What to look for during a house visit?

August 18, 2021 | Reading time: 2 min

What to look for during a house visit?

It’s important to check if a property matches your criteria. But the criteria and a good feeling aside, there are a few aspects that need your attention. We give you a few examples:

BAD ODOR

a warning?

In an ideal world, every home would smell lovely. A great and relaxing mood. However, that’s usually not the case. Some properties are only used as holiday homes, sitting empty for longer periods at a time.

This can result in a bit of a closed / dusty odor. Nothing to worry about, as opening the windows and letting fresh air come through will solve this rather quickly. Same goes for a dry drain. Due to inactivity the water evaporates and the drain pipe dries out.

However, pay attention to the smell of moist and mold. These might indicate a more severe issue. This could result in a negative impact on your investment and even your health.

CHECK

for structural issues

A hairline crack is not really anything to worry about. They mostly occur when a property sets after construction. However a crack that is a few mm (or more) thick can indicate a serious issue. Bubbles or watermarks are also to be taken serious as they could be the result of water infiltration. The cost difference between a cosmetic and structural issue can be high.

ADDITION

with permit?

There are many properties on the market that offer some sort of addition. Often unaware, home sellers make such investments with the best intention. Thinking that if a building permit would be necessary, the construction company would have told them so.
Unfortunately this is not always the case. Therefore it’s important to really inspect the property and check if there are permits for the additions, f.ex. a swimming pool or an extra bedroom. If there’s no permit, it needs to be legalised before you buy the property.

POTENTIAL

what are your options?

Keep an open mind during the viewing. Often people focus too much on subjective aspects. Maybe you hate the furniture or lay-out? See if you could bring your own style to it and make it work. Knocking out a wall is a relative small change that can have a big impact.

Property aspects that are easy to change, do not necessarily have to be a deal breaker. Aspects such as location or orientation, can’t really be changed. Therefore, keep the potential in mind when viewing properties for sale.

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