When you are buying a house, it is very easy to get carried away with the number of bedrooms and lovely kitchen or garden that the house has, but if you want to invest responsibly, then there are a number of other factors that you should take into account. Today, we are going to go through a short checklist of factors it is important for you to consider before you take the plunge with your home.
1.) Surveys
This is a common trap, especially for first time buyers, who have failed to get a survey of the home before they buy. The whole point of a survey is to make sure there are no invisible risks to your home. Something as simple as a poisoned or rotting tree in the back garden can play havoc with your home: leading to anything from a lawn on which no grass will ever grow, all the way to threatening the foundations of your house. A survey is something like a credit check or background check: assessing all risks, history and problems with a home to make sure you are investing in full knowledge of any problems or potential issues that the seller may either be unaware of or hiding from you.
2.) Neighborhood Research
Crime rates are an essential factor in the value of a home, and so if that beautiful home you have been eyeing up for some time has been subjected to multiple break-in’s over the past year you need to know about it. Today, there are plenty of online resources that will give you a history of the area and even the road that you are on: highlighting crime rates and the types of crime that are committed in any area. Neighborhood research will also reveal any traffic issues, pollution issues and any areas that have been planned for major renovations (which will create a great deal of noise and travel problems for you). So before you buy, research the neighborhood well and make sure you are investing in full knowledge of the kind of area that you are moving to.
3.) Planning applications
Any planning applications should be revealed on a good survey, however to err on the side of caution it is best to ask, and research any planning applications that are happening within a one to two mile radius of your home. If planning applications have been rejected for you home, then this could mean that you will never be able to modify or extend. If planning applications have been granted to neighboring houses, this could mean that the beautiful view from the bedroom window will soon be a view of a multi-story car park. Do your work, and keep your views and exits how you want them to be.
4.) Traffic and noise
Most house viewings will take place at a time of day when the population has already arrived at work or school, and there is no one around: but rest assured if there is anything that will ruin the joy of a lovely home, it’s the hour long wait in traffic on the way to work and back, not to mention the noise levels. When thinking about buying a home, research the noise and traffic flow of the area by visiting at peak travel times to make sure that the five minute drive to work really is five minutes before you fully commit.
Ben writes about property and currently works for the Guernsey estate agent Livingroom. He loves viewing houses and likes to renovate homes in his spare time.