A new home is an exciting purchase, but as well as the property itself it also comes with a lot of other things that you need to think about – from finding a surveyor like this building survey Birmingham based company to finding the right mortgage for your circumstances from the vast array that is available!
As well as all of this is the important matter of finding the property itself. When you have an idea of your budget, you can begin to look for the property that is right for you. The first thing that you will have to think about is where your property will be. Think about what it is that you want from an area and your lifestyle – for example, if you own a dog and work from home, a place with surrounding countryside and parks would be great, but if you want to be within walking distance of bars and restaurants, as well as good public transport then you would want to look at a more urban area.
When it comes to looking around the actual property itself there are a few things to look out for. It is also good to remember that you don’t have to make a decision in one visit, you can go back and have another look as many times as you like so don’t worry if you don’t remember everything in your first visit.
Remember when you are looking around a property that sometimes sellers will use staging to help sell a property. It may be that they have filled the house with pleasant smells, used mirrors to make rooms appear larger, or even used furniture that is smaller than normal furniture to make the room look larger. Take a tape measure with you and you will be able to find the exact dimensions of the room, and bear in mind some of these techniques a seller may use.
Things to look out for when you are looking around a property include jobs that might cost a lot of money to put right – these sorts of things include problems with the roof – can you see any damage to the exterior or dampness on the inside ceilings upstairs? Problems with the boiler are also expensive to fix so check that the hot water and radiators are working, as well as the water pressure in the house.
When you look around a property you also need to visualize it as yours. Some people can struggle to look past décor that is not to their taste or unsuited furnishings, but unfortunately, you may miss out on a great property if you are not able to see past other people’s decorative choices! Try to picture what you would do with it and see it as a blank canvas rather than something of someone else’s and you may be able to see what you are looking for.