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Some things to think about before you press go with the Estate Agent.
Did I say clean?
- Clean clean clean.
Mostly I would say, really look around at the other houses in the area. Then on rightmove, top of the screen there is an area that tells you the prices of the houses that have sold in the area. You can check back through the last 15 years worth of sales. If you are lucky the pictures will still be on the posts you can see how your house stacks up against it all. I would look up to half a mile from your postal code. It will look like the below
Be ready, for people to give feedback on your house. You must take this as an opportunity to change or remedy anything quickly that you have over looked.
Clean! And clean again!
This being the 14th house, I am your nightmare buyer. I will open every cupboard and sniff for damp. I will get down on my hands and knees and look in the cupboards next to your washing machine and dish washer. All your net curtains? I will be look behind those to see the window frames and header above. Constantly checking for mould and damp. Fitted wardrobes that will stay? I am looking in those as well.
Got a loft? I have a ladder in my car and a torch and head lamp. Garage - I want to see in there as well, dont bother to lock it as I will only ask the estate agent to get you to get the key. I am not parting with 100's of thousands of pounds and not looking every where. Sorry that is just how it is.
All of this is what I know and think, it obviously isnt completely comprehensive, each person and property is different and this is just my opinion and what I will be looking for and at.
When selling our houses, we have a folder that we keep in the kitchen and a copy we give to the estate agent. In it we list all of the local schools, how frequent the buses are, any certificates we have for works done ie Fensa certs for windows and doors, insulation, plans for extensions and the planning permission when granted, a copy of the last electricity and gas bill - if you want put it in for a year, to give people an idea of how much it costs to run, a copy of the council tax and anything else that you think can help. You may as well collect it all in the one place as your solicitor is going to ask you for most of these, as they will be given to the new owners. Get them ready, make 3 copies, one for yourself, one for the kitchen folder and one for the Estate Agent. The originals keep them together for the Solicitor. Simples right. Who doesnt want to know about these things when moving, all things that you have to think about.
As a parting word before I move on to other things...
Also be ready for people to drive by your house and even sit there at different times of day to guage traffic and the neighbours...
If you have any tips please leave them in the comments I will add them to a final post about houses.
Good luck, may your house sell fast and you find your new home quickly.
4 comments:
these house-selling posts have been awesome and i hope that anyone who is considering selling their house anytime in the future will earmark and/or print off these posts. i'm with you on the clean, clean, clean - when we bought our first house back in the city, i did like you and got on my hands and knees and looked under everything. i don't know if you have to have a building inspector to do an inspection as part of buying a house but in canada you do need one. we asked if we could go around with him and he showed us what to look for and what he looks for like foundation cracks, wiring, attics, etc.
the only other thing i would add is to turn on every single tap/bathtub/shower in the house to check for water pressure. i rented my first apartment - it was awesome and i loved it but the water pressure sucked. i learned that lesson when looking for my second apartment.
great post Sol! your friend,
kymber
Hello Sol, I bet our new next-door neighbours wish they had been rather more proactive and ad probed more deeply when they viewed the house. Since they moved in, about three months ago, they have had to have electrical work made safe, underfloor heating investigated because it had been done by the vendor and nothing was connected properly, the flat roof to the utility room leaked, a new garage door because the old one wouldn't open (even when they viewed!), plaster work which had been bodged has been re-done...the list goes on and that is without all the work felling trees which were unsafe.
This wouldn't be so bad if they had bought it as a project...but they paid a premium price.
I won't go into the terrible state they found the house in, suffice to say that everything needed scrubbing, carpets had to be thrown out and cupboards emptied, outbuildings were left full of rubbish and scrap.
A real tale of woe and a lesson in what can happen if you don't poke around thoroughly.
Another wonderful post.
What a beautiful house in the photograph!
You made me think a lot with this post Sol. I think painting shabby rooms and a good tidy up are important.
If/when purchasing another house I would go for the price first, then location, location, location. Kirsty says:
"Buy the cheapest property in the best location."
Then it would be how many bedrooms and most importantly what amenities are near you, like a shop, public transport and a pub within walking distance. I like living on a smallholding but it is very isolated and you don't have much of a social life living in the countryside. Awesome post Sol!
Kymber that is an excellent tip to try all the taps! good one, completely forgot it.
Hey Fliss, our house is like that, but we knew it was awful. The only thing that has stung us was the oil heating. We completely under estimated the price for a new system and tank. We had contingency so we were ok, but to others it could be an extremely costly mistake and a bad winter with no heat. we have been very fortunate.
Hey Dave, the house next door to us looks like that, it also has attic dormers so it looks really cute. Lots of people stop on the verge and get out and take pictures. They are having a new electric gate added, as they have had tourists, wander around their front garden and then open the gate and wander around the back garden. Both are immaculate and look like they belong to the national trust or a famous garden. People dont think that these places are peoples homes. They dont make that mistake with our house! bwah ha ha. Looks like steptoes garden at the moment. We will also have an electric gate and a wall and tall hedging. I dont want people peering in my windows and frightening me when I work from home. It scared me to death when one of the old ladies from down the road was trying to get a sneaky peak inside and I was working in the dining room.
And Dave, Kirsty is completely right. We have done that with this house and we keep having people knock on the door or put notes through the letter box asking if we are thinking of selling when it is finished. Or even in the pub, yes I ventured there, no mean feat I tell you with no pavement and lorries driving by, but a couple came over and said that their kids are interested in our house were we to sell as they want their grandchildren to go to one of the local schools. lol yet no one else offered on this house. Not one person, it stank of cigarettes and cats wee. I wonder why they didnt try and purchase then? Thankfully we have been able to get rid of most of the smell. although there still are whiffs from the loft area when really windy. Like someone is smoking in the attic.
Good luck with your search. It is hard for sure.
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