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Original poster

Property Viewings

40 replies

Tee20x · 05/10/2021 17:06

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.

OP posts:
Bythemillpond · 06/10/2021 11:03

Tee20x

Do you really need 2 bedrooms

I have a few friends who have lived in much smaller accommodation. Single parent friend with a young child lived in a studio flat for a couple of years whilst she was saving for her first house and 2 friends together with their dh’s who bought 1 bed flats as that was all they could afford at the time.
They both had a bed settee in the living room and their children had the bedroom.

Original poster
Tee20x · 06/10/2021 11:12

@nofanks - really helpful thanks!

OP posts:
Original poster
Tee20x · 06/10/2021 11:16

@Bythemillpond hadn't really thought about getting a 1 bed to be honest. I'm currently rent free with family in one room & outgrowing the space rapidly.

By having 2 rooms I guess there's less pressure to move ASAP whereas I feel if I get a 1 bed I'm already starting off on the back foot and counting down to when I need to move again if you see what I mean.

OP posts:
SD25 · 06/10/2021 14:23

Check the boiler. Expensive to replace.

PeeAche · 06/10/2021 14:58

We recently bought a new house after lots of looking.

  1. Always download the Land Registry info of any property you have a proper interest in. This will tell you lots of good info, including whether your buyers have a mortgage and with whom. (Houses without mortgages to be closed out are faster to complete on.) I realise this isn't such a thing for a FTB shared ownership but it's all good advice for the future. Land registry will also give lease details, if appropriate. And most importantly, it gives you a (sometimes rough) outline of the plot. This is important because one of the basic questions from your solicitor will be about whether what you viewed matches what is outlined with the land registry. So, always good if you know what to expect before you actually view it! It all helps to speed things along.
  1. Check your phone signal. Several times. Especially when you're standing by the loo. And in the master bedroom!
  1. Arrive early and have a good look around at parking. How many houses are there? How many have drives? Double drives? Or do they all rely on street parking... do this even if you're buying something with a drive. You will have visitors, after all!
  1. Use online checker tools to confirm wifi speeds and possible products.
  1. Gently press your fingers into the corners of all of the window frames as you view each room. They should not move at all. Take note of any windows that have condensation trapped between 2 layers of double glazing.
  1. Gently press your fingers against the wall / ceiling near bedroom and bathroom windows. You are checking for damp, obviously. It will be obvious. Lightly cold walls are normal. Spongey walls are not! Also look for grey "swipe" marks, which suggest lots of black mould has recently been wiped away.
  1. Run all the taps. I generally don't check the shower too because I'm only looking for a rough guide to the water pressure. Some people do! People did in our old house...
  1. Check all the light switches and touch all the heaters. A well marketed house will leave all the lights and heating on (low) anyway. If you're selling your house, you should do this yourself before you leave for the viewing to happen. Don't rely on your estate agent.
  1. Write down any numbers you can see from the boiler. Google it later to determine its age. Bosch boilers are good for 15-20 years, if properly maintained. Other brands tend to bottom out at around 10 years.
  1. Make notes of anything you saw that could be a "complaint" but don't reveal these until you submit your offer. Don't get drawn into a conversation with the estate agent about it. They don't work for you! (And hold some details back for counter offers, if possible)

Eg. "I noticed that 2 of your windows appear to have damage to the frames and that the ceiling lights do not work in the extension, therefore I feel a fair offer is £X."

Don't worry about offending anyone. It's a business transaction!

areyouhavingagiraffe · 06/10/2021 15:02

Ask about resale, do you need to sell back to Housing Association (i.e. give them first refusal?)
Also, two most important things:

  • Ground rent and the rate this increases
  • External wall (what is the building made up of)

I have just sold a SO leasehold flat. I have made enough money on it to move on up the property ladder (although currently homeless as I cannot find anything! but that is another story) so it can work, but please check the ground rent. Lenders change their criteria all the time, and it can make resale difficult. It also takes longer to go through the conveyancing process and solicitors hold up by asking for "deeds of variation" on ground rent, when they are not always required. Hire an independent solicitor, don't use the suggested solicitors from the Housing Association etc

augustusbloom · 06/10/2021 17:09

@PeeAche

We recently bought a new house after lots of looking.
  1. Always download the Land Registry info of any property you have a proper interest in. This will tell you lots of good info, including whether your buyers have a mortgage and with whom. (Houses without mortgages to be closed out are faster to complete on.) I realise this isn't such a thing for a FTB shared ownership but it's all good advice for the future. Land registry will also give lease details, if appropriate. And most importantly, it gives you a (sometimes rough) outline of the plot. This is important because one of the basic questions from your solicitor will be about whether what you viewed matches what is outlined with the land registry. So, always good if you know what to expect before you actually view it! It all helps to speed things along.
  1. Check your phone signal. Several times. Especially when you're standing by the loo. And in the master bedroom!
  1. Arrive early and have a good look around at parking. How many houses are there? How many have drives? Double drives? Or do they all rely on street parking... do this even if you're buying something with a drive. You will have visitors, after all!
  1. Use online checker tools to confirm wifi speeds and possible products.
  1. Gently press your fingers into the corners of all of the window frames as you view each room. They should not move at all. Take note of any windows that have condensation trapped between 2 layers of double glazing.
  1. Gently press your fingers against the wall / ceiling near bedroom and bathroom windows. You are checking for damp, obviously. It will be obvious. Lightly cold walls are normal. Spongey walls are not! Also look for grey "swipe" marks, which suggest lots of black mould has recently been wiped away.
  1. Run all the taps. I generally don't check the shower too because I'm only looking for a rough guide to the water pressure. Some people do! People did in our old house...
  1. Check all the light switches and touch all the heaters. A well marketed house will leave all the lights and heating on (low) anyway. If you're selling your house, you should do this yourself before you leave for the viewing to happen. Don't rely on your estate agent.
  1. Write down any numbers you can see from the boiler. Google it later to determine its age. Bosch boilers are good for 15-20 years, if properly maintained. Other brands tend to bottom out at around 10 years.
  1. Make notes of anything you saw that could be a "complaint" but don't reveal these until you submit your offer. Don't get drawn into a conversation with the estate agent about it. They don't work for you! (And hold some details back for counter offers, if possible)

