Viewing a house tomorrow - what do I need to look out for?

[WombatStewForTea]

DP and I are first time buyers. This week we've got a meeting to finalise our mortgage in principal and also start looking at houses. What on earth should I be looking for when viewing houses? We don't need to worry about 'the area' as all of the properties we're interested in are in the village where we live now.
Any tips? It's all very grown up and scary!

This is going to sound mad, but I viewed a flat with a friend once (she was looking to buy). I needed to use the loo so asked if I could. There was a bit of loo roll down there. So i spent a penny and flushed. It barely flushed. I hung around a bit and flushed again, still barely cleared it. She wasn't bothered but I like a good flush. She bought the flat and whenever I visited I dreaded using her loo - it stayed like it for years (it just wasn't a good flusher she said).

YABU.

Lots of great advice here. Do bear in mind some of the scarier sounding aspects such as condition of roof, windows, structural, will be looked over during survey.

Above all make sure you go for a house you love.

Buying a house/home is a large investment. All homes will require maintenance. Time and money spent on them. In order for you to enjoy it, you do need to love it. Or at the very least really really like it.

Otherwise you'll end up resenting every penny spent on maintenance and repairs. And every minute spent living in the house because all you'll see are its flaws rather than the great bits.

Three things from my experience: 1) put your hand along the edges of every window, door, window frame to see if there are massive gales draughts coming through. 2) if its warm and the log burner/fire is on this probably isn't because 'we use it all the time' or 'to show buyers how beautiful it is' , its far more likely to be because of point 1 above. And 3) if there's a beautiful deep victorian style tub and a hot water tank rather than combi boiler then ask them to fill the bath to check that the tank holds enough hot water to fill the bath. this is probably more 2nd veiwing , but even so
Correcting these errors has cost us 20 grand - we were newbie first timers! If the sellers are avid diy-ers , the house may look beautiful (eg windows, bath) but they may not have done the planning required for it to actually work!

Ask the sellers if they're DIY-ers. We bought from a really lovely older couple...who were serial botchers. I am so glad I wasn't here when they "popped by to see the old place" on a visit back from Spain (they left a note through the door). I honestly wouldn't have been able to contain myself. Their botching has cost us thousands (leaking bath from badly done masticking = new kitchen ceiling; electrics which were "dangerous" because he's had a go himself; he'd fitted a fuse board which was a fire hazard; back door latch on the wrong way = strong gust of wind slammed it so hard it bounced back and came off the hinges; loft hatch nearly decapitated my husband when it fell down unexpectedly; DIY damp-proofing in the garage). Argh! 4 years and we reckon we've found and sorted everything (god I hope we have!!)

Also, plug sockets: are there enough? How big are Windows? Ours are all lovely 3.5m wide...MASSIVE pain to get curtains/nets for and very expensive to replace! Just a factor to consider. What appliances do to have in their kitchen? Is there room for everything you want? For me, the washing machine and tumble dryer in the garage was something j lost patience with very quickly.

Flat roof? Avoid avoid avoid. SO hot in summer and freezing in winter.

Look at what size the beds are - if you've got a super King and they've got a double in the master, it's gonna be a squeeze!

Don't creep around quietly and politely, like you're in a museum. Open and shut cupboards doors normally. Run up and down the stairs. See what sort of noise the floorboards really make under usual footfalls.

Also, go and stand in the middle of the garden and shout "Woof!"

If the Jack Russell two doors down roars back in apoplexies of rage, you'll be forewarned at least.

Turn hot and cold taps on sinks, bath and shower to check water pressure. If you have a combi-boiler (no water tank) it isn't easy to improve water pressure and a dribbling shower/poorly flushing toilet is miserable.

Find an excuse to visit the neighbours, loiter in the street on a Friday/Saturday night. You can fix things in the house but you can't fix noisy/anti-social neighbours.

look for bodges. I opened an airing cupboard door. Full of clothes and clutter. Not bothered. What did bother me was the screwdriver stuck in a valve to hold it open!

people who do this won't be big on house maintenance!

love the idea of shouting 'woof' in the garden! And yes, unless the village is tiny go round at several times of day (you don't have to go in) to check for noise nuisance. We have a 5pm dog within earshot, cannot wait for it to die.

A great tip is to look up at the ceiling to gauge the actual floor space in a room, by doing that you can ignore other peoples furniture and visualise your own stuff in there

Take as many photos from as many angles as you can/dare. Then you can discuss things at your leisure later at home, saying all the things you didn't want to say out loud while you were in there.

Do not touch anything, if you do you could be accused of breaking things. I was told this by an estate agent friend. I'm selling my home soon and no way would I allow people to turn on showers, open cupboards, run up and down stairs etc., they should get a survey done for this or come back for a second viewing. I'm going to be in attendance on the viewings after this thread!

I have a south facing garden, but I won't be buying a garden that faces south. You have to close the curtains all day to save your furnishings bleaching.

if cupboard doors break on opening and stairs can't cope with people running - that is not the house to buy!

put fragile and valuable items away, common sense. But nobody is going to spend big bucks on a house without checking it over thoroughly. And a vendor that refuses this kind of normal stuff won't be selling any time soon.

be reasonable.

