What to ask Estate Agents/General Questions

howtolive

Hey,

Not sure if this should be merged with the "Saving/Applying..." thread so mods feel free.

Should (hopefully) start viewing houses in the next few weeks. Trying to prepare how to handle estate agents, what to ask etc.

I'd imagine:
1) why is vendor selling?
2) any recent work done on the house?
3) what is included in the sale (fixtures etc)?
4) if a water meter been installed outside (good to know)?
5) has property tax been paid up to the current date, etc.?

Anything else?

Who informs you about:
- electricity provider
- bins collection
- internet/phone provider etc (if a contract still in place)
etc. etc. - is this provided by the vendor to the solicitor as part of the purchase process normally?

Also, dealing with estate agents - any tips?

For viewing a house, look for:
- roof tiles missing
- damp
- power points working if electricity is still connected
- run the shower, flush the toilet, run the taps
- try the windows
- move rugs, cupboards, etc. strategically placed to hide a fault
- anything else?

Thanks.

Graham

I think your expectations of the estate agents knowledge are a little on the optimistic side.

howtolive

Graham wrote: »

I think your expectations of the estate agents knowledge are a little on the optimistic side.

Perhaps - then who provides this information? Vendor to our solicitor at purchasing stage? Buyer left to flounder after house purchase with reams of unpaid bills by the vendor etc?

Scraggs

Is the vendor in negative equity? If yes does vendor have the go ahead from their mortgage provider.

Samuel T. Cogley

No real need to ask them anything on the first visit. If a place gets on to your short list for a second viewing then it's probably worth having a list.

Ghekko

As part of selling house we had to provide proof that water bills and property tax were paid up to date. BER Cert had to be provided also.

Donutz

From our experience, the estate agent didn't know why the vendors were moving. He made something up but we found out the reason ourselves afterwards. Also he didn't have accurate information about the house he was trying to sell. Little things like did the fireplace heat the radiators, or when the house was built.

Graham

howtolive wrote: »

Perhaps - then who provides this information? Vendor to our solicitor at purchasing stage? Buyer left to flounder after house purchase with reams of unpaid bills by the vendor etc?

Your solicitor should address anything that you might be landed with. I can't imagine any circumstances where this would include internet/phone/electricity bills.

Your surveyor will give you the structural stuff you need.

You might be left to 'flounder' on your own when it comes to thing like bin collection day but don't worry about it. Unless you're buying a lighthouse there's a good chance you'll spot the bin lorries driving past while you move in.

Toots

With the bins, depending on where you are moving to, there might be more than one company that does the bin collection, so it would be up to you to choose which one you want, and then they'd let you know which day they come. I know on my parents' road, there's greenstar, panda and I think a couple of others, so they leave the bins out on different days depending on who they're with.

Retrovertigo

1) why is vendor selling?

Answer: estate agent is a salesperson, they ain't gonna tell you something negative

2) any recent work done on the house?

Answer: reasonable question but why?

3) what is included in the sale (fixtures etc)?

Answer: You buy a house, you get the fixtures

4) if a water meter been installed outside (good to know)?

Answer: The government pay for water meters you're overthinking it

5) has property tax been paid up to the current date, etc.?

Answer: It will cost you nothing as the solicitor will look after this

Anything else?

Who informs you about:
- electricity provider
- bins collection
- internet/phone provider etc (if a contract still in place)
etc. etc. - is this provided by the vendor to the solicitor as part of the purchase process normally?

Answer: all of the above is up to the occupant, you have no liability for previous ones

Also, dealing with estate agents - any tips?

For viewing a house, look for:
- roof tiles missing
- damp
- power points working if electricity is still connected
- run the shower, flush the toilet, run the taps
- try the windows
- move rugs, cupboards, etc. strategically placed to hide a fault
- anything else?

Answer: Do all of the above and more

Retrovertigo

howtolive wrote: »

Also, dealing with estate agents - any tips?

Estate agents are sale people that work off commission. Do your homework is the best advice if you want the best deal.

Retrovertigo

Graham wrote: »

Your solicitor should address anything that you might be landed with. I can't imagine any circumstances where this would include internet/phone/electricity bills.

Your surveyor will give you the structural stuff you need.

You might be left to 'flounder' on your own when it comes to thing like bin collection day but don't worry about it. Unless you're buying a lighthouse there's a good chance you'll spot the bin lorries driving past while you move in.

A surveyor is worth nothing unless you can afford to fix it. In which case you're already losing if you get one.

Graham

Retrovertigo wrote: »

A surveyor is worth nothing unless you can afford to fix it. In which case you're already losing if you get one.

A surveyor is a damn site cheaper than buying a house and then discovering you can't afford to fix it.

Retrovertigo

Graham wrote: »

A surveyor is a damn site cheaper than buying a house and then discovering you can't afford to fix it.

Been there done that. That's why I said do your homework. Surveyor cost me a fortune to tell me there was a crack in the wall. A little bit of savvy goes a long way.

Gumbo

Retrovertigo wrote: »

Been there done that. That's why I said do your homework. Surveyor cost me a fortune to tell me there was a crack in the wall. A little bit of savvy goes a long way.

€400 a fortune while spending upwards of 200k on a house

Ayuntamiento

Retrovertigo wrote: »

Been there done that. That's why I said do your homework. Surveyor cost me a fortune to tell me there was a crack in the wall. A little bit of savvy goes a long way.

Some banks won't release funds unless you've had a survey completed and are happy to declare that the results were satisfactory.
I paid for surveys on a couple of properties that I was sale agreed on before I bought my current house. I never ever felt like it was money wasted.
Unless you work in the industry yourself and are very clued up, it would be very foolish to walk blindly into buying a house.

Retrovertigo

kceire wrote: »

?400 a fortune while spending upwards of 200k on a house

Some people are scraping money together to finalize a deal. I was simply saying that doing the home work on a property might be cheaper.

My one's report was no help, which is the point I tried to make. It was a waste of money for me as I do have experience and I could see right through him.

And yes a bank will want a survey if you borrow, but just be wary of who you pick (and the report) should you be investing.

sKeith

Retrovertigo wrote: »

Some people are scraping money together to finalize a deal. I was simply saying that doing the home work on a property might be cheaper.

My one's report was no help, which is the point I tried to make. It was a waste of money for me as I do have experience and I could see right through him.

And yes a bank will want a survey if you borrow, but just be wary of who you pick (and the report) should you be investing.

It told you that there was a crack in the wall. You said that only a few posts back. before buying the property, you now add the cost of crack repair on top of purchase price. Is it still worth buying? Inform the vendor of same and ask them for discount.

I don't understand why you would dismiss getting surveyors report, especially since it helped you, and then you say its of no help.

tricky D

Is the property yet cleared through Probate, if that applies? Not uncommon to have this situation, which might lead to some waiting with the sale/contract being subject to Probate.

Is there some one living in the house? Cupboards and wardrobes might be used for temporary storage during house viewings. Not a biggie, but worth having in mind so that you are prepared to look past it.

BER number and MPRN to get some additional Dwelling Details info eg. area, heating info...

Retrovertigo

sKeith wrote: »

It told you that there was a crack in the wall. You said that only a few posts back. before buying the property, you now add the cost of crack repair on top of purchase price. Is it still worth buying? Inform the vendor of same and ask them for discount.

I don't understand why you would dismiss getting surveyors report, especially since it helped you, and then you say its of no help.

I should have been clearer, there was a huge crack in the side of the wall ( a semi) not a small one. It was a meter long.

But meh, whatever, I saw the crack obviously and pulled out of the deal (deposit only). They offered to drop the price and I said no. The surveyor couldn't tell me the house was viable to be fixed. This is what I am trying to say.

3 bed in south dublin and 4 years ago. Was listed at 250k and I offered 150k which was accepted, house was in visible bits. I retracted my offer (which the estate agent offered to drop) after I found a better house.

The surveyor told me to buy at 250k with a house that would have required and immense amount of work as it might collapse.

I would entirely recommend some use a surveyor, I would just say be careful when your are looking for you life home.