House Buying Advice

You have all of our free advice here to assist you. We will show you how to compare property against property and hopefully save you making a dreadful mistake. Money saving is our aim!

It is absolutely essential that you should be clear in your own mind that you have covered all the points. If you have any doubts, go back to the house in question, take another look. The owners will not mind, they will take this as an indication of your seriousness. In any case, you are doing the buying and they need your custom.

When you are on a buying a property location is the first consideration. So - Rural as opposed to Urban?

Some people think they would like to relocate to the country only to find that they cannot cope with the slowness of life and in some cases the isolation and lack of facilities. Also some rural communities can be quite ‘closed’, and it can be a little while before you are accepted.

This must be compared with the anonymity of some urban areas. For some reason people do not seem to speak to each other, probably because most people are out at work all day, and the transient nature of the community.

Everyone has their dream house in mind. Do you need to think about schools? Transport links? Entertainment? Hospitals, doctors, dentists and other medical care? If you end up by traveling long distances to work etc, you will probably not be saving money but you may well gain in quality of life etc.

Another pointer to take into consideration - are you going to be buying in partnership with another person? i.e., a relative - mother and daughter, two friends,etc. It is important that you agree on these basic facts before wasting time looking at properties over which you will not agree.

Keep in mind the determination to save money and recognise that you will need to exercise just as much caution on buying as you did regarding selling your house. Follow the money saving tips for maximum help.

What is the general nature of the road in which the house is situated?

Neighbours – and here the vendor is honour-bound to be truthful when questioned. Do they have any disputes with their neighbours such as over-hanging trees, boundaries etc. Remember, as well as being a house buying exercise, this is also a money saving exercise - don't sleep-walk into a potential legal tussle!

Some other points to consider are:-

‘Period property’ is a term often used by estate agents – what period?

When no measurements are given to a bathroom you may conclude that there is standing room only.

Boiler house usually translates into boiler cupboard.

Walk-in pantry often means ‘a side-ways shuffle’ into a cupboard.

Do you need a study? Estate agents often designate a large landing as a study area. Not very private!

Bear in mind here that the Estate Agents are acting for the sellers - you are on the house buying expedition. These Agents need your custom, but they also need the commission they will receive from the Sellers. Therefore, they see their duty in the first place, as being towards the Sellers.

Then there is the resident owner to cope with.

Truth seems to fly out of the window. When there are obvious signs of woodworm, death-watch beetle and dry rot in beams, why deny it?

An additional piece of information here - and it applies to both urban and rural properties. Cockroaches can survive for a considerable time without their heads! If ever there was a case for calling in the pest exterminator surely this is it. Fingers crossed and you will never have to deal with such a problem.

If the septic tank pongs, why do owners try to disguise the fact when the overflow is clearly to be seen in the adjoining ditch? Yes - they need to sell their property, but remember your aim is to save money. You should tactfully point out that under the stipulation regarding removal of all rubbish from the site, the tank must be emptied before you take possession.

If you can find a property that does not have all the unnecessary Estate Agent ‘embroidery’ it is probably well worth a look. An even greater bonus is when the owner is honest and forthcoming.

Having said all that, some agents are much fairer than others are and you will just need to sort them out to save yourself unnecessary waste of time and disappointment. A floor plan is an asset, but not provided by every Agent.

If a floor plan is given, mark the measurements of your existing house on this new plan. This is a quick and easy way to compare sizes before you even visit a property. Astute house buying again!

A Grade 2 Listed property brings its own problems in that no alterations may be made to the outside without permission and then the guidance given must be followed to a T. This even extends down to the thickness of glass to be replaced in window frames. As a general rule you will need to spend money rather than save money on a Grade 2 listed property as you will not be in charge of the final bill.

The allure of a timber framed, thatched cottage is great in the minds of many people, but the subject needs to be approached with caution. Chocolate box cottages can look very charming and inviting but……

A house with a thatched roof will probably need expensive insurance. The main reason being fire hazard if there are also the usual open fireplaces in the property.

A spark from a chimney can cause havoc. In addition re-thatching can be very expensive. Think house buying not house burning!

Timber framed period houses need careful examination for woodworm, deathwatch beetle and dry rot.

Ask yourself why there is this unexplained dip in the roof? Is the beam in the roof suffering from the attention of the above insects? The same applies to a dipping ceiling. The need to save money needs to be kept firmly in your mind. Take a look at the recommendation at the bottom or this page.

When an extension has been added to a ‘period’ property check that the brick work ‘keys’ in well to the existing building. Also if the bricks on the new extension do not run level with the courses in the old part of the property then it will be impossible to ‘key’ in. If there is a seam of concrete running down the join, view this with great caution. It may hide a multitude of sins.

Clay lump and lathe and plaster are two methods of construction in period properties that need to viewed with care. Clay lump is exactly what is says. The house is built with thick lumps of clay which is shaped into brick portions,and then rendered.

A lathe and plaster house quickly looses heat when the central heating is switched off, and this is likely to cause a rise in heating bills, and some discomfort in winter. It will probably mean that the central heating has to be programmed to fire earlier in the morning and shut down later in the evening. Remember you are meant to save money here not spend it.

