

People will spend longer test driving a car that costs a fraction of a house...
 

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