How to Make the Most of Your Upcoming Viewing

Posted on January 8, 2015

If you are looking to buy a property or rent, the viewing stage is a crucial part of finding your ideal home. Whilst our Sunderland estate agents do all they can to showcase every property on our books in a transparent way, with additional information available on request, viewings should always be completed to ensure you will be getting exactly what is advertised if you decide to rent or put in an offer.

Whether you are a tenant looking for student accommodation in Sunderland or a family searching for the perfect place to call home, the following viewing tips will help you sort the wheat from the chaff so you can find the property of your dreams, not your nightmares!

Look out for damp

Damp can present a real nightmare for buyers and tenants alike, and whilst in many cases damp can be rectified relatively easily and affordably, more extreme cases could put a burden on your health as well as your purse strings. Use all your senses to discover damp – does the property smell mouldy? Is the plaster or paintwork flaking? Is the wallpaper peeling away from the walls?

Be sharp when it comes to detecting a damp problem, sellers may attempt to hide this with a fresh lick of paint so look out for sections that have been repainted.

Always get a second opinion

Cracks can also signal serious structural issues, so it is important to always request a survey when buying to investigate below the surface. However, don’t be put off if your first viewing reveals a catalogue of faults, by calling in a professional to complete a survey you can find out whether these faults can be amended and how much this will cost you.

View a house as a house, not a home

Whilst when buying a property every prospective purchaser is looking for that emotional connection, on the first viewing you need to be almost clinical to ensure the rose tinted spectacles don’t cloud your judgement. Look at any property that you are viewing to buy or to rent as a building that needs inspecting and be as thorough as you can.

It is recommended that you go for two or three viewings in total, preferably at different times of the day, to enable you to gain the bigger picture of the property.

Need more guidance for your upcoming viewing? The Hackett Property team can assist, contact us today.