About to start viewing houses and having complete meltdown...

[Redqueenheart]

I think the stress of looking at new houses and dealing with pushy estate agents is already getting to me and would appreciate any tips....

I have lived in the same London flat for almost 14 years, the sale of this flat is almost complete and now looking at 2bed houses to buy in a few locations in Kent and Scotland (I am looking to semi-retire by the sea).

I have bookings for viewing in Folkestone and Deal next weekend and already I am panicking as I have not done this for so long.

One of the reasons I am selling and semi-retiring is long term health issues and this will be my forever retirement home so I really don't want to make a mistake.

I have listed the usual questions I would need to ask the agent and things to keep an eye for:

• how long has this been on the market?
• how long have the owners lived there?
• check neighbours' houses/gardens to see how they are kept
• check for damp patches (although I would of course commission a full survey) and other visible issues with the structure of the house
• I there a chain? if currently rented have the tenants been served notice?
• council tax rates
• I don't need parking so that is not an issue I need to raise.

Have I missed anything essential?

Also what advice would you give me on the best way to play it in this current market?

If anyone knows Deal and Folkestone well, please let me know what areas I should avoid as well! My budget is not massive so they are my best options.

Thankfully the Scottish system is more straightforward if I end up buying there but I thought I would try these two Kent seaside towns first as they are closer which makes it easier for me to view properties.

I know it should be an exciting time too but the stress is hard to deal with....

Check on Zoopla to see when the neighbours moved in. I ruled out one house because they'd only lived there a short while and then put it back on the market very soon after new neighbours moved in. Could have been a coincidence - not worth the risk.

Google the street name.

Check the postcode for recent planning applications.

Also look it up on the UK flood map. Even if the area hasn't previously flooded, certain areas are increasingly high risk.

I you plan to old there ,check proximity to shops ,transport links ,stuff thats important to you .

Sorry OP ,I'm sure I'm an offender .I do it because I think it looks nicer .Less claustrophobic.

wrong thread ,apologies

Stand in the (propective) new place and see how it feels. Do you have an emotional response to it; do you like it; could you see yourself living there?

Walk around the neighbourhood checking out transport links, doctors, shops etc. Is the area well looked after. Are new housing estates beng built. Do folk have skips on their driveways (ie doing their places up) often a sign of an improving area. Check out the local authority's planning portal to see what's bring built/getting altered. Buy the local paper- see was locsl issues are.

Good luck, don't panic. Look at as many places as you can, this will help you work out what's importsnt to you.

Get a map and gdt to know the area. Get thevplace properly surveyed.

If you have health issues make sure there’s an accessible gp who is taking on new patients!

A bit of stalking through rightmove and Zoopla should help with the first 2. Also how long the neighbours have been there.

Thecouncil tax band is also available online.

I wouldn't offer on anything that has tenants in.

Why they are moving seems to always be asked. Tho if they are moving because of awful neighbours, they aren't going to say that! However we declined to offer on a house where the lady showing us round said she didn't want to move and her husband had put the house on the market......

If you can, stay into the evening and walk around the area where the houses are to see if what it’s like then. Maybe try and spot some of the neighbours. Get to know the areas / streets so you can more easily identify if you would or wouldn’t want to live there without needing to view. If you’re moving somewhere you aren’t familiar with I’d consider staying a few days there.
Council tax band usually on the listing so you can check online before. I’d definitely check the Energy Performance Certificate, it’s usually on the listing to.

If there's a local fb page have a read through it.

Is it leasehold or freehold?

As you don't need parking, check public transport links - particularly if your health issues may impact your mobility. You don't want to be too far from the bus stop that will take you into town or mainline station to visit friends for example.

Have a look round the area at different times of day and weekday/weekend.

Google street name and local press or social media or Mumsnet - all should give you an idea of issues in the area.

You may not need a parking space but is there somewhere to park for: friends/family visiting, tradesmen, potentially carers in the future. It's a bit of an issue where we are as each house only has one parking space and there is no on-street parking so no permits available.

Why are the owners leaving?

check out ramsgate and herne bay if you’re in thst sort of area 😁

I think the good thing from your point looking now is that the panic buying has gone of the market so you are less pressured. Some people are still asking very optimistic prices but I think that will start to wane

Thank you so much for all the lovely tips!

I will indeed stay clear of properties that are tenanted and those that were bought recently and quickly put back on sale.

I am only looking at freehold homes @Technophobic

@Anydaynowonewouldhope I don't really know Ramsgate. I have spent quite a bit of time in Deal and Folkestone in the past for work-related trips and short holidays. I would not want to live in Margate so I ended up not bothering visiting Ramsgate because of that :)

Will keep an eye for skips too!!

I would be looking at the boiler and fuse board. Do they look ancient? Is the fuse board housed in a metal casement? When was the boiler last serviced?

