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Things To Do When Buying A House


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HOLA441
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HOLA442

Price per sq ft is also very important (for me at least).

This is only of use if you can make comparisons, are you taking a calculator to every set of house details in the area or is there a site with averages on for an area?

I drew up a shortlist of properties I liked the look of, and then worked out the £/sqft.

I'm not going to want to live in a dump but if I like the look of a a few places then how much real estate your money gets you is a very useful thing to know in making the decision of which property. If it's on the small side you can put in a considerably lower offer and point this out to them. If it's on the large size... put in a considerably lower off and just stay quiet ;)

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HOLA443
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HOLA445

Can I ask - when buying a house, has anyone, are there, professional negotiators in order to maximise the gap between asking price, and selling? With the former rather silly, it would seem a couple of grand well spent, if only to see an estate agent soil themselves, and anyone in 10 yards.

Most EA's view of a 'professional negotiator' is probably Krusty - initially offering 590k on a 600k advertised price in order to be knocked up to 595k. :roll:

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I am NOT talking about the lard eating, Oliver Hardy look-a-like, or the bald headed gimp, but when I eventually buy, I will be spending approaching half a million, and with a huge difference between good and excellent negotiators, I wish to minimise the selling price.

Buy the EA a beer or similar bribe, or simply be nice to them (urgh!) and they might give a try to talk the vendor down a bit. Other than that,, it is just a number you are offering and they either accept it or not, so I would see a professional negotiator being a waste of space.

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HOLA448
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HOLA449

inspired by a topic in the off topic forum but one that may give tips to lowering prices/offers:

terraced/semis/detached that are next door to social housing:

how to know: look for the state of gardens/type of windows and if serious about buying pose as a salesman and check the status of the place you are commiting too.

green spaces:

great for a good view, not so great for kids kicking footballs. check the place out on foot and even wait around a few evenings, speak to local residents.

garden direction - make sure you're facing south if it's a big one, or west(ish) if not.

add your own tips now? :ph34r:

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HOLA4410

inspired by a topic in the off topic forum but one that may give tips to lowering prices/offers:

terraced/semis/detached that are next door to social housing:

how to know: look for the state of gardens/type of windows and if serious about buying pose as a salesman and check the status of the place you are commiting too.

green spaces:

great for a good view, not so great for kids kicking footballs. check the place out on foot and even wait around a few evenings, speak to local residents.

garden direction - make sure you're facing south if it's a big one, or west(ish) if not.

add your own tips now? :ph34r:

I would just like to give this thread a bump as any advice taken on here could save a lot of grief down the line.

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HOLA4411

Parking space.

If on road, try turning up in the evening and seeing how easy it is to find a space.

If off road, but with no on-road parking, try to work out how many cars you could fit on the drive.. last place I viewed was like this and the owner actually parked their car around the corner in the hope I wouldn't notice the lack of parking space.

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HOLA4413

more tips:

when looking at a property feel free to check inside cupboards etc. (esp around water areas).

look for sound infrastructure all round.

1 - If buying a terrace make sure you've got drainpipes running down into a seperate gutter on your property.

If the drainpipes are only on the end terrace you will be relying on your neighbours to clean their drains to stop your roof flooding.

2 - Check the roof and gable walls of an end-of-terrace very closely.

In a semi-D the roof of two houses rests on two gable walls.

In a terrace up to 5 or 6 rooves could be resting on a gable wall and can cause it to bow.

Additionally, if other houses in the terrace have been re-roofed since being built they may have had a heavier roof put on than the structure was designed for.

The person in the end house(s) gets the damage and the bill......

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HOLA4414

Become best pals with the EA selling it. If you can find out the motivation of the vendor you are in much better position to make the right sized offer.

For example, if the property is being sold because of a divorce or a job relocation, and the vendor(s) already have an offer on something else they are much more likely to be open to an offer than someone 'who is thinking about maybe moving to the seaside'.

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garden direction - make sure you're facing south if it's a big one, or west(ish) if not.

add your own tips now? :ph34r:

i think this is a big one unfortunately I didn't look at this when I bought my house also it is nice for the garden to be private and not over looked (some thing I did check) the other thing I regret about my house is that the living room is at the front of the house I would prefer the living room to have big patio doors that open into the garden. As it is I don't get any pleasure from the garden.

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HOLA4418

Go round like a sniffer dog to see if there is any smell of damp especially in fitted wardrobes and in the attic. Also make sure you pull the plug to check the water goes away no problem in the loo. Ask direct questions and take a note of the answers. Then you have a case if the vendor lies about the axe murderer next door.

take an athsmatic with you, any issues with damp will soon be spotted

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HOLA4421

Neighbours.

I bought a house next door to a rental that that owner didn't give a toss about. His garden started growing into mine; his ivy started growing into my roof and he was obviously not bothered about who he rented it to. We would often be woken at 3am by the sound of shit music and rowdy noise from their jungle of a garden - and the smell of weed wafting into our bedroom.

Thank ****** I got rid of that house.

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HOLA4422

Be absolutely sure of where the sewer drainage main hole cover/s are. Found out in my first house that mine was under the cooker. Previous owner was a builder and extended the kitchen and for some reason presumed he/we would never need access. Luckily did not need to get to it but felt guilty when I sold the house to an estate agent in August 2007.

Confirm there are no boundary disputes and check to see if you have any tree preservation orders on your land. Nearly bought a lovely house and agreed a price but discovered they were in a dispute about a huge oak tree that two neighbours were claiming was causing cracks in the properties. Pulled out instantly.

If you can afford a comprehensive survey, Get one !!

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HOLA4423

Always spend 10 to 15 minutes walking round the area before the viewing, it will give you an idea of what the area is like. Speaking to neighbours is also a good idea.

You will also catch the state agent if they are there early opening windows in an effort to hide the damp smell.

Take a step ladder and torch so you can access the loft.

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