Viewing Houses
AFTER YOU'VE GOT YOUR MORTGAGE SORTED OR AGREED IN PRINCIPLE,then you can start viewing houses.
Use websites such as RightMove or Zoopla to filter down what you're looking for e.g parking, garden, number of bedrooms. I found Zoopla to be more useful as not only does it break down the mortgage repayments each month but also gives estimates of total running costs e.g council tax, water, electricity as well as mortgage payments.
Know your budget and don't search for properties over it
It's easy to think you can extend your budget, see something in a property you love then realise it's a little too much out of price. Some estate agent websites add an extra £20,000 to the maximum price you set on the filter.
Know your priorities
You might love the idea of an island in the kitchen or exposed beams, but other things might be more important; parking, spacious garden, good sized rooms. Alternatively, so many things might tick the yes box but one thing that you don't like becomes your focus. Understand that the 'dream' property probably doesn't exist but others will still have redeeming features:
Our priorities:
- Town house or on 3 floors
- Parking for 2 cars
- Open plan kitchen, diner
- Kitchen separate to the lounge
- Garden
- 3 bedrooms
Extras:
- Sloping ceilings
- Bi-folding doors into garden
- Space for visitor parking
- Bathroom on top floor
Features of our new house
- Town house
- Bathroom on top floor
- Kitchen separate to the lounge
Compromises:
- Parking for 1 car but additional space can be made
- French doors instead of bi-folding doors
- Limited visitor parking
- No sloping ceilings
- Kitchen needs renovating to make open plan
- Garden is very sloping and will be difficult to do anything to
Keep an open mind
It's easy to have an ideal plan of the kind of house you're looking for. However there may be little surprises you weren't expecting. Possibility for a garage conversion, an extra bedroom and windows in the bathroom rather than ventilators are all extras we weren't expecting but helped edge this house into the lead.
Viewing tips
Get the owner to show you round the house. They know more than the estate agents and you can find out personally about their situation- why they're moving etc. This can also help when negotiating offers. We made our offer to the owner on our second viewing to see what they would accept and came up with our own arrangement before contacting the estate agents.
Check the signal on your mobile phone throughout the house. This will give you an idea of any weak spots in signal.
If you like somewhere, visit it twice. Once in daylight and once in darkness.
Ask about the neighbours
Find out about the council tax band, electricity and gas estimations to give you an idea of running costs.
The 'this is the one feeling' might not be real. On the house we are hopefully buying, the first time we looked round, neither my mum or I went 'this is the one'. It was only on the second viewing and about our 4th 'look round' that we decided it was the one.
Making an offer
Knock at least 10% off the asking price. In other words, don't offer the asking price.
Be prepared to justify your offer- explain why you think your offer is reasonable referring to the details on the house and other houses you've seen.
Be willing to compromise. If you want to offer, for example £200,000 but they want £205,000 offer to meet in the middle. The words 'equal compromise' work!
When an offer is accepted, jump up and down, get excited, then get serious. The hard work and stress is about to begin!
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