How to thoroughly inspect a property you are wanting to buy
There are so many things to consider once you are a home owner. Home and contents insurance, maintenance and so much more. But before you make a purchase, there are a few things you can do to make sure that the home you are buying will not end up costing you hundreds if not thousands in maintenance and repairs in the future.
Here, we've listed the top tips to make sure you thoroughly inspect the property you are going to buy, so that you know exactly what you are purchasing:
- Make sure you inspect the property more than just once. It can be very exciting to find a property you are keen to buy, but it is important not to rush, and take a second and third inspection of the property. The more you look, the more you will notice details about the property. This doesn't necessarily mean you'll notice bad things, but it's just good to be aware of any issues with the property as this can be used to evaluate what costs may need to be deducted from the price because of repairs the new owner will need to make.
- Inspections are generally during off peak times, meaning that when you visit the property, it could be very quite and the traffic could be very different to what it's like at 8am on a Monday morning. This is why it is so important to visit the property at different times to gauge the noise levels and how much traffic you actually will get down that particular street.
- Visiting on a rainy day- This is a great way to see if there are any leaks. The last thing you want is to move into a property that requires lots of roof and ceiling repairs so visiting on a rainy day if possible will help you to pick up on this.
- Research the signs of mould, white ants and other issues the property may have like rising damp. Find out what you need to look for that will show signs of these potential building problems and inspect the property thoroughly looking for these.
- Look under the carpet- If the house is old and carpeted, the carpet may be lifted up at corners. If you can, lift it up to see the state of the floorboards.