Second viewing

[newknewnew]

Hi, we’re FTBs. This will be our second viewing after having offer accepted and mortgage sorted. Is there anything you recommend us doing/looking for on this visit?

I have water pressure, measure windows and where the fridge will go... but that’s about it

It depends what you checked on your first viewing. General maintenance issues can add up even though not affecting a mortgage offer, depending on how old the house is. Did you look at the boiler and fuse board and ask how old they are? Did you look at the roof to see if it all looks good? Did you check number of electric sockets?

It’s a new build conversion, so everything is new. Aside from that, I’ve only really looked at the cosmetic aspect

Is it possible to check noise insulation to the other flat(s)? Or at least, ask about it. Ask if there are any problems or disputes with neighbours. Ask about the process when work is required to the common areas / fabric of the building, e.g. roof.

It's worth doing a walk past at different times of the day / night to check the area is calm.

Measure every bit of spare wall in each room so you can work out where your furniture will fit.

Draw a plan of the house and mark on it where all the electric socketts are and radiators - will help with planning where you're going to put your furniture

Make sure all the doors shut properly - could be just a minor irritation, or could indicate problems with the house moving when it shouldn't.

When you say new build conversion do you mean that it’s a new conversion in an old house?

Things you don’t see in new builds

Kitchen bin
Ironing board
Mop and bucket
Normal sized wardrobes in the bedrooms
Washing basket
Normal sized beds
Fence on the correct boundary - makes the garden look bigger then they fence between the houses - seen this a few times
Bathroom storage - of any kind
Place for coats and shoes

Check ceilings, walls, corners for any signs of leaks, damp, cracks, mould. Walk around the outside of the property and check the walls.
Flush the toilets.
If appliances are to be included, check them.
Look at state of the windows.
Age of the boiler.
You can then mention them to your surveyor to investigate further if you plan to use one.
These are all the things I wish I had done Instead of rushing through my viewing, falsely assuming that because it was newly renovated, there were no issues.

I've just realised it's a new build so my comments above won't all apply

Size of doorways / stairs, for when you move beds, sofa etc into the house.

Noise from neighbours / road / air /any other source!

Any neighbourhood issues - lack of parking and other small things that could be super annoying after you've moved in.

@Fairystory

It depends what you checked on your first viewing. General maintenance issues can add up even though not affecting a mortgage offer, depending on how old the house is. Did you look at the boiler and fuse board and ask how old they are? Did you look at the roof to see if it all looks good? Did you check number of electric sockets?

Can I ask what the point of this would be at this stage? If the boiler or fuse board is old and there aren’t many sockets then you can’t exactly reduce your offer?

I viewed a new build development of apartments on rightmove recently. They looked fabulous. Then I noticed there was no storage to put "stuff" - vacuum cleaner, bike, spare bedding, winter coats, etc., etc.

We've just done a second viewing and I was especially trying to work out where stuff will go this time as I know on moving day that is what the movers ask all the time and they hate standing in a doorway while someone tries to think about it. So think where all the packed boxes will be put down on the moving day - they take up a lot of space. I usually try and have a room just for those. Also work out if your furniture will go through the door / up the stairs and where it will go once there.