Ideal Property Search

House Hunting Tips

You will probably need to spend a lot of time visiting endless houses in search of your dream house.

Before you start house hunting think about what is most important to you, what is a necessity and what is something you would like, for instance it is a necessity to have 3 bedrooms, but you would like a garage. Use or list on our home page to help decide what is most important to you.

Don't go crazy and view every single property you see, be selective. Refer back to your list and ask yourself whether the house meets all your needs.

Make plenty of time to view houses. Once you've decided which houses you would like to view contact the Estate Agent to arrange for a time to view them.
Never get your heart set on a property before you've seen it. You can't always rely on the Estate Agents description to be entirely accurate
You will need to be patient and be prepared to wait for the right house.

Viewing Property

It's a good idea to try and view the house in daylight.
When meeting the owner, or Estate Agent try to find out the reason for the sale, and how long the house has been up for sale.Enquire what fixtures and fittings come with the house. Try to image the house with your furniture in.


Making an Offer

Once you've viewed the property and you decide you want to make an offer consider making a second viewing, take a tape measure to and make sure your furniture will fit where you imagined it, also it gives another opportunity to ask any questions you forgot to ask the first time. Take the oppertunity to find out about the area.

If after a second viewing you still want the property then it is time to inform the Estate Agent. An offer is not legally binding (except in Scotland). If a house has been up for sale for a while it puts the buyer in a stronger bargaining position. It is often worth offering a lower price to judge the vendor's reaction, but if you really want the property remember there could be other interested parties and it could save time just to offer the asking price. When making an offer make sure your it is subject to survey and contract.

Handy Resources.