Afternoon all,

I'm going to view a house this weekend for the second time with a view to putting in an offer. I've not really looked at houses in much detail in the past having mostly lived in shared/student houses and as i'm potentially buying this one i'm looking for some advice.

So can the wise old heads of STW give me some ideas on what specific things to look for or to ask? If it makes any difference, it is a 3 bed semi in the West Midlands and is around 15 years old.

Thanks in advance.

Edit, sorry, that should be in the chat section, please move!

Location location location

Whar are the neigbors like. Is it quite at night, do kids congregate on your front wall, are you on a route home from a pub

what are the local schools like, how far to bus stop train station, take away, offlicence , pub

does it get traffic noise

can you park easily

which way does t face

does it get sun

Location location location

Whar are the neigbors like. Is it quite at night, do kids congregate on your front wall, are you on a route home from a pub

what are the local schools like, how far to bus stop train station, take away, offlicence , pub

does it get traffic noise

can you park easily

which way does t face

does it get sun

What ampthill said but visit at different times of day and weekend to see how the area "lives"

as above
ask about subsidence in the area from estate agents etc
if it's the original boiler it might fancy retirement
understand clearly whats included (yes some people do take light bulbs)
any extensions etc should have PP
ask about flooding (*sorry)
check for damp(mould etc, peeling paint type stuff) on walls and get into loft for a nose around (bring a ladder)
get heating running and check all rads warm up no banging etc
try all built in appliances and make sure they work
I'd understand noise – ie you might get pissed off by neighbour + vice versa – living with hostile neighbours can be VERY draining and deemoralising

Regarding homeownver surveys – you may get more details via google earth.

bit off topic for a bike forum lol

As above, if you're serious then spend some time in the area at different times of day/night.

For a second viewing go back with a more critical eye on the stuff that's going to be expensive/bothersome to fix. What's the state of the exterior doors, windows, paintwork? Does the roof look in good condition (inside and out if you get the chance)? Any flat roofs to the garage/extension? When were these last replaced? How's the water pressure upstairs? How old's the boiler? Are the bedrooms big enough to fit beds and wardrobes in? Is there anything with the layout that you couldn't live with? Anything cosmetic that you really couldn't abide – kitchens, bathrooms etc?

What buried under the patio?

<hijack>

Sorry 🙂

What's the etiquette for offers? Need a good reason, or just offer under the asking price regardless? Presumably something to back up the offer is a good idea anyway – like new boiler, decorating, kitchen etc etc? Is offering 10% under asking taking the piss?

</hijack>

Check for uneven patios and any signs for recent ground disturbance in the garden and make sure you check for any odd scraps of clothing that may have been dug up by animals.

Move bookcases away from walls and check for splatter patterns

Lift rugs and check for stains on the carpet

Check for hair / skin remnants in the plug holes

Ask the neighbours what the occupants are like (if you can find any and if they are willing to talk)

Don't go alone

Don't upset the seller

Don't ask why the big knife is missing from the knife block in the kitchen

@woody2000

I'd go in low at the moment – either the estate agent will tell you that they are not going to bother telling them your offer straight away or they'll just say no, what's the problem with that?

pjt – I suffer from the "English Disease", don't want to offend by offering too low! 🙂

Ta

Check for sheep skulls offerings in the cellar (ok no cellar in a 😉

My advice would be if you have any friend in the building trade you trust, take them round with you, my mate spotted so much on one property that we looked at, he walked off one sit before we even got through the door.

Again, cannot stress how important the location is 😉

Good luck

ask for a current electrical periodic inspection report and any installation certification for recent works . if they cant supply then demand a p.i.r. , it will cost about £100 and , could save you a lot of money in the long term

don't worry about upsetting them, your not there to make friends.
when we got the fixtures and fittings list she said she'd sell us the un-used oil in the tank(oil fired central heating), i told her she could keep it. she didn't!
we went in just under 10% of the asking price and i think we settled on about 8%.
stick to your guns, make an offer and leave it for a couple of weeks, if they've had no more offers they'll be back

Trying knocking on the immediate neighbours' door and either think up something to say or just admit you're thinking of buying. Either way, speak to him/her to make a view as to what they're like. If they get uptight about you knocking, that tells you a lot. You have to live enxt door to them and bad neighbours are awful.

she said she'd sell us the un-used oil in the tank(oil fired central heating), i told her she could keep it. she didn't!

😆

As above plus ask the agent why it hasn't sold already. Some are surprisingly honest and might mention something you haven't thought about.