Eg. "I noticed that 2 of your windows appear to have damage to the frames and that the ceiling lights do not work in the extension, therefore I feel a fair offer is £X."

Don't worry about offending anyone. It's a business transaction!

This is incredibly helpful, as someone steaming into weekend viewings of properties we are hoping to love and make an offer on...!
Original poster
Tee20x · 06/10/2021 18:19

@areyouhavingagiraffe

Ask about resale, do you need to sell back to Housing Association (i.e. give them first refusal?) Also, two most important things:
  • Ground rent and the rate this increases
  • External wall (what is the building made up of)

I have just sold a SO leasehold flat. I have made enough money on it to move on up the property ladder (although currently homeless as I cannot find anything! but that is another story) so it can work, but please check the ground rent. Lenders change their criteria all the time, and it can make resale difficult. It also takes longer to go through the conveyancing process and solicitors hold up by asking for "deeds of variation" on ground rent, when they are not always required. Hire an independent solicitor, don't use the suggested solicitors from the Housing Association etc

Thanks for the tips!

Can the rate at which the ground rent increases found somewhere in writing! I think PP mentioned about it being in one of the land registry docs or am I making things up?

How long were you in your property & how did you find the selling process if you don't mind me asking.

OP posts:
Original poster
Tee20x · 06/10/2021 18:20

@PeeAche thanks ever so much for your detailed advice! Definitely things I wouldn't have thought to do myself so will definitely have to save your tips somewhere so that I don't forget them.

OP posts:
RainingYetAgain · 06/10/2021 20:50

Yes, the Lease will tell you about Ground Rent and when and if it increases and the amount e g inflation.
Services charges are a whole other matter

languagelover96 · 07/10/2021 09:20

I always recommend having a full inspection done in case. Ask about schools, neighbors and so on.

areyouhavingagiraffe · 07/10/2021 12:43

I was there for 16 years OP. You need to look at the lease; your solicitor will request this as part of the purchase. You can request from LR, but this is not the £3 thing which someone mentioned (the £3 covers the land registry plan and title deeds). Ask the EA, or Housing Association about the GR, don't rely on solicitor.

areyouhavingagiraffe · 07/10/2021 12:47

Selling was easy in that I got offers, and a great offer in a few days. But the stress starts when the solicitors review docs etc, and the lease. I cannot lie I was really stressed but the sale went through okay. The criteria for leasehold is changing all the time, and unfortunately a lot of solicitors ar ebeing over zealous on ground rents particularly in London, where they are higher anyway. I had to point out to my solicitor that my property was in London and did a lot of research on ground rent. When the buyers solicitor raised it, I did some googling on the matter and I can't like when I say I was in a dark place. I had to do my research and fight, and I had a good buyer. Unfortunatley over zealous solicitors can scare buyers away by creating issues when there are none, or misunderstanding simple things like location of property. I started looking into the Lenders criteria and fought my corner.

Original poster
Tee20x · 02/11/2021 11:34

Thanks for your advice guys.

I'm having real trouble finding threads I've created. The search function is rubbish and I'm having to scroll and scroll through the threads I'm on section to find mine.

I have another query regarding shared ownership properties. So maybe those of you who have commented in relation to having owned them may be able to help?

Im finding that a lot of the housing associations that own the other part of the house have really bad reviews.

A lot of the advice on this thread (or maybe another one I've started) related to making sure the housing association had good reviews. But all of the ones I've looked at in different areas of London have reviews between 1-3 stars. Most of them towards the lower end.

A lot of the comments seem to relate to things such as them taking long to repair hot water issues, not being able to contact anyone or them taking long to respond, taking long with repairs in their flat etc.

Now my question is this, is it naive to think that these complaints are probably from people housed by the council so rely on the HA's maintenance team to fix things, whereas as a shared ownership owner I would be fixing these things myself so it may not be as big as an issue?

Or is it a sign to stay well away? I'm really struggling with this as I'm seeing properties that look as if they have good potential and then I read about the housing association and scare myself silly.

I've booked in a viewing and am seriously considering cancelling it because of HA reviews. The property (from what I can see online) looks good and is in a perfect location for friends/family and really close to work. Good nursery nearby & comes with parking. Price is about £300 lower than market rent for such a property.

If I viewed it and it looked good, I'd really be considering making an offer - but have now been put off.

What to do ????

OP posts:
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