House viewing tips + the HYPE checklist.

Viewing a house with the prospect of buying? What should you look for? And are there any house viewing tips that you should be aware of?

In this brief video, John demonstrates one thing that 90% of prospective home buyers will miss.

When you view a house, you tend to focus predominantly on the inside.

You picture yourself living in the house and how your furniture might look in a particular room.

Of course, you’ll also look at doors and windows. Do they close and lock properly? Do they have keys? Have any of the seals failed?

No doubt you’ll inspect the plumbing and electrics. How old is the boiler and has it been serviced regularly?

Do the taps work properly? Do all the lights work? Is there a burglar alarm and are there working smoke alarms?

That’s all well and good. And necessary.

However, when you’re viewing a house, you should also pay major attention to the outside. Because the structural integrity of the property is far more important than the cosmetics.

So what that in mind, what is it that most of us will miss when viewing a house for the first time?

You may not think to take a spirit level to a house viewing.

But look at these images below. This is what John discovers just by close examination and the use of simple level.

0:30 – John spots signs of cracks on all the corners of the property. This indicates that there is some kind of issue with the house toward the roof.

1:02 – There are gaps between the wall and the soffit boards. This supports the idea that there is an issue close to the roof of the property.

1:41 – There are also cracks halfway up one of the brick pillars of the bungalow. If you look carefully, you can actually see a vertical bulge in the brickwork at this point.

2:03 – Holding a spirit level at 90º reveals that the brickwork is far from plumb. You may not think to take a spirit level to a property viewing but this is why you probably should.

3:09 – No spirit level needed here to ascertain that the brickwork is way out. Something is causing it to step out, quite alarmingly.

4:58 – Because the brickwork is literally bowing, it is creating weak spots. These are more noticeable around the window frames where the lintels are.

You could argue that a Building Survey or HomeBuyer Report or should highlight any structural defects. After all, surveyors are experts at viewing houses and identifying problems.

And that’s certainly true.

Homebuyer Reports include a property valuation, but they don’t go beyond the floorboards or behind the walls.

A Building Survey will detail how the property is built and the materials used. It should also guide you on any repairs that are needed and how long they will take to complete. Moreover, it will warn you of the consequences of not acting.

But the big difference between a Homebuyer Report and a Building Survey is that the latter should identify any potential problems posed by hidden defects. In other words, those problems that are not clearly visible.

But here’s the thing:

Knowing what to look for yourself is always a good forerunner to the expertise of others.

Better still, enlist the help of an experienced and trustworthy builder.

Our number one house viewing tip is: take a builder with you if you can. Here, John spots an issue with the brickwork that many homebuyers will miss. His keen ‘builder’s eye’ even gained national attention in the form of The Sun newspaper. Reporter, Fiona Connor, thought John’s findings were worthy of further coverage in the hope that they will help other homebuyers.

Usually, you only get around 30 minutes to view a property.

Hence, it’s important to make every second count.

Knowing what to look is, therefore, essential for your half-hour slot.

From John’s 6-minute video, we know that checking the brickwork is high on the list of what to look for when buying a new house.

But what else should you look for while you’re viewing a house?

Our House Viewing Checklist PDF gives you a handy, printable list of things you should be looking out for.

Then you’ll have your house viewing questions at the ready.

The video above came as a result of a house viewing we did on behalf of a couple who contacted HYPE.

Because, in their own words, they have limited building knowledge, they asked for our help.

And they’re glad they did.

Following the house viewing, Mr Wright was kind enough to leave us a Google review…

“We can highly recommend John for any building project. His keen eye and obvious experience was instrumental for us in avoiding a potential disaster.

We are very grateful and hope to be working with him in the near future. If you’re looking for an honest no nonsense approach then this is your man.”

“We can highly recommend John for any building project. His keen eye and obvious experience was instrumental for us in avoiding a potential disaster.

We are very grateful and hope to be working with him in the near future. If you’re looking for an honest no nonsense approach then this is your man.”

If you’re buying a house, there are plenty of things to think about. And, of course, you want the whole process to be as seamless as possible.

Once you’ve registered with your local estate agents and property alerts are aplenty, things start to get serious.

Viewing a house properly isn’t a 30-minute task. If you get ‘that feeling’ when you view a property for the first time, you may well put in an offer.

If your offer is accepted, book a second viewing.

And at that point, arm yourself with as much information as possible.

Take our handy House Viewing Checklