Points to look out for

d-redser

My partner and I are in the process of looking at houses to buy together.

I am totally new to all this and we went looking at a house last night which both of us really liked.

We have a few more to look at this evening but is there anything I should look out for while viewing house? Any pointers or tips like checking toilets to see if they flush properly etc?? We will be looking at second hand houses..

kirving

Doors and windows that open/close properly.

Have a look around the walls outside and make sure there are no visible cracks, the attic might be good to look at if there is a stairs or ladder, make sure any conversion work was done properly.

Colonel Sanders

probably not relevant bu check how far away motorways/train lines/air routes are re. noise pollution. Go back to the area without the estate agent at different times of day to see what noise levels are like.

Keano

No harm in asking why the owner is selling?
I am currently looking at buying a house with my girlfriend too.
Mind if I ask what sort of reaction you got from family and friends when you told them ye were purchasing? Why I ask is we got a very mixed reaction. Many said nice one, while the other side were just hang on a few months and see what happens!

robd

d-redser wrote:

My partner and I are in the processing of looking at houses to buy together.

I am totally new to all this and we went looking at a house last night which both of us really liked.

We have a few more to look at this evening but is there anything I should look out for while viewing house? Any pointers or tips like checking toilets to see if they flush properly etc?? We will be looking at second hand houses..

Here is a list of what I would be looking to check in a second hand house.

• Electrics - How old is the wiring. Needs to be redone after 30ish years. What type of board (fuse or modern trip switch). Needs to be trip switch. Are sockets and light switches of good quality with wiring hidden/chased into walls.
  
• Plumbing - How old is the heating system. Have the radiators crinkles at back or between or are they older. Is the piping old gun metal (which will need redoing) or modern copper (or plastic qualpex used in recent years). Is pipe work hidden or messy running along walls etc. Is the immersion a new unit with factory formed foam insulation. Is it gas, oil or electric storage. Electric is the worst and costs a lot to run. If gas or oil, how old is boiler. Need to be redone every 20ish years.
  
• Insulation - Are all exterior walls insulated/dry lined.
  
• Windows - Do they open close property. What are the frames made of. Are they doubled glazed. Is their condensation between the glazing units (indicating they are leaking and need to be redone). Feel windows for cold coming through from outside. It's better to see this in winter though.
  
• Kitchen - What's the quality of the units. How old are they and do they need redoing. Do all presses and drawers function correctly.
  
• Bathroom - Quality and newness of units. May need to be redone.
  
• Inside Structure - Be wary of thick bubble wall paper which covers poor quality walls. Paint is the best for seeing exactly what you are getting. Check floors and door frames to make sure they line up correctly. Specifically make sure there is no gap between floor and skirting, indicating floor has dropped. Wood flooring is best for seeing what you are getting. Check for mold and feel bottom of walls (especially outside corners) for damp. It's better to see this in winter though.
  
• Outside Structure - Look for cracks etc in walls. Small cracks over a long time are OK. Be wary of anything of 1mm or greater wide. Be wary of old lean too structures, poor small extensions, and bad plastic conservatories, which will prob have to be knocked down to comply with mortgage surveyor. You may prefer to knock these though.

A surveyor will check this stuff as a minimum though. Just saves you the money if you can see it on a viewing and knock it off your list.

patrickolee

Very good list of things to look for.

I might add, sticking your head up into the attic and check for woodworm on the beams. All you will see is small holes, 3 or 4mm in diameter. Also check floors and under stairs if accessible. In the attic you could also check for insulation (although it's not that expensive to add yourself).

whizzbang

You might also want to check with the local authority that there has been no planning permission granted to build a rendering plant at the end of your garden.

d-redser

Keano A Legend wrote:

No harm in asking why the owner is selling?
I am currently looking at buying a house with my girlfriend too.
Mind if I ask what sort of reaction you got from family and friends when you told them ye were purchasing? Why I ask is we got a very mixed reaction. Many said nice one, while the other side were just hang on a few months and see what happens!

We have just had the one reaction which was "About fecking time"!!

d-redser

robd wrote:

Here is a list of what I would be looking to check in a second hand house.

• Electrics - How old is the wiring. Needs to be redone after 30ish years. What type of board (fuse or modern trip switch). Needs to be trip switch. Are sockets and light switches of good quality with wiring hidden/chased into walls.
• Plumbing - How old is the heating system. Have the radiators crinkles at back or between or are they older. Is the piping old gun metal (which will need redoing) or modern copper (or plastic qualpex used in recent years). Is pipe work hidden or messy running along walls etc. Is the immersion a new unit with factory formed foam insulation. Is it gas, oil or electric storage. Electric is the worst and costs a lot to run. If gas or oil, how old is boiler. Need to be redone every 20ish years.
• Insulation - Are all exterior walls insulated/dry lined.
• Windows - Do they open close property. What are the frames made of. Are they doubled glazed. Is their condensation between the glazing units (indicating they are leaking and need to be redone). Feel windows for cold coming through from outside. It's better to see this in winter though.
• Kitchen - What's the quality of the units. How old are they and do they need redoing. Do all presses and drawers function correctly.
• Bathroom - Quality and newness of units. May need to be redone.
• Inside Structure - Be wary of thick bubble wall paper which covers poor quality walls. Paint is the best for seeing exactly what you are getting. Check floors and door frames to make sure they line up correctly. Specifically make sure there is no gap between floor and skirting, indicating floor has dropped. Wood flooring is best for seeing what you are getting. Check for mold and feel bottom of walls (especially outside corners) for damp. It's better to see this in winter though.
• Outside Structure - Look for cracks etc in walls. Small cracks over a long time are OK. Be wary of anything of 1mm or greater wide. Be wary of old lean too structures, poor small extensions, and bad plastic conservatories, which will prob have to be knocked down to comply with mortgage surveyor. You may prefer to knock these though.

