What you should be looking for when viewing a property?
Viewing properties can be an exciting part of the moving process. Each appointment comes with daydreams and fantasies about the life that you could be living if you bought that house. But it's easy to get carried away. This article details the things that you should be looking out for when viewing properties.
Viewing properties can be an exciting part of the moving process. Each appointment comes with daydreams and fantasies about the life that you could be living if you bought that house. You imagine who will have which bedroom, cosy nights in front of the log burner or summer garden parties where you will invite your family and friends. Christmasses and get-togethers, where will the Christmas tree go, and wouldn't buying new furniture for the dining room would be lovely?
Viewings are filled with wonder and daydreams about your future life; it is very aspirational, as a potential buyer is often looking to buy a bigger or better property than the one they've left. Hence, viewings are often a very positive experience.
But, with all this daydreaming about the life that you could have, it's easy to get carried away, overlooking things and missing red flags. Before you know it, you've made an offer but could perhaps have forgotten whole sections of the house. Second viewings can help remind you of those areas that you've forgotten or overlooked, but what if you've romanticised things and missed something really obvious. What if you've committed to buying a property that isn't right for you and now have buyer's remorse?
Statistically, over 30% of agreed property sales will fall through. Of course, there are valid reasons for this, whether finances are declined or something unforeseen crops up on a survey. Still, many buyers report having buyer's remorse after rushing into making an offer too quickly. As soon as the legal process becomes tricky, which it often does, they'll back out of the transaction. Perhaps some are even grateful that the sales became a little fraught, giving them an excuse to pull out without feeling bad?
Either way, many buyers get over-excited when viewing and can get carried away with offers. Follow these tips on your next viewing to keep a level head and steer clear of buyer's remorse.
Take your time - don't rush. It is lovely to dream and visualise your family in the home, but once you've walked around, take the time to walk around again, but this time lead with a sensible head and not your heart.
Bring someone objective with you - no one likes a grumpy friend raining on your parade, but if you are prone to get carried away, consider bringing along someone who can be neutral. Someone else who can look for flaws so that you can enjoy looking for all of the positives.
Take photos - If the seller and the agent agree, taking pictures can help you remember the property in detail so that you can refer back to them later to help you decide before making an offer.
Make notes - make notes on how you feel walking into the property, or perhaps measurements of rooms that you will need to place particular furniture. Writing by hand can help retain the information that will help once you have left the property. How you feel in the house can be essential to note because after viewing a few properties, particularly in one day, it is easy to jumble them up in your mind.
Structural defects - of course, this is the job for the surveyor, but have a cursory look at the property yourself for any obvious signs of damage, dampness or roof issues. This is not to say that you shouldn't offer if you find anything like this, but more that you would be buying the property with your eyes open to the work involved. This may also affect the amount that you wish to offer.
Enjoy the process - viewing properties can be great fun; enjoy it!
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