Learnings from our property viewings

It’s great news that property viewings in England can resume again in the updated lockdown regulations! I was just writing up our tips for property viewings! 

I’ve lost count of the number of viewings that we went to on our property search over the past year…all I know is that it was a lot and definitely more than 50.

Listed below are the lessons learnt from our experience and some tips for you!

·        First decide what you are looking for in a property

Before arranging viewings, we made a list of what we wanted in our flat and this helped us to quickly decide which properties to view.  There is only so much time that you want to spend in the evenings and weekends scrolling through all the property listings!

Initially, it is worth trying different property types because gradually as you go to more viewings, you’ll start adding to this list! For instance, initially we didn’t have a preference on size or age but as the search went on, we preferred a larger space and buildings which were under 20 years old.

·        Identify what the deal breakers are

For example, for us, there were certain things we knew would stop us making an offer on a property.  This list was refined after viewing a wide assortment of flats. These included:

-       Remaining lease length under 100 years, if leasehold

-       Nothing older than 20 years

-       Service charge would be within the budget we set

-       Doubling ground rent

·        Look out for how long it has been on the market 

We found it useful to look at the first listed date on the property listings.  The Zoopla How long it really takes for a property to sell article in February 2019 mentions that it takes on average 50 days to find a buyer for a property. We felt that if the property has been on the market for a year, there’s probably a reason for that and as we had limited time for viewings, we chose not to view these properties.

·        Photos can look great, but can also be misleading

We have been to several viewings where the photos looked great and then when we arrived, it really didn’t look the same. Spaces can look wider than they actually are. At one viewing, I didn’t recognise the outside of the building because of the way the brightness was set on the photo.

Another tip is to check that there are photos of all the key rooms listed in the floor plan (bathroom, bedroom, kitchen and living room) on the property listing. 

From our experience of property viewings where not all the photos were included, there’s usually a reason why they didn’t include them (e.g. it might need a lot of refurbishment). After all, if it looks great, why wouldn’t you include a photo?! 

In the end, Hubby and I decided not to view properties which didn’t have photos of all the rooms as we had been disappointed several times and were looking for a flat which we could move in straight away with no refurbishment work.

·        Look at floorplans carefully!

We went to a viewing where the one bed flat was over two floors and turns out there were two front doors!? Very odd. The bedroom was on the lower floor with an ensuite. The kitchen, living room and shower room were on the upper floor. The kitchen counters were not on the floor plan so you couldn’t really see how much space was actually available for furniture. The photos made it look more spacious. In reality, the space for the living room furniture was very limited.

When we saw the property listing, we really hadn’t noticed that this one bed flat had two front doors, two showers and two toilets. After this experience, we paid a lot more attention to the floor plan and the photos. I think in the early days, we were too focused on looking at the photos!

·        Check the lease length before viewing the property

A lot of the properties that we looked at were leasehold and so before arranging viewings we would check the length of the lease remaining with the estate agent. A short lease can have a significant downward impact on the value of the property and may be difficult to obtain a mortgage.  For us, a short lease length was a deal breaker which is why we checked before arranging the viewing.

If you would like more information on leasehold vs freehold and the importance of the lease length, this Which? Leasehold vs Freehold article is very helpful.  This MoneySavingExpert.com Should I extend my lease article was useful for learning about the risks of short leases.

·        Decide on a minimum size of the property

At the beginning, Hubby and I viewed flats in London of various sizes.  This was because the property price was lower or more affordable in a better area.

After a several viewings, we realised that we wanted a property with plenty of storage and living space. We decided that if the property was under 450 square feet, we would not view it. If we already knew that the size meant it wouldn’t be suitable for us, then we would rather use that time to view a more suitable property!  It was difficult to stick to this though, some smaller properties looked great and were in our ideal location! 

·        Clearly explain to the estate agents what you are looking for 

Estate agents can be very helpful, especially if you are able to clearly articulate what you are looking for. If they have a better idea of what you want, then when a suitable property comes onto the market, they’ll think of you! On a few occasions, we viewed the property before the photos were even on the estate agent’s website!

·        Plan your viewings carefully

You’ll start to realise that viewings take up a lot of time, especially if you have to travel and it’s not near your current property! We typically spent up to 30 minutes at each viewing and would have 2-3 viewings scheduled in the area. We didn’t think it was worth the travel time to and from the property if it was just one viewing. Of course, if we really liked it, we would still go! 

At one point, we went to multiple viewings after work on three consecutive days.  We were exhausted! I suggest breaking them up so you can at least have some evenings where you can meet up with friends and de-stress.

·        Ask the estate agents if they have any properties that they recommend

When I called to arrange viewings, I also asked the estate agent if they have any other properties that were within our budget.  This can be helpful so you’re not always seeing the same kind of properties.  You never know, something different might end up being something you like! 

Sometimes they end up showing you a property outside the area you are interested in but on the bright side, at least you might discover a new area!  However, they don’t always have photos of the property and so you might end up wasting time seeing a property that you aren’t interested in. 

·        Have a list of things you will look out for when going to a viewing

Given that you only have a limited time in the property, it is a good idea to know exactly what you will be looking for before you step in! This point is worth elaborating on so I’ll cover it in more detail with useful links in another post.

·        Familiarise with the area during the day

A walk in the area really helps! For Property 3, we actually saw the new development after a different viewing. Since we were there, I searched the name of the development online and called the estate agent to find out more information and if we could view the show room. It hadn’t come up in our search on Rightmove because the listed price was higher than our budget. However, when we called up, the estate agent mentioned there were plots in our price range as the prices had recently been discounted!

·        Familiarise with the area in the night time

If there is a particular area that you are interested in, take time to see it at night on Friday or Saturday too. This way you can see how it feels to be in the area when it is late and if you feel safe. 

Previously, we have been able to make an offer more quickly because we were already familiar with the area.  From our experience of buying a property in London, this can be helpful as previously we’ve been a little too slow and other offers were made on the property.

·        Sign up to alerts and newsletters

Don’t forget to sign up to the alerts for new properties on the property listing websites and also the email newsletters from the estate agents!

Hope you found this post useful and good luck!

Jess