Don't worry about taking the piss. You will never speak to or see the owners (with any luck) so you can be as cheeky as you like. And agents are always happy to get offers, even low ones.

depends who itis a private seller will generally go lower I have bought two one I offered an amount and said take it or leave it 5 k under saking price of a house that had been on slae for 9 mths and they had another lined upo they qwere about to loose.
Other about 1k under as I really wanted it and they would not budge re price.
Start silly you can always offer more but you cannot offer less

www,nethouseprices.com
Look for house for sale in the same street,how many times has the house been sold as have its neighbours, if a lot of times ask why,such a high turnover.

http://WWW.notinmybackyard.co.uk
Lists sites of tips and other nasties around the area.

Visit the house at different time, 9.00am, 1.pm, 5.pm and again about 7.30 and 9.30pm, see what the [parkings like,how many cars etc,dont forget weekends.

Have a look at neighbours gardens if theyre wealthy they usually keep a spare sette or fridge or microwave in the garden, as well as a car for spares.

as above
ask about subsidence in the area from estate agents etc
if it's the original boiler it might fancy retirement
understand clearly whats included (yes some people do take light bulbs)
any extensions etc should have PP
ask about flooding (*sorry)
check for damp(mould etc, peeling paint type stuff) on walls and get into loft for a nose around (bring a ladder)
get heating running and check all rads warm up no banging etc
try all built in appliances and make sure they work
I'd understand noise – ie you might get pissed off by neighbour + vice versa – living with hostile neighbours can be VERY draining and deemoralising

Regarding homeownver surveys – you may get more details via google earth.

Get a survey done in other words. And you certainly won't get the right information from Google earth! Shop around for a quote for an RICS Homebuyers report but don't go for the cheapest as you get what you pay for. You might have to use the surveyor who your mortgage company use but nothing to stop you having an independent one done as well. Please don't rely on a simple mortgage valuation if the property is of any age!

And yes, I'm a chartered surveyor 🙂

Most importantly…how does it feel to be there?

http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/homeandleisure/37793.aspx

Instead of the whats in my backyard link of mine above, name and title changed.

Some basic stuff our Homebuyers survey missed:

Poorly fitting doors upstairs to the point they wouldn't latch shut.

Blown plaster in rear hallway, bathroom.

On ground floor extension clearly visible from upstairs window, poor condition parapet wall above roof ridge and no lead flashing along parapet wall and roof tiles.

Front door doesn't line up properly with the frame, so bottom of door appears to be adjar slightly and lets in draughts.

They were more interested in damp readings and covering their backs by recommending additonal surveys by plumbers/electricians etc rather than what was staring them in the face. We had noticed most of the faults listed above and were happy to proceed, just surprised the survey missed so much. Especially as the same guys a few weeks earlier did a survey on another house, which came back with so many faults, meant that our mortgage provider wouldn't lend on the house as it took it over the loan to value limit. We pulled out of that one anyway as the sellers didn't even have the courtesy to respond to our concerns, and they are still living there 3 years later, about 6 doors up 🙂

I have only bought 3 houses but I have never seen anything in a Homebuyers survey that I didn't spot myself. It has always been obvious stuff like "X window frame is rotten" or "Didn't check roof because couldn't access roof space". Personally I would only spend money on a "proper" survey if I spotted something untoward that I didn't understand or was borderline an issue or if the house was at risk of needs rewiring etc. For your average house where you can see the roof, hasn't been just decorated (potentially hiding a multitude of sins), isn't damp etc I am not convinced the Homebuyers surveys are worth it.

I accept my data pool is small though 🙂

spooky_b329 – Member

Some basic stuff our Homebuyers survey missed:

Poorly fitting doors upstairs to the point they wouldn't latch shut.

Blown plaster in rear hallway, bathroom.

On ground floor extension clearly visible from upstairs window, poor condition parapet wall above roof ridge and no lead flashing along parapet wall and roof tiles.

Front door doesn't line up properly with the frame, so bottom of door appears to be adjar slightly and lets in draughts.

They were more interested in damp readings and covering their backs by recommending additonal surveys by plumbers/electricians etc rather than what was staring them in the face. We had noticed most of the faults listed above and were happy to proceed, just surprised the survey missed so much. Especially as the same guys a few weeks earlier did a survey on another house, which came back with so many faults, meant that our mortgage provider wouldn't lend on the house as it took it over the loan to value limit. We pulled out of that one anyway as the sellers didn't even have the courtesy to respond to our concerns, and they are still living there 3 years later, about 6 doors up

Not surprised mate. Like any any profession, some of my fellow surveyors couldn't see a damp patch in a swimming pool! Thats why its importatnt to shop around and get recommendations. Many just fill in the boxes on the RICS form rather than producing a full written report like I do, including closing all the doors 😀

As far as negotiating is concerned, the old cliche about a buyers market couldn't be truer at the moment. Go in low, its worth a try particularly on a prop[erty thats been on for a while. I'm still amxed what some people are asking for in terms of price at the moment.

Take some photos, upload them and then put the link here so we can offer constructive criticism….

Most importantly..what are the local trails like.

Where can you store your bikes?

Ask about anything and everything you can think of/see…

Spot a crack even a minor one, put them on the spot and ask, look out for signs of damp, ask how old and what type of heating is installed, ask if the house has had cavity insulation, it may feel warm but they may have just turned the heating up for the viewings, you don't want to be pissing money away on an oil fired turn of the century boiler…

Look at storage, far too many houses appear to be spacious ,when it's just clever use of sparse furnishings, think about how your stuff will actually fit the house..

Ask about the state of any out buildings (Sheds garages) and if you can have a look, it may seem minor but a leaky garage roof could well bugger your lawnmower and bike in one winter and be a bugger to fix…

Look at the garden (front and Back) is it well kept? The interior may have been tarted up but the garden can be an indicator of how the house has really been treated..

Look at the neighbourhood, are there feral kids chucking rocks at strangers? are there a few cars sporting the odd bit of damage, do the other houses appear well kept? are there any green spaces nearby?

Remember They’re trying to sell you the house not the other way round, Estate agents will be quick to point out positives and practised at glossing over negatives Don't let them…

Do not ooooh & Ahhhh at features you like, just make a mental note and discuss it once you’re well clear of the slimy git…

Remember that you're buying somewhere to live apart from all the technicalities. Ask yourself if it feels like home – do you want to make a cup of tea and a few slices of toast… It might sound obvious, but you can fix most stuff if you have to, but if somewhere doesn't feel right then it doesn't feel right.

Look for signs of damp or mold. If it's been repainted recently be suspicious. Can't believe we sold our house 🙂

we found the house we wanted ok area, nice house good price, couldnt find anything wrong seemed too good to be true but the pub over the road looked a bit dodgy so a bit of googling found this……

Hounslow Chronicle:
BRAWL IS LAST STRAW FOR POLICE
Sep 10 2009 By Jessica Thomas

IS THIS the worst pub in the Hounslow?

That is the question many are asking as The Albany Arms owner's licence comes up for review, following years of police warnings over fights, strippers, serving children and drugs.

The future of the notorious pub in Albany Road, Brentford, is to come under review by the council's licensing panel after a mass pub brawl involving knives proved to be the 'straw that broke the camel's back' for police.

Inspector Steve Edwards from Hounslow Police said: "We have had a whole host of problems at the pub for a while now, but it came to a head in June when we had two huge fights and an incident with unlicensed strippers and doormen."

On June 20, a fight broke out between about 15 people and on June 21, another larger fight ensued, involving most of the pub, resulting in assaults and a knife being recovered.

"The straw that broke the camel's back," said Mr Edwards, "was when the licensing officers turned up and there were strippers working there which they don't have a licence for.

"They also discovered unlicensed door staff and three people were arrested for being unauthorised to sell alcohol."

The police have also received numerous complaints about people dealing and taking drugs on the premises, which is owned by Enterprise Inns. Action is also being taken against them for noise pollution.

"We have tried to intervene and speak to the manager first," said Mr Edwards.

"But they have continued to blatantly disregard the licensing laws, so we said enough was enough."

In a report to Hounslow Council, licensing officer PC Cornock said: "These premises have a history of incidents that have undermined the licensing objectives. Police and other responsible authorities have received a catalogue of complaints that have included noise complaints, assaults, fighting, disturbances, residents being threatened, drunkenness, theft and kindred offences, firearms, including the discharge of firearms, offensive weapons, criminal damage, drugs and breaching of the licensing act 2003, youths on the premises, youths being supplied both alcohol and drugs on the premises, and breaches of the private security act 2001."

The report is due to come before the council's licensing panel on October 5. They have the power to remove the manager, suspend the licence for up to three months or to revoke it altogether.

You could do no worse that take Kirstie and Phil's advice