Wattle and Daub is another method of construction. This is wattle sticks erected in the walls which are made of 'daub'. This daub can consist of mud, animal dung, anything to fill in the spaces between the wattles. Wattles need to be viewed with caution as they could contain wood worm. Also a wattle and daub construction will show from the outside, even when it is colour washed an irregular surface can be seen.

On the plus side is the fact that some of these period houses have been standing for two hundred years or more and are likely to survive for another considerable period.

Just make sure that your final choice of a property - your future home - means you will be able to run the property in an efficient manner and not spend money on items that need an ever open purse/wallet.

On more modern buildings, some of those that are being constructed now seem to have had building standards pared down to the absolute minimum.

At the time of writing an official enquiry is being launched into this very subject. Some roof timbers looking extremely thin for the weight of the tiles to be carried. Your surveyor would need to pay particular attention to this. In addition, some modern buildings are now timber framed. Unless the timber is well seasoned this can store up trouble in the future with shrinkage etc.

Another unexpected factor to be taken into consideration - is the house you are contemplating buying built on a flood plain? A fact that has been highlighted in the press lately is that the city of Hull is built mainly on a flood plain and that the local council are without flood insurance.

This whole subject of flooding stresses the need for 'buyer beware - caveat emptor'.

When buying a modern semi-detached house check that the dividing walls are solid and sound-proof.

No matter how pleasant your neighbour may be, you do not want to hear everything that goes on in their house. Also, from your point of view you need your privacy. It is virtually impossible to sound-proof a property when you can hear such noise at a light switch being clicked on and off next door (Fact).

This is another point to be considered when you are inside a property that you have chosen. Can you hear clearly what is going on in the bathroom when you are in the next room? Take a friend/partner with you so that you can personally test this out. i.e., one of you visit the bathroom and use the facilities. Sometimes this can be quite an ear-opener.

Remember the inside of most properties (unless they are very old) is likely to be of stud work, and unless sufficient insulation is inserted when the partition walls were originally built, this is going to be expensive to rectify. Think save money, time and effort.

Beware of a shared drive. This is another potential for discord. If your neighbour has grown-up children and they have cars, is there room for you and your family as well without a lot of shifting around? Also, when it comes for repairs to the drive to be done, this can cause problems.

Regarding fencing you are normally responsible for the fence to the left-hand side when standing in the back garden, with your back towards the house. Clarify this before you exchange contracts as fencing is another item where you need to save money. It is surprising the number of owners who are unaware of which is their fencing - until, of course, a dispute arises.

Where ditches are concerned, country law dictates whoever owns the hedge owns the ditch.

In addition some ‘treatments’ that owners have undertaken such as cavity wall filling and the sealing of tiles from inside the loft can lead to problems. Also flat roof buildings on extensions of garages need to be treated with caution, as they are often a cause of leakage. An ideal flat roof should have a slight fall of about 4 degrees to allow excess water to escape to the gutter. Again, think save money, time and trouble here.

Take a look at what buildings are around the house you are looking at? If there is a business beside the property and it is not thriving, will the site be sold and more houses built on the site? With the constant rise in population there is the need to build 73,000 additional houses every year, so in filling is a top priority.

Ask the seller as many questions as necessary. It pays to take a notebook with you listing all the points you wish to raise. You will not forget anything and you should make a note of the replies you are given. This is a sobering action where the seller is concerned. Just smile, be polite and direct with your question and see what type of answer you get.

If they give you a load of flimflam you should ask yourself ‘What else are they hiding?’ You may just have this one chance to get information, and remembering how you must save money and not get caught, give this your 100% attention. Sometimes, it may be wiser to walk away.

It all boils down to caveat emptor (buyer beware) and do your own research. Don’t rush into anything. It is like a marriage – marry in haste repent at leisure.

Whilst a Search by your solicitor is fine, if you do as much of your own detective work as possible beforehand you may well unearth information which will make you change your mind about the property in question. You will then avoid the expensive stage of instructing your solicitor to perform the Search. Think save money!

When you think you have found your suitable property, before putting in an offer to the Agent, go back for a second viewing on another day and at a different time. This is an important point, as the character of the road may have changed.

This time, look objectively at each room - will your furniture fit in? Look at all the finer points.

When a Surveyor/Valuer from a Building Society inspects any property, their main concern is whether the Society will be able to recoup any money they loan to you, not the construction of the house. This 'survey' at time of writing will cost you in the region of £500 plus.

If you have any doubts about the structure of the house you may be well advised to employ a surveyor who, hopefully, has your best interests at heart.

This subject is fully covered on our new page and is well worth a read.

Another expensive item is the actual moving operation itself. Removal firms do not come cheap any more.

Prior to the move, sort through all your belongings and discard anything that you have not used for the past ten years. Are they to be kept for sentimental reasons? Do you really need all those clothes that you have not worn for at least two years? Shed, garages and lofts can be notorious places for hoarded and forgotten items. You need to be ruthless. See if you can recycle any of these items at www.freecycle.org

If you can manage to pare down your belongings you should save money - a smaller van might be possible, and at the very least you will save time and effort in loading and unloading at the other end.

If you are buying a property you may be selling as well, and the next page will assist you.

More excellent ways to Save Money on Propertywill also be found here.