Moving house can be one of the most stressful events in your life, right up there alongside bereavement and divorce. It has a knock on effect on so many different things, from your commute to work to where your children go to school. It’s essential to do your research properly before you go. It’s important to find the right house for the right price in the right location so that all the time, effort and energy is worth it. This article aims to share some tips on what to look for in a new house.
Firstly, you need to adhere to the real estate agents maxim of key properties of a new house: location, location and location. Regardless of the actual cost of the house, where it is affects so many things. If it’s in a pleasant suburb, your neighbors will be different to a house in the inner city. It might be close to a freeway, which has the benefit of getting you places quickly, but also being noisy. It’s also important to bear in mind that not every house you live in has to be out in the sticks away from the hustle and bustle of city life. In fact, it can be an exciting change to move closer to downtown to have access to the nightlife and shops. Either way, think about which 搬屋價錢 of those factors are important to you and ask your real estate agent to recommend locations that fit the description.
Secondly, make an honest financial assessment of what you can afford and what you are likely to be able to afford in the future. With the recent financial crisis still reverberating around the big banks, getting a new mortgage is going to be tough, especially when the price of your current house may be lower than it was a few years back. It will be important to only look at houses that you can actually afford, so that you don’t set your heart on an impossible dream.
Finally, make sure that you look out for the usual tricks that people use to hide faults with the house. This includes pictures or curtains to cover up rising damp, furniture pushed up against cracks in the wall and no running water during your visit to avoid the sound of dripping pipes. It’s within your rights as a buyer to ask about all of these things, as well as requesting a home buyers’ survey of the house, where a professional will go in and review these items for you.
