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How long to spend viewing a house?
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I have a few viewings for houses I want to rent coming up on Saturday. My question is, how long is "acceptable" to spend looking around? I don't want to spend ages (these are still other people's homes) but at the same time I don't want to rush and overlook things...when you were last renting/buying how long did you spend viewing properties? And did you go back for more than one viewing before coming to a decision?
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For rental places I tended to only need one viewing per move and took lots of reference photos. Purchasing is another matter.
When we came to view our current flat, I absolutely hated it. There was no furniture, we're single glazed on a main street and the walls were manky from past student tenants. Mr Kivi convinced me otherwise because it was cheap, dead central and the L/L was happy to paint the place and give us our keys a few days early. I'm very glad that my first impression was wrong and I gave it a chance. I love it here
If the initial impression makes a positive impact on you, it's easy to overlook other issues that might point to spending more money than you bargained for later on.
Paintwork, wallpaper and carpets are easy to change, but making a property bigger is far more expensive, so don’t get drawn in by new carpets, curtains, etc, because they are relatively cheap to replace. Estate Agents often advise people to reduce furniture to make the property seem bigger, so think about how much storage you will need, and how much space will be require to accommodate it, e.g. wardrobes, chest of drawers, etc.
Also, recommend making one of the visits an evening one - even if you don't go in, but just sit in your car for ten minutes to take in what goes on re kids playing out, parking issues, boy racers roaring around, etc, and other small things that can be quite annoying if a problem. Most areas are quiet during the day when people are at work and kids are at school, but sometimes things change a lot in the evenings.
If buying, I would make sure you get a good surveyor to fully vet the property - paying the extra can be a bind when there are so many expenses attached to buying a house, but a comprehensive survey can often pay for itself by getting the price reduced to allow for any necessary work.
You should also ask for a copy of the tenancy agreement and check out all, and I mean all, the clauses to make sure that you understand what the landlord requires of you and that everything is legal. If you have any concerns about the agreement or any aspect of the property's condition then you should bring these to the attention of the landlord BEFORE you sign up. If there's anything that needs doing then you will obviously want to view again to make sure the work has been done to your satisfaction and up to standard.
Have a look at Shelter's website to help you with these matters: http://england.shelter.org.uk/get_advice/private_renting
I would spend time, flushing toilets, turning on the shower, opening and closing doors, etc
My friend failed to do that and when she moved in she found that the toilet door didn't close properly as it was damaged, and the landlord tried to blame her for it!!
Even then I got the keys for a private viewing before exchange.
When spending so much money, you cannot afford to mess it up
So what?? They aren't going to be there much longer and you will never see them again!
Its up to you, but personally I would ensure that everything is in working order first as it harder to get something sorted after you've moved in, whereas you can stipulate certain changes before you move in,
fusebox look reasonably up to date?
Boiler up to date?
Floorboards not bouncy when walked upon
Roof and guttering look reasonable
local noise...check at a few times of day/night
travellers living in the next field meaning your shed is 24x7 at risk etc
so many things, if anything seems not right make a note of it so you can remember and get it sorted
It is worth investing in a damp detector you just press it against the wall. Look in cupboards, have a close look in bathrooms and make sure all door close properly, you are looking at the structure and fittings, not the current tenants property. Good luck and consider taking a friend to occupy the tenant/landlord whilst you have mouch in cupboards and behind doors.
https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=damp+detector+uk&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-GB:official&client=firefox-a&channel=fflb&gws_rd=cr&ei=UNgLU5vjCsrT7Abtx4DYBg#channel=fflb&q=damp+detector+uk&rls=org.mozilla:en-GB:official&tbm=shop&spd=11881607938300747569
If you want to rent somewhere make sure you inspect the place with the letting agent or landlord ensure any damage or faults are noted and corrected before you move in.
Have only brought once and we went once and spend 15-20 minutes there and both knew when we left that we wanted it. Then around a week later we arranged another viewing, but I was unwell so wife went alone, she was round there about an hour chatting to the couple and having tea etc.
My advice is to take a notepad and write everything down, positive and negative. If you see a lot of places you will get confused over which was the one with the difficult parking, which one had the damp in the corner, which one had a nice kitchen but tiny living room...