Make a checklist and keep notes on each house (we viewed loads and made an offer on the same day). That way you can remember which had the nice bathroom etc.

Special subject, on the contrary, LOTS of people buy houses without doing these things. Then live with them or the cost of fixing them for years. Most people I know, including us, bought a house with something that they wished they'd checked out or that they'd totally missed or overlooked. It might not be a deal breaker but its good to know.

Stage 1. Sit down with your partner and make a list of things you must have and things you would like. Discuss how you forsee the next 10 years or so (if you intend to live there that long). So for instance, my current essentials list are 2 bedrooms, kitchen, lounge, bathroom, garden. My want list are parking, an open plan kitchen diner, downstairs bathroom and spare bedroom (elderly mum) logburner, good-size sunny garden, not on a busy road, close to school, natural light, views.
Talk about what kind of houses you like (period/new), pet hates, and how you want to live (do you want a big kitchen where you can cook together, to hold endless parties, or have storage for 20 bicycles?)
Look at every home in your price range that meets your essential criteria and see how many of your wants it has or could have with some work. Look at the potential to extend/convert/ improve at some point.
Ignore the clutter, crap decor, revolting carpet etc, in fact actively seek out these properties as they may be better value than properties which have been 'presented' for sale. Or you may decide that you only want to look at homes that need absolutely nothing done in the next 5 years.

Be polite on viewings- turn up, ask questions, talk to the sellers, let them tell you all about their house. If you hate their taste don't say so. Be the people they would like to sell their precious home to.

Stage 2- When you find a possible purchase, then look at what is wrong with it that might need expensive work straight away. Check roof, wiring, heating, signs and smell of damp, any cracks, energy efficiency etc. Are you happy with the condition of bathroom/ kitchen or will you have to/ want to replace them? Everything has a life cycle- roofs and wiring 30-40 years, boilers, fitted kitchens 15 years or so, condition of windows etc. Make a list of questions you would want to ask a surveyor, and think about how much work you want to do/live through/pay for, and what you can live with.

And bearing that in mind, go with instinct and find somewhere you can both be happy. And then get a thorough survey so that you go into the purchase with your eyes open.

If you have/ are planning kids - school catchment

I wouldn't consider a house near pylons or an electricity substation.

Know what Japanese Knotweed looks like at different times of the year and check that there is none growing anywhere near the property.

Watch out for large cracks on the walls - could be subsidence. Also, if there are bay windows, have they been rebuilt (different coloured bricks/pointing)? If so, this is probably because of subsidence which is common in bays.

Any signs of rot in wooden window frames? Any signs of double glazing failing (e.g. water between the panes)?

Ask the owners if they have ever been burgled. Ask if they've got mice. Check airbricks are not broken - rodents can get in this way.

Is parking relatively easy? Don't underestimate the importance of this both for you and your visitors.

I wouldn't consider a house near pylons or an electricity substation.

Why not? One of the most popular estates here has pylons running though it. It's opposite the best secondary school in the area so they fly off the shelves.

I firmly believe you know when you walk in if its the one. I knew I wanted a Victorian terrace and I was adamant I didn't want a downstairs bathroom and I did want a working fireplace - I walked into our house and it had neither but I just knew it was the one. We are still happy 10 years on and doing a loft conversion as I want more space but still like the house / road. I had the same feeling in the flat I lived in before here and I was there 13 years. With the house viewing I drove my husband mad as kept saying this ones ok - I was trying to explain I would know when I saw it. He felt the same with this house!

When I first started looking at houses on the market, many moons ago, all you had was particulars comprising a dodgy photo, glued on the front, and a typed description of the rooms, full of rich details like: "Bedroom 2. 14' x 12.6'. Picture window. Radiator. Built-in cupboard containing immersion heater."

Now you can look at all the 3 bed houses within a certain price bracket, check the floor plan, see lots of colour photos, see where the nearest schools are... it saves you going to view an awful lot of duds! Mind you, it did give you stories to dine out on when they were truly dreadful

I was always told 'buy the biggest you can afford' which we have always done each time ( be sensible though think of future plans/income) it may mean moving less often if you buy big each time. Good luck!

For me, first viewing is all about the feel, the flow of the space and could I see myself living there. Second viewing is practical measurements, how would the furniture fit, condition of property etc.

First viewing heart, second head

Good luck!

As a PP said - Mould, mould, mould!

Look behind curtains, large furniture, inside wardrobes, especially against external walls, and feel them to see if they are a bit damp.

Biggest mistake I ever made, not checking that.

Location. Remember you can change almost anything about a house but you can't change its location. I wouldn't get too hung up on cupboards etc, they're details.

Try and find out why the current owners are moving, and whether or not they will be leaving carpets & curtains etc.

Also, use your nose. What does the house smell like when you go in, and as you go round. Nothing? Strong air freshener? Cigarette smoke? Dog?

If there's a faint smell of mushrooms in an older house, don't touch it with a bargepole.