What do you normally do when viewing houses for sale?

[7in1Pond]

Viewing houses is such a funny thing- it's something you never see anyone else do so you don't know whether the things you do are the same as other people.

I usually take a tape measure with me and an EA the other day seemed completely baffled by it.

What do you do? Do you open up fitted cupboards and have a look at things? Flush the loo and run taps? Or do you just stand in the middle of the room and gaze around? Each room once or multiple times? I would love to know.

I think you’re be bonkers not to do them if these were things that might affect whether you’d buy the house. Get as much info as you can!

I don’t do any of those things you mentioned. I look with my eyes only. I’d look more closely on a second viewing and open fitted wardrobe etc but no to flushing toilets and running taps, I think that’s quite weird to be honest. I’d assumed that would have been covered by the professional doing the home report or survey.

A tape measure wld be after agreeing to buy it, to measure up for furniture etc.

Any house I’ve viewed whether agent or owner. Takes you around the house and lets you go around again on your own.

We had our house in the market a few years back (didn't sell in the end as couldn't find anything suitable/DH not ready). We have a loft conversion and someone laid on our bed!

Heavens!

When I was selling my last house one viewer was running up and down the landing to see it the floor boards creaked 🤣

First viewing is more basic. Just to get a feel for the spaces
I would check out plug sockets and lighting etc. but just by looking

Second viewing is very different

I would check the dimension of some rooms to ensure EAs got it right
I check walls for damp with a damp meter
If cupboatds are fitted I open the doors to check for depth, shelves condition etc
I check the internal condition of kitchen cupboards
I run taps, shower and flush the toilet to check on power
I turn lights on and off
I check if windows open and shut ok

All these things are included in the price so I check their condition

I never allow people to walk around on their own.

They might steal something

Currently having viewings on our house. So far the people who have put offers - have just looked around. Understood it is what it is/ number of bedrooms etc.

the ones who looked in the loft, booked second viewings, pulled out tape measures - were all a waste of time.

We try to do three viewings for a property we are wanting to buy.

Viewing 1: does the house match up to the description and meet our needs?
We check sizes of rooms, age of the electrics, boiler, look in the garage, loft, sheds etc and gauge the general state of repair - does the kitchen, bathroom, roof need replacing, signs of damp? To get a ballpark figure for how much we would be willing to pay for the house and how much we would need to set aside for work in the short to medium term

Viewing 2: within a week or two of the first viewing, can we live in this space? We measure windows and alcoves etc and work out what we could and would do with each room and how we could adapt the house to our needs. For example with our current house we wanted a utility room and an ensuite but the house we bought had neither. The second viewing confirmed that we could turn part of the garage into a utility room and take part of one of the bedrooms for the ensuite without compromising how we use the different rooms without too much difficulty. This viewing sometimes has taken place before putting the offer in and in others after. The houses we have bought this viewing was after having the offer accepted and was more of confirming that we hadn't left the house with rose tinted glass after the first viewing

Viewing 3: A week before exchange/completion, is the house still in the same state as when we made the offer and work out what is being left etc

Depends a lot on the state of the property- empty and I'm in everything. Lived in but with an estate agent I'll be slightly more respectful, i.e. open the cupboards while saying "it's OK to look in the cupboards, isn't it?". If it's the owner showing me round I'm more likely to politely ask, "do you mind if I look in the cupboard?"
I would be unlikely to turn up with a tape measure until a second viewing or possibly after making an offer. I don't think there's any detailed measurement I'd need of that type that would be a deal breaker on whether I wanted the property or not.

We take a tape measure but we only use it if the room is borderline. I have found the estate agents measurements are often a bit sneaky. Ours for example, measured our small bedroom from the back a built in wardrobe. And if the walls aren’t flat , like a chimney breast then the floor plan can be misleading.

saying things like water pressure will be picked up on a survey , doesn’t make sense to me. Our last house fell through on survey and by that point we’d invested £600 on the survey and about £300 on searches. I wish we’d spotted the issues when viewing!

I didn’t tend to touch anything when we were viewing. As a seller, you see it from the other perspective and everyone is truly different. One man got inside the shower cubicle and inspected the grouting and sealant in great detail. Another was asking incredibly detailed questions about the construction. Someone else practically ran round. Everyone is truly different.

I agree. I wouldn’t go round doing stuff like that!

I'm currently looking at moving. Initial viewing is to get a feel for the place really and check for any non negotiables (sadly haven’t found anything that needs a second viewing).