I'm viewing a house tonight, haven't done this in 13 years, what do I do?

[sorkycakey]

I honestly can't remember if there is any etiquette.
We're trading up slightly.
Seller is forced to sell due to divorce.
It is a reasonable price for the house and area, but at our limit of affordability.

We were hoping not to think about moving until next year and don't even have ours on the market yet. BUT the house is too good to pass up, it's in the street we want, it's the size we need etc.

Do we say/do/look for anything in particular?

Should we offer less than the asking price? What is the climate like atm? I haven't paid any attention to it at all.

Look for damp (look inside any built-in wardrobes), check taps work, check water pressure in bathroom, listen for rattly windows, etc.

I think you should always offer a bit less than the asking price, just to see if they accept it.

If your house is not on the market yet does that mean it'll be a long time before you can move?

Well the houses around me are overpriced.
People are being a bit greedy. One family are refusing to accept less than it was value at, at the peak of prices , but I'd be happy to take less.
Obviously we have a lower limit whereby we couldn't afford to sell it at, not for equity issues but for trading up reasons.

We thought next year might be a better time to think about a move as the children will likely be needing a bit of space by then, but some things just don't go according to plan do they?

If it wasn't for this house coming up we wouldn't be considering it at all tbh.

Thanks for the hints

They recently extended the property (less than 2 years ago anyway) and the details state that the ensuite isn't entirely finished, I wonder if that's why it's reasonably priced? Or maybe she just can't afford it?
I do know she's moving in with her parents when she sells so we'd be the only chain.

Is it okay to ask why it's up for sale?

Tbh, if it's reasonably priced and a forced sale, I think she is unlikely to take an offer from someone who doesn't even have her house on the market yet. Yes, you can ask why it's for sale but don't expect a truthful answer.

Regarding first viewing: have a list in your mind about what you really want from your new home (eg. bigger/more bedrooms, larger garden) plus the things that irritate you about your current one and check them off against this property. Also have a couple of non-negotiables (mine would be near a very busy road or railway line) so that, even if you fall in love with the house, you would be prepared to walk away if these things show up.

that's good advice, thanks.

If I may ask, how long does it take to get a house on the market?

This is our first home and we've been here 13 years, so never had to do it before. Is it better to go with the same EA as she has should we decide to offer on it?

You would certainly get brownie points from the agent who would obviously be looking at double commission if he sold your home and hers so would be very keen to assist you.

Getting your home on the market: well, it used to be instant - you could call up an agent and get them to start telling clients about it immediately but, from the day before yesterday, you need to have a HIP in place before you start marketing - that can take a few weeks. Practically, as well, you will probably want to give your home a bit of a going-over: declutter, touch up paintwork, tidy up the garden etc etc so, really, you're looking at a month minimum I would guess.

However, if you have been there 13 years, I am assuming you have lots of equity in the place and you could think about let-to-buy (rather than selling house, renting it out and getting a buy-to-let loan against it to help you move into new house) which would be much quicker if your house is attractive to tenants - near amenities, in good condition - and there is not a glut of rentals locally.

Probably the best thing to do would be to view the other house first and see if you like it .

You need to get 3 or so EA round to value your home & then you choose whichever you want to go with. If you don't agree with the price the EA has suggested, you can put it on for what you want. You will agree the commission rate (try & barter them down from the usual 1.5% (what it is round here)) & you will sign a contract for X amount of weeks. The EA will take photos & go away & write up the property brochure, which you will check, & then it will be printed & the house details will be put on their website/rigthmove. All this can be done in about 2 days or so.
If you are serious about buying a new house then it is a good idea to get your house on the market b/c, if you have a buyer for yours, you are in a great position when you make an offer.
GOOD LUCK

Oops sorry just seen the OP - I didn't know that about the HIP!

We recently put our flat on the market and it didn't take long to get the HIP sorted out - we did it through the estate agent so it only took a few days. From signing up with the agent to our place going on right move took less than a week.

I think it's fine to ask why the place is up for sale. Our potential buyer (we are still at the survey stage so I don't want to be smote by the smug house-selling gods yet) did ask us - we told her the truth and weren't offended at all.

Good luck.

HIP regs changed on 6th April 2009 before you just had to order one now you need to have certain aspects completed before you can put your house on the market.

One of which is the energy certificate thing, lots of estate agents have their own energy people so that it can get done fast.

What I tend to think about when viewing a house is if there are the same number of rooms as I currently have so that I know where the contents of every room in my current house would go in the new one.

Is there a place to hang your coat, where do they store their hoover and ironing board.

I know the above may seem trivial but we are looking to move to a 4 bed and the joke seems to be that lots of them here have the toilet under the stairs so NO cupboard downstairs or upstairs to store these things.

Also which way does the house face? I am currently on an east west axis and get blinded every morning in the kitchen with the sun reflecting off the stainless steel sink/tap/hob/oven

So, what did you think of the house, sorky?

Good overall. Seller was really nice and seemed a bit too honest about what needed doing to the house bless her. Felt very weird looking round someone else's home trying to imagine whether we could live there. We both giggled about it when we got home

Good points are the location and the whole of downstairs which was huge and exactly what we need.

Cons were the garden, which sloped and was partially terraced as well as North-facing (big no-no for us) and lastly 3 of the bedrooms were on the small side.
If it had had a 5th I could have put up with the small rooms (master was huge) but I couldn't put 2 dc's in one of those rooms they'd kill each other trying to get out of the door.

I don't know if I'm being too picky or not.
The downstairs was definitely "yes, lets take it" kind of a feel
The upstairs was not suitable at all
I've got 4 kids so we need a garden and I'll be moving from a South-facing garden now, which I would def miss a lot.

Agent called back for feedback and asked if we would like other details sending out. I asked for only large4 or 5 beds and a good sized garden. Don't see him coming up with any though.

Thanks for the info on the HIP btw, very helpful.