A surveyor will check this stuff as a minimum though. Just saves you the money if you can see it on a viewing and knock it off your list.

Thanks for that list, I will print it off for later.

Thanks everyone for your tips, very much needed. The house that we are both interested in has a lot of open space in front so we are checking to see if any planning permission has gone up..

Victor

Make sure you don't dump yourself into a nightmare commute.

d-redser

Victor wrote:

Make sure you don't dump yourself into a nightmare commute.

That is going to be unavoidable unfortunetly..

the_syco

Look for fresh paint on the inside of the outside walls (if that makes sense). This is done to cover up the black stains that dampness can cause.

iguana

d-redser wrote:

That is going to be unavoidable unfortunetly..

If this house isn't going to be one you would be happy to live in for the next 10/15/20 years then the number one thing to look out for is the state of the market. And your ability to pay your mortgage if base rates rise 1/2/3%.

You need to consider how you will feel if you are stuck with negative equity, a mortgage which is becoming more expensive, a more expensive commute because oil prices have risen and you are in a house your family has outgrown. I know renting in Ireland can be extremely frustrating but the market may be falling and buying now could be something you will regret. You don't want to end up like this guy.

If it is the house you could happily spend the rest of your life in then one of the things you should check out are your neighbours. I love my house, my commute isn't bad, the facilities where I live are very good. But there are a number of people living on my street who make life very difficult. There is no way on earth I would ever consider having children in this area and it is all to do with a few of the people I live near.

If the house is terraced or semi-d be wary of the sound-proofing in the walls. While sharing a wall with someone tends to be quieter than living under them you might be surprised how much of your neighbours you can hear.

If you have or are planning to have children then check out the local schools and children's facilities. Not just for small children but for teenagers too.

ctc_celtic

might sound stupid, but a friend of mine bought a house recently, when he moved in he realized that he couldn't get reception on his mobile anywhere in the house. it pissed him off a bit.
not really as important as many other points, but it's something i would never even think of, he got a home home put in now, but he wouldn't have if his mobile had of worked.

probably not a problem in cities.

d-redser

iguana wrote:

If this house isn't going to be one you would be happy to live in for the next 10/15/20 years then the number one thing to look out for is the state of the market. And your ability to pay your mortgage if base rates rise 1/2/3%.

You need to consider how you will feel if you are stuck with negative equity, a mortgage which is becoming more expensive, a more expensive commute because oil prices have risen and you are in a house your family has outgrown. I know renting in Ireland can be extremely frustrating but the market may be falling and buying now could be something you will regret. You don't want to end up like this guy.

If it is the house you could happily spend the rest of your life in then one of the things you should check out are your neighbours. I love my house, my commute isn't bad, the facilities where I live are very good. But there are a number of people living on my street who make life very difficult. There is no way on earth I would ever consider having children in this area and it is all to do with a few of the people I live near.

If the house is terraced or semi-d be wary of the sound-proofing in the walls. While sharing a wall with someone tends to be quieter than living under them you might be surprised how much of your neighbours you can hear.

If you have or are planning to have children then check out the local schools and children's facilities. Not just for small children but for teenagers too.

Iguana,

You have a very valid point. My job is based in town and I will be here for the next year and then I can transfer. The house we are looking at is in Co Meath.

I would love to get this house and I can see ourselves living there for a long time. It is a fairly quite estate. We asked the estate agent what are the neighbours like and she replied, "I cannot vouch for the neighbours, I am just here to sell the house", which I thought was a bit strange.

How does one go about checking the neighbours? It's a semi-detached by the way..

Celtic that is also a good point, I can't see myself running out into the middle of the green every time I need to use the phone! We are going to request to see the house again so I will check it out and I will bring the list of points above and go through them.

We are going to put an offer on it soon, so I will probably be back for more pointers on how to deal with estate agents properly!!

iguana

d-redser wrote:

How does one go about checking the neighbours? It's a semi-detached by the way..

You could try www.neighbours.ie it might have some information about the area you are looking at. Other than that you could try calling into a few neighbours, telling them you are thinking of moving to the street and would they mind telling you what it is like.

Celtic's story about the mobile also reminded me that you should check about broadband availability. I know I'd go nuts without a decent connection.

El Stuntman

iguana wrote:

If this house isn't going to be one you would be happy to live in for the next 10/15/20 years then the number one thing to look out for is the state of the market. And your ability to pay your mortgage if base rates rise 1/2/3%.

You need to consider how you will feel if you are stuck with negative equity, a mortgage which is becoming more expensive, a more expensive commute because oil prices have risen and you are in a house your family has outgrown. I know renting in Ireland can be extremely frustrating but the market may be falling and buying now could be something you will regret. You don't want to end up like this guy.

or this guy

my personal opinion is that buying in the current market is a bad idea

the_syco

d-redser wrote:

We asked the estate agent what are the neighbours like and she replied, "I cannot vouch for the neighbours, I am just here to sell the house", which I thought was a bit strange.

How does one go about checking the neighbours? It's a semi-detached by the way..

The saying "if you can't say anything good, say nothing at all" comes to mind.

ctc_celtic

always a good idea to check out what the neighbors are like,
its usually best if you can find an elderly neighbor (might be hard in a new build area) but they usually know exactly what everybody is like and it's usually not hard to get them to talk about it.
or look for the house with the nicest garden, house proud people will have more interest in what the neighbors are like.