House Viewings Tips: What To Do And Look Out For During Visits

Published: 02/02/2022

Have you made 2022 the year you finally secure the keys to your new dream home? Well first comes the exciting part. Getting to explore and view a whole host of houses!

Whether you’re a first-time buyer arranging your first ever house viewing, or an experienced homebuyer looking to settle down in your forever home, we look at the checklist you should be putting together for any future house viewings:

Be prepared ahead of the visit

It’s important that you are prepared as much as possible before you attend a house view. This includes things such as making a list of key questions both you and your family will want to ask during the visit and what to look out for, as it may slip your mind on the day.

Take someone with you

Don’t attend a house viewing alone. It’s always worth taking someone with you, whether that’s a partner, family member or friend, as they can give a second opinion on features throughout the property. In this instance, if you’re lucky enough to secure multiple viewings for the property of interest, it may be worth taking a friend to get their thoughts as they are more impartial to the purchase.

Be friendly with the seller

Helping build a friendly rapport with the seller will make you more memorable to them when it comes to making decisions on who best to sell the property too, should multiple offers be made. It can help smooth the sale process over.

Keep an open mind

It’s worth keeping an open mind when you attend a house viewing, as you may go in expecting one thing but coming out thinking something completely different. This can work both ways, as you can end up being pleasantly surprised with what the property features, the layout and space throughout than you previously may have thought when seeing the photos on the advert.

Arrange multiple viewings (if possible!)

This is a big one. If possible, it’s well worth trying to arrange multiple viewings for the property you’re interested in so you can look out for different things each time. You may have extra questions or may have unnoticed certain things during your first visit, which can be picked up on during your second or third visit.

Also, if you’re lucky enough to visit on multiple occasions, you should look to take different people each time to help get a range of opinions before you make a final decision.

Drive by

If the house view has gone well and you’re interested in the property, it’s well worth driving by the property and surrounding area on different occasions, both during the night and of a weekend to get a feel for the local area, neighbours, traffic noise and what local amenities are nearby.

Ask questions

Try to ask as many questions as possible during a house viewing. We’ve put together some useful questions that might be worth asking:

  • What’s included in the purchase e.g. oven, dishwasher, lights, carpets etc
  • Are there or has there been any previous dampness issues with the property. Some noticeable signs include stains on the ceiling, peeling walls and wallpaper etc.
  • What are the costs of bills generally, such as utility bills, council tax etc

Check the external features of the property

Don’t forget about the external features of the property. Does it have a big garden? Can you picture the various features to the garden you’d want to include, such as a garage, shed, greenhouse etc? Is there a driveway for off-road parking and if so, how many cars can it hold?

Also make sure you give yourself enough time to carefully look around to see if any roof tiles are missing, what condition the guttering is in etc.

Check the floor plan

One of the most common things homebuyers tend to do before even arranging a house viewing is to check the floor plans of the property (or request it, if it isn’t provided on the advert), so you can get a good feel for the layout and whether the size of the property is best suited to you and your needs.

More advice for first-time buyers and homebuyers:

Who are GWlegal?

GWlegal are a property solicitors based in Liverpool, specialising in buying or selling, remortgage, declaration of trust, bridging and buy-to-let landlords.

If you have a legal matter you wish to discuss don’t hesitate to get in touch. You can call us on 0345 373 3737 email us discuss@gw.legal with your question.

Who are GWlegal? We’re a national firm with local values.

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Content correct at time of publication.

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