Also, just to flag the obvious, Kent and Scotland are extremely different. They don’t really have many overarching characteristics. There’s a lot of UK coastline to choose. Why these 2 spots?

I had a massive culture shock moving from London to Scotland and there was a lot of anti London sentiment directed towards me. I didn’t feel welcome.

@Redqueenheart what an exciting adventure you’re about to have, but a daunting one too.

I’m going to make the suggestion that you actually don’t buy yet. You don’t know the areas you’re looking at buying in very well beyond short trips and they may turn out not to be for you as an actual place to live. You don’t want to make an expensive mistake.

Why not bank the money from your flat sale and rent locally for a few months. Put your furniture in storage and try a few months in Kent and then a few months in Scotland to see where you prefer and where you can see yourself living long term. Once you’re out of the housing ladder you also become a much more attractive buyer.

My parents thought they wanted to retire to the Kent coast a couple of years ago but they very wisely rented first. It wasn’t the idyll they thought it would be and they realised after a couple of months it wasn’t going to be the right choice of location for them. If they’d have bought, it would have been a lot of money wasted and potentially months of having to wait around in an area they didn’t like while waiting for the house sale to go through.

So tread carefully and take your time. Making a big life change like this should - in my view - be done in stages.

Ramsgate got a different feel to margate - worth checking out if you’re around there. If you do go do the walk to broadstairs if you can.

and it’s a bit cheaper than folkestone and the properties you can get are amazing.

agree with renting rather than buying - esp given current state of the market 😁

Definitely check the house insulation. The old solid wall Victorian houses cost a lot to run and are difficult/expensive to insulate.

If you only want freehold then for any house you're about to offer on it's a good idea to buy the title/s through Land Registry at £3 a pop.

I was told the house I'm buying is freehold, it's actually classed by the lender as leasehold because it does exist for the house. It's just the vendor owned both titles, which hadn't been merged.

Not a massive issue but it caused additional stress, took about a month to sort out due to the miscommunication with the lender through the broker... also the conveyancer charged an additional 400 quid or so due to the leasehold issue.

I agree with those saying rent first. I know a few people who moved out of London (to Kent, Sussex, Essex) and they don't all love it. The ones who moved to Edinburgh and Glasgow seem happy, but they moved from city to city. I would want to experience life in a seaside town before buying.

We've moved 200 miles (for work!) and rented first. We had to as had to be in New Place in time to start job. Whilst it's been expensive as renting isn't cheap and means moving twice, I think it will pay off in the long run as it's meant we've got to know New Place, ended up buying in an area we wouldn't have considered if we hadn't got to know the area. It also meant we were chain-free so easier to buy and we've been able to get on with renovation work without living in the house.

So many advantages to renting first, apart from the cost.

I should have said I lived half in the countryside and half in a small seaside town when I was a child and until my late teen so I always wanted to retire by the sea because I miss it so much.

It is very likely I will have to rent anyway for a few months as my own sale is proceeding at lighting speed so there is no way I will be able to buy and move into something by the time everything completes.

I have work links with Folkestone and Deal, hence the focus on them.

But I will look at Ramsgate too. Margate put me off a bit, I thought there was a great arty vibe, but I am really open to exploring Ramsgate too and I have been told Broadstairs is beautiful @Anydaynowonewouldhope would you advise a specific part of Ramsgate or Broadstairs?

Scotland was a bit more outside the box, option B because I know I can afford a better house there and I really like the people. I have only had positive experiences there I must say. I was looking at Troon or Dunbar and maybe Dalgety Bay. I ruled out Essex and places like Hastings.

I did mention to the estate agents I registered with that it was very likely I would be looking for something to rent to for a few months while I found my ''dream'' semi-retirement location so I will discuss the practicalities as well with them.

Renting might also help if I buy something that needs a bit of refurbishment/work although I won't take anything where structural work is needed.

Ramsgate has nice bits but the town centre is pretty run down and there is a big evening/late night drinking culture. Broadstairs again has nice bits and some lovely historical buildings but the town centre isn’t great and in the summer it’s overwhelmingly crowded.

If I were you I’d go more towards Canterbury - Whitstable, Sandwich, Faversham - all of which are lovely, or towards East Sussex - Hastings old town is gorgeous and Bexhill is also lovely with a great community feel and an amazing unspoilt beach that stretches for miles. I also really rate Rye, which is absolutely beautiful, though it’s a bit further inland.

I grew up in Kent and have family down on the coast - I really wouldn’t want to settle in the coastal areas you’re thinking of. Deal is the nicest of the ones you’re looking at but I think you have better options further afield within your price range. Rent somewhere along the coast and thoroughly explore while you’re there to find the right spot for you. There are so many beautiful coastal towns and villages in Kent and East Sussex that are off the beaten path and will offer a much better quality of life than Folkestone/Ramsgate/Deal. You might be surprised what gems you’ll find once you start looking!