10 Questions To Ask When Buying A New Home

Image

Buying a home at any time in your life is a huge commitment. This is why it is absolutely essential that you carry out the proper research before you sign on the dotted line and commit to a mortgage.

One of the first things you will need to research is what kind of properties are there in your area? You might be able to find a great Condo for sale, a flat to rent or even a detached home to raise you family. Make sure that when you are looking at the options you have available to you, that you cover every base and write down exactly what it is that you are looking for in a home. Once you have done this you can start to delve into the world of property and find your forever home.

Once you’ve done all the research you can do, and you’ve found a few houses that you really like- you need to narrow down your options. The best way to do this is to go for multiple viewings and make sure ask plenty of questions. The vendor and the estate agents should be happy to answer any questions or concerns you may have about the property. Here are a list of 10 questions you should be asking when you are looking to buy a home.

1. Why is the seller moving away?

The first question you will want to ask the seller is why they want to move out. It might sound like an odd and personal thing to ask, but it could give you an insight into the area and whether or not you should call this place home. The seller may simply be moving on because they found another job elsewhere or they are moving in with someone else, but if they say that they are moving for a better school for the kids or for a larger garden, it may change the way you think about the home you are about to make an offer on.

2. How long has it been on the market?

The worrying tell that a home is in a bad area or just doesn’t meet structural standards is how long it has been on the market for. The property market is booming these days, and any good deals are usually snapped up within a matter of weeks of them coming on the market. If you find that the home you are viewing has been on the market for over 6 months, it may make you question the reason why no one has made an offer on the property.

3. What exactly is included in the sale?

When a contract is drawn up for the sale of the property, there will be a section which will detail what things the seller is willing to leave in the property for you. This will usually include things like curtains, lighting and fittings. However, sometimes it can also include furniture. If you are a first time buyer and on a strict budget, the addition of some furniture in with the sale of the home can make a huge difference to what you can afford.

4. Are they in a chain?

If you are looking to move into your new home quickly for a specific reason, one major point will be whether the seller has already found somewhere themselves, and whether they are in a chain or not. If so it could take a long time for the sale to go through.

5. Are there any structural issues?

When you go to see a property, you need to also look closely at the bigger picture. Sure, the space in the rooms might be great, but if the roof is half hanging off and there is damp everywhere, the investment may not be worth it. The main things to really be looking for is the state of the brickwork outside the home, how secure the doors and windows are, whether there are any cracks in the walls, and finally if the home suffers from subsidence. If the home you are looking to buy does have subsidence, it will be a huge cost to repair and may take you way over the original budget you set for your home.

6. What type of heating does it have?

Finding out how the home is heated will largely dictate the energy bills you will be faced with.

7. Is the Internet decent?

As many of us in the modern world do, you may hold technology in higher regard and this could be a huge factor in where you move. This is especially the case if you work from home or stream TV on a regular basis. You will want to make sure that the internet speed measures up so that you can house multiple devices on the network as well as stream what you need to without having to worry about it cutting out. It is important that you find out the upload speed vs download speed so that you know if it will be able to handle all of your devices and users.

8. What’s the parking like?

If you have a nice car, the last thing you want to be doing is parking it out on the road. Hopefully your home will have a driveway where you can privately park your car and keep your mind at ease for its safety.

9. Are the neighbours nice?

One of the big things that you may not immediately think of is the community. None of us want rude, inconsiderate and grumpy neighbours.

10. Is the local transport good?

If you work in the city and don’t like to drive to work, the public transport options will be a big deciding factor in whether or not the home is suitable for you. Most areas will have a train network running through, as well as regular buses passing by each hour. The main thing to watch is whether you have a direct enough route to work that you can hop on the bus or train and be there within a reasonable time. You don’t want to have to wake up at 5 am to get to work for 9 am each morning.