Q: hello all

I will see from my first home on Monday. I wondered what kind of questions I should ask either the agent or the owner of the house while im looking around.

E.G general questions, state of the house, things that are or should be done.? neighbors and questions about the estate.? Water, elcetric, rates.?

Could someone tell me if along the right lines.

Thanks.

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A:If it is a terrace or semi then ask if the neighbours are owner occupiers or tenants.

No matter how nice they are if they are tenants they could be gone in six months to be replaced by the family from hell.

Do any other properties have right of way/access over the back garden etc.

Have they had any problems with the boiler/heating/water system in the past five years?

Do they know if there has been any subsidence on the property or any indications of such.

Watch their reactions to the above questions closely.

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A:Hi

I agree with the idea of re-viewing a property. I would suggest going once in the evening – this tells you a lot more about the area and the neighbours – and once in the day – this tells you more about the state of repair.

My tips for what to look for are the things that may indicate the property could have expensive repairs later:

- look at the roof – look at it in comparison to the nearby properties (if they are a similar age), has everyone else replaced theirs? Can you see loose tiles, tiles held on by clips, grass growing in gutters etc?

- windows – if wooden are they freshly painted? They may be house-proud or they may covering up rotting frames.

- Cracks in walls – both external and internal should make you ask questions. Is there a history of subsidence? Use the 'homecheck' websites to identify if mining etc happened in the area. Of course it may be stroppy teenagers slamming doors!

- Signs of damp and water ingress – there are the more obvious signs such as damp patches, mold growth etc but other signs include fresh paint only in odd parts of a room eg just the ceiling or a 'feature' wall especially if it has a window in it.

I hope this will help. Working in repairs tends to make it harder for me to get overly excited when viewing properties as I am now trained to repair spot first and furniture plan second!

Jenni

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A:Since August we have looked at shedloads of properties and we don't really ask questions unless we really like what we are seeing.
Off the top of my head our list would include…..
1) Have they been on the market long? If so have they had any offers.
2) Do you mind if I ask why you are moving?
3) What are the neighbours like?
4) If it has land with it and looks like it might be shared or gives someone else a right of way ask about it.

You will find that by asking just a couple of questions will lead onto others that you might not think of. Also try not to seem too keen on a property, this could make the vendor up their price they are willing to accept as they will see how keen you are and try to get as much as they can from you. (Hubby always tells me off for this ) If you do like it go back a couple of times as we always spot more things good/bad about property the second and third times around….the amount of houses we looked at and wanted to offer on straightaway but then went back and saw bad stuff was unbelieveable.

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A:Look behind doors for damage to doors / walls

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A:How far advanced is their seeking a house to move to.

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A:I would ask why they are moving, what are the local schools like (if that applies to you), have they done any work to the house, do they know how old it is, what are the neighbours like, where is the nearest train station (if you need to know that)…sure there are other things, but things like water rates etc I would ask if you are sure about the property (ie, at a 2nd or 3rd viewing). I would also ask how long it has been on the market, and have they had any other viewings (or any other offers – maybe ask the agent that one), and have they found anywhere they would like to buy yet. (that way you know how far to push them with offers!). Good luck! x

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