neal666

going to view my first ever house tonight and am a bit nervous about what to expect and what to do,say really

anyone got any tips/advice?

Kamike

Turn up with a mate who "knows" about houses and go kick the skirting boards

Id turn up 20 mins early and have a walk round the area to see what its like, maybe speak to one or two of the locals. No idea what to look for in a house though. Damp, leaks etc maybe.

neal666

im going with the mrs! and she knows nowt about viewing houses as well! lol she will be more interested in what colour their wallpaper is...

Kamike

My missus would be the same lol

just make sure the next door neighburs arnt like the Gallaghers or the McGuires from shameless.

XRdodgybird

I think you need to be looking at how big the owner is before you kick his skirting boards.

Just let them show you round and have a good look, they want to seel too, so go armed with questions and stuff.

Ask about the hearing is in the house, how old the boiler is, etc, fires. Ask em what they are leaving. Council tax bandings... anything really.

Good luck.

neal666

cheers xrd,

need arming with some more questions.. what should i be finding out? apart from above.

i dont want to walk round like a nonce looking all clueless lol

Paddy

Just look at the things that cost a bit to replace/fix/add.

Kitchen; bathroom; boiler; double glazing; fuse box [check if it's an old one or the newer twin RCD type like THIS; does it need replastering/skimming [e.g are the ceilings artexed/stippled and you want smooth?]; is any tiling in good condition; are the floors/flooring/carpeting ok; can you see the roof and see if there are any loose tiles; are there any big trees near the house that could have roots under the property etc etc.

We bought the first place we looked at planning on painting it and moving in. So far I've had it entirely replastered and redecorated, put a new bathroom in, new kitchen, new windows and front door, new fuse box, rewired every room, new earth, new carpets and floor in every room... I wish I'd put a post up before we bought but like you I went with the Mrs and we got carried away but at least it's almost exactly how we want it now.

neal666

cheers paddy, theres just so much to take in,think about and coz i have not done it before im a bit unsure.

SassyRS

Council tax banding, ask them what band they are, check for damp, mould on windows etc.. general decor, surrounding area, like the others have said, check out the neighbours, and have a walk about.

We looked for months, and totally sussed the area out before even putting a bid in on our first house last year, and im so glad we did, couldnt be happier..

all depends on your budget really.. we didnt need to do anything a such to ours, it was really well decorated new carpets etc/... its just things like that if you are thinking of replacing that will cost £££'s further down the line.

Paddy

wish I'd brought Lorraine with us. could have saved a fortune

SassyRS

Our kitchen is only 3 years old, and is very trendy (well i like it)

all the bathrooms including ensuite are all new aswell..

the only thing we 'chose' to change is the dining room and lounge room wallpaper (well we painted it) cheap as chips

Paddy

Hark at her with her "en suite" and "dining room"



Back to the topic starter though, just don't get carried away like we did. People will say things like "it's only decoration" if you don't like the carpet and walls for example, well the flooring in our lounge [open plan with a dining area not posh like Lorraine ] which goes through into the entrance foyer [that sounds posh ] cost £1200 fitted. The plastering cost about £400 for the same area... painting the ceiling/walls and installing/glossing skirting made me want to kill someone and don't get me fucking started on the shelving and TV unit I had to build

It's great to have plans but like Lorraine said REALLY think about the decoration because I reckon it's rarely just a case of a lick of paint and good to go! But like I said, we bought the first place we looked at so what do I know!!!

MikeR

I have looked at 6 places in the last week, i have found that some people show you around and then let you wander around on your own and other spend the hole time with you. I asked about the neighbours and looked in the cupboard etc to get an idea of how well the house has been taken care of. Were are you located? there are some great deals on new houses at the moment with some builders offering a 75/25 or 80/20 scheme defferring the morgage for up to 10 years, makes it easier to get in some times.

Dont be afriad to ask questions as you potentially will part with alot of money

Mike

neal666

cheers paddy,sassy

yeh im not rich enough for en suits etc a normal 3 bed semi is what im looking at lol

Paddy

What area are you looking mate and what age is the house?

