Whether you’re renting or buying, finding your dream property is crucial to taking the stress out of your upcoming house move. The perfect property can alleviate your fears about moving to a new part of the country, give you the space you need to live comfortably with a growing family or simply allow you the creative scope to kickstart a new interior design project. Before you can find your ideal home, however, you’ll need to take care of one essential task: booking multiple house viewings!
The importance of house viewings should never be underestimated. Moving house means committing to living between four new walls, so you need to be sure that it’s the place for you and your family. There is only so much information you can garner about a home from a property portal like Zoopla or Rightmove, and taking a look around it in person is, by far, the most effective way to check whether you’d be happy living there.
Of course, if you plan to buy the property, booking a house viewing is even more important; investing in a new home and taking out a mortgage is a sizable commitment. However, research from Which? shows that 39% of UK homebuyers attend fewer than five house viewings before agreeing to buy a property.
If you don’t plan to view many properties in your search for the perfect home, it’s even more pressing that you make the most of your upcoming house viewings. To help you out, we at Essex Removals have listed our top tips below. Remember – a wonderful home will make the process of packing up and relocating all the more worth it!
How to make the most of your upcoming house viewing
Gather as much information about the property as possible
Before you attend a house viewing, it’s a good idea to do some background research of your own! There are a couple of ways to do this, but the first step should always be to read through the property description thoroughly and jot down anything you’re not sure about. This will give you a basic idea of what to expect from the property and help you prepare for tip two! Secondly, take a look at the property on Google Street View. This will allow you to see aspects of the property that may not be listed in its description and help you visualise what it might be like to live there.
Take a list of questions with you
House viewings don’t tend to last longer than half an hour, so it may feel like the whole experience is over in a flash! To make sure you don’t forget to ask any burning questions you have about the property, start putting together a list of queries a few days before the viewing. Take the list with you and don’t leave until you have answers to everything you want to know! Whether you have questions about the local area or the type of dampproofing course the building is fitted with, it’s important to gather as much information as you can before making your final decision.
Remember – if you don’t get the opportunity to ask every question you have, you can call or email your estate agent following the viewing.
Spend time in the local area
If you’re moving to a part of the city or country you’re not familiar with, don’t forget to spend time soaking up everything the local area has to offer! The property you are viewing may be perfect for your requirements, but if it’s based in a town or city without the kind of amenities you need (such as a good primary school or train station) then it may not be suitable for you. With this in mind, we recommend spending a few hours driving around and exploring. See how long it would take for you to walk to the nearest supermarket, or check out the transport links to see if commuting without a car is viable. Whatever you need from your local area, this is your time to find out whether your potential new home town offers it!
Don’t rush!
Make sure to use the entirety of your allocated house viewing slot to inspect the property and its surroundings! The more time you spend in the house, the better your understanding of the building! You are also much more likely to spot potential issues, such as cracks in the walls or patches of damp, if you take your time when looking around. A rushed viewing, on the other hand, probably won’t allow the time and headspace you need to make an informed decision about the property. Whether you are looking to rent or buy, giving yourself as much time as possible to get to know a building is crucial to finding the perfect home for you.
Take a friend or family member with you
When buying a home with a partner, it’s certainly recommended that you participate in house viewings together. You will likely have slightly different requirements, so you must both get the opportunity to walk around and get a general feel for your potential new home. If you aren’t buying with a partner, however, it’s still a good idea to view the home with someone you trust. It can be easy to fall in love with a property and ignore some of its shortcomings, which is why having an unbiased friend or family member to take note of these could be useful. Ultimately, the decision will be yours – but having someone there to take a truly pragmatic approach to the house viewing process certainly will not hurt.
Look deeper than the surface
At first glance, the property you’re viewing might look fantastic! Maybe you love its beautiful bay windows, gorgeous garden or spacious kitchen. However, looking beyond the surface is key to identifying any potential problems that may need more than a lick of paint to resolve – such as damp. Don’t be afraid to point out areas that are likely to require more work and ask about them; it may feel awkward at first, but you need to know what you’re getting into. This is important whether you’re renting or buying; when agreeing to live in a property, the last thing you want is to have to deal with a long list of issues that should have been taken care of before you moved in.
Take a hands-on approach
There’s only so much you can find out about a property from simply looking. To truly get a feel for the building and identify potential issues, you’ll need to take a slightly more hands-on approach to the house viewing. This means opening and closing doors, checking out the size of storage cupboards, inspecting window frames and turning the taps on. It may feel a little uncomfortable at first, but your estate agent will be used to it!
Of course, while Covid-19 precautions and social distancing measures are in place, it’s essential to check what’s allowed with the agent conducting your viewing. For instance, they may ask you to wear gloves while touching surfaces, door handles and windows.
Book a second house viewing
After your first house viewing, you may be met with a mixture of emotions. Don’t be surprised if you leave and instantly want to place an offer! Buying or renting a home can be an exciting prospect, and it can be easy to get swept away by beautiful decor, kind neighbours and a spacious garden. However, giving yourself some time to think practically is key to making sensible decisions. After an evening of thinking about the viewing in detail, you may realise you still have a few questions to ask or things to check before you can go ahead with your offer. In this case, it’s recommended that you book a second house viewing. This will simply allow you to find out a little extra about the property and ask the questions you may have missed during the first one.
Essex Removals: Reliable storage and removals professionals operating throughout Essex
Once you’ve found your dream property, the next step is to set your moving plans in motion! Let the experts at Essex Removals take the stress of this out of your hands with expert storage and removals services for customers throughout Essex and beyond. We specialise in everything from office relocations to overseas removals and are proud to help customers across the UK settle into their new properties.
To learn more about our storage and removals services or for a free, no-obligation quote, contact the team at Essex Removals today. We look forward to working with you!
