Property Viewings

[Tee20x]

I have a few threads on here regarding my journey as a FTB and have received some good advice about the journey to home ownership.

I have have a few viewings lined up & I'm wondering if there's anything I should be looking out for, maybe things I may have missed?

I've read online guides etc but would be grateful for any tips and tricks from those in the know as I am a novice - questions I should be asking, thinks I should be on the lookout for, dealbreakers and so on.

The only time I've ever viewed houses was when moving around at uni & back then I didn't care at all!

The property will be shared ownership if that makes any difference to things.

I always check the water pressure..get some funny looks from some estate agents but its better than finding out the shower is a trickle when you move in.

One suggestion- you could follow the old strategy for being in meetings that I was taught. Take two of you, let one (the most easy-going and friendly) do most of the talking, and the other (the most critical and nitpicking) do most of the listening. It's amazing what the listener hears and sees that the one talking to the vendor doesn't.

Don't let yourself be rushed. It's easy to get steamrollered around a house- try to slow things down, then you will notice more. And do your research beforehand. Examine all photos, watch the video is there is one. Look not just at what's there, but note things that are missing- e.g., no pictures of one of the rooms may mean it's got a problem they hope you won't notice on a viewing if they hurry you, but you would on photos. And when you view, look for those 'missing' things.
Ask when it was last rewired.

@InpatientGardener yes, I have thought of that one! May seem silly but is this something that can be improved? Or would i be destined for shit showers for the foreseeable?

@BlueMongoose thanks for this! I was worried that they would try and fob me off using covid as an excuse to only have one person view at a time, but I emailed saying I would be attending with someone else & they were fine with it thankfully.

Nice heads up about the re-wiring. How do you remember all the information they spew at you - do you make notes? Write a follow up email to get everything in writing so you can refer back to it?

Haven't even started the process and I feel so overwhelmed

Get there early and have a walk round the area before you go in- can you imagine living there? Look at neighbouring properties- do they look run down or well kept? Take a good look at the building itself- is it in good repair? What's the parking like? Is the road noisy? Are there any 'bad neighbours' such as pubs or late night opening shops and takeaways?

One of my concerns is that the lease on the property began in 2017 so it is fairly new. I'm worried that the new build feel may mask issues & that any problems that you've described @BadlydoneHelen may be concealed & not visible on the first look.

If it’s shared ownership presumably you are limited to fairly new houses? If so they won’t need rewiring for about 30 years.

Check out parking and if possible visit at different times of day so you can see how busy it gets outside. If it’s leasehold most of my questions would be around the lease. Ask if there’s a maintenance charge and what it covers. Are you allowed pets, if you want any. What are the neighbours like.

No idea I'm afraid! I dont think its that common a fault though, not something I've really noticed anyway despite always checking. But if it was an issue you could ask the vendor what causes it.

Ask the agent to show you round, not the vendor. You will see more and be able to look without feeling nosey.

Find out if it’s leasehold or freehold. A lot of new builds are leaseholds with extortion ground rent, or ground rent than can be raised extortionately in future. Plus service charges sometimes.
I personally would not buy a leasehold property.

@GemmaRuby property is leasehold, not ideal but given my circumstances basically the only way to get myself onto the property ladder.

Will deffo enquire anoint increases to rent and service charge and whether there is a cap on how much it can be increased by and how far in advance I would be notified.

Don't intend on being in the property forever, just a stepping stone so hopefully it works out in my favour.

If it has a garage door check that it actually opens and shuts.
Agree with testing water pressure, if taps / showers work.
Also check how many sockets are in the rooms, does it have a socket in the landing etc.
If kitchen hob being left do all the rings work?

Sounds like you are looking at resales for shared ownership? I think that is the best way, the rent is often lower and initial problems will have been sorted out by the first owner. I had a shared ownership property and found that some of the fittings (shower, recessed lights, boiling plumbing, laminated floor) were poor quality and quickly needed replacing.

If there is a garage check you can actually get your car in the garage and actually get out of the car once your in the garage 😂

As it is leasehold, you could download the lease details from Land Registry, and read it. I think it costs about £3. That way you can get the heads up about the lease- eg if the ground rent increases and at what rate, and whether you can have pets etc.
I am a director of the Management Company of a block of flats and am gobsmacked at the number of people who don't read the leases when they purchase a property and then get offended when told to remove their Sky or other dishes and make good the damage, as specified in the lease.

Look at who the Managing Agents are and check them on Trustpilot /Google. There are some companies who are terrible and use the flats for income generation. If they were managing a development, I would not touch the flat with a bargepole.
Look for electric sockets, and where they are. Check if there is a communal internet service /satellite dish.
Outside space if its important to you.
As well as wondering around the area at different times of the day, check the local press - we were going to buy a flat and when I went back to check something in the lease I discovered there had been a fire in the car ports. A look through the paper archive showed me that it had had 3 similar fires in the last 2 years and that there was a suggestion of arson/someone with a grudge.

Check out /ask about the neighbours!!!

You don't want to move into a house with the neighbours from hell.

Also... storage!

Other than that, with first viewings I tend to just focus on general first impressions (eg simply whether you get a good feeling or not and whether you can see yourself living there) and also obviously just checking out the main points, whether it satisfies my general requirements etc (Eg basic things like location, room size, bathrooms etc). I usually also try to get an idea of the light in various rooms in the house/garden and general aspect.

Then with second viewings you can then focus more on the detail. I find it really helpful to do it this way as you can then go back with a critical eye only on the second viewing in order to stress test your overall first impression.

[quote Tee20x]@InpatientGardener yes, I have thought of that one! May seem silly but is this something that can be improved? Or would i be destined for shit showers for the foreseeable?[/quote]
I think that can be sorted by turning up the pressure at the stop cock

@Tee20x

One of my concerns is that the lease on the property began in 2017 so it is fairly new. I'm worried that the new build feel may mask issues & that any problems that you've described *@BadlydoneHelen* may be concealed & not visible on the first look.

If the lease started in 2017 does that mean that was when the property was built? Is there a new home warranty. Will it transfer to the new owner?

Google the address and reviews of the building.

Make sure you can afford to pay the rent and ground rent. Even when it goes up.

We looked at shared ownership for Dd and whilst she does own a tiny flat that she rents out, there is no was she could afford a shared ownership place.
The amount of outgoings were eye watering.

Just a general question to all regarding asking about the neighbours - does this ever get an honest answer ?! I'm imagining that as the agent will want the property sold for their commission they'd be unlikely to tell me that Bob next door is known for his parties that go on until 2am every Sunday ?

@starpatch yes I am looking at resales. When I first started searching for properties I really fancied a new build with a modern kitchen etc - thought it would be reasonably priced seen as it's meant to be an affordable scheme & then saw how much they were charging for rent & service charge etc. It's crazy! As you'd really be better off owning outright and paying a fraction of the price on a standard mortgage.

I'd much prefer somewhere outright, but seen as I am purchasing alone on a salary of around 35k I feel it's impossible (London/Outskirts & require minimum 2 bedrooms) :(. Annoying really as the repayments would likely be cheaper than what I'd pay for shared ownership/rent anyway. Grrr :(

@RainingYetAgain thanks! I had searched the address on land registry and saw that I could get it for £3 but hadn't got as far as finding out what information it contains so thanks for the heads up!

I always ask about neighbours. They might not tell you if they're awful but I like to know whos next door, so family, retired people etc. Gives you a bit of an idea of potential noise etc.

Re neighbours, I agree that you can not always expect a completely candid answer. The rule is buyer beware which means that a vendor does not have an onus to disclose information to you if not asked but they cannot lie if they are asked a direct question. I'm not 100pc sure what the rule is with agents but i think it's similar - ie they can't lie if you ask them a direct question.

So the trick is to ask the right questions. Eg you may as well ask what the neighbours are like but you shouldn't rely on that answer (eg my previous neighbour could have been described as a grandmother who lived alone and hardly ever had visitors when in reality she was a drug addict alcoholic who played techno til 2am (she had her kids young)).

But instead you can ask other questions to get more of an idea of what the neighbours are like e.g. who are the neighbours and who lives there? Do they work? Do they own the property? Are they council tenants? Do they have pets? How long have they lived there? How long has the vendor lived there (short period might indicate issues). You should also ask direct questions where there is less room for vagaries e.g. "have any complaints been made about the tenants" requires a yes/no answer vs a more open ended answer such as "have there been any problems with the neighbours" - although these sort of questions should also be asked by your solicitors.

I would also visit the road at different times of day to get more of a sense of the neighbourhood; is it quieter or busier at different times, and you might also be able to ask people who appear to live there what the area is like (I have done this previously, and am now buying a property in that road!).