I desperately wanted and thankfully found a 60s build 3 bed semi as there's loads of driveway parking, garage, a decent sized front and back garden and they're built properly! None of this paper thin stud wall rubbish where you can hear the neighbours taking a shit!

neal666

area is northeast and thats the kinda house im looking for i think this one was build in late 50`s to 60`s.

Paddy

Spot on mate, let us know how it goes

Matt Evans

Interesting post. Its been many many years since we bought our first and only house, at the time it was empty so only the estate agent was there to keep us company, so we could have a proper good poke about. It must be difficult i'd imagine if the current owners are there.

I'd say, like most people have, check for the obvious signs, damp, mould, funny smells etc etc, look at the general standard of work done, ie DIY round the house, if it looks like the chuckle brothers have been at it, chances are you'll spend money rectifying bodges etc etc.

Check all the outside as well, ie garage, porches, roofs etc etc, and make sure you get a detailed survey done if you want to proceed.

Plus go back to the street a few times at different times of the day, cos you'll get an idea of how busy/quiet it is during the whole day.

Ask as many questions as you like, cos at the end of the day its probably the biggest purchase you'll ever make.

SassyRS

We got so much more for our money by just 'moving' away from London..

ours is 4 bed detatched house with garage etc... and was priced at 212k

Paddy

That is awesome when you consider the cost of ours and then what we've spent on it etc.!!

I suppose the drawback is living in a road in yokelsville where everyone is related

SassyRS

We are only an hour away from family... (which isnt a bad thing )

Paddy

"Sassy's neighbour was handy to have around when it came to counting. Not so much fun when offering them to take a couple of crisps from a bag of hula hoops."

Nath

It also depends what your buying it for as well. Are you looking to stay there for a long time or just temporary? If you can build on the side/back, etc as there all future selling points. Planning or already have a family, what about pets? parking? commuting? local to pubs? busy roads? local shops, supermarket?

It'll need to have some good features but as long as its of sound build, not sinking, not prone to floods,noisy trains, if your a sun worshiper do you get enough sun. Do the neighbours have big trees, conservatory blocking the light. Is there a a school on your doorstep?

Double glazing and central heating are pretty much a must. Make sure the boilers not older than your Grandad and the double glazing hasn't popped and has condensation in it.

Just look at the house your in now (I'm presuming you've not got wireless from your prison cell) and see what you like, love, tolerate and detest. Once your in your new house, the surroundings and garden can be more important than the inside as that'll be the easy part -- just don't buy a house like Paddys

Seen as its the first and biggest purchase that you'll both ever make, look around at loads of places and it'll find you

Personally, I prefer older houses for the reasons Paddy has mentioned. There's nothing worse hearing your neighbours getting some and you aren't

It's a good job my other half has nice taste because if it was down to me, I'd buy somewhere, cover it in scaffolding and tarpaulin and build a fun fair inside it

There doing some really good deals on some new builds - because they can afford to!

You'd be surprised how fussy some people can be. I've heard comments about light bulbs not working and it's raining outside

let us know how you get on

foreigneRS

most important is to know what you want from a property so that you can compare the one you're viewing to your 'wish list'. have a notebook with you and keep a couple of pages free for each property that you view to make notes before viewing based on the street, area etc, at the time of viewing and retrospectively.

i can recommend the book from channel 4's phil and kirsty

ronf42

iTrader: (2)

by all means ask how the neighbours are, but beware they could turn out to be total cunts.
If the property is defo what you are after, pose the question as to what offer will they take to sell to you, without getting into a bidding war. You will know what your budget is, maybe you could reach an agreement.
As said before, look for any bodge jobs that may need rectified.
As for decor, if the house suits you for room size, kitchen size etc, then see past the decor and try to think about how it could look once it is to your desired taste.
can a partition wall be taken down or added to increase/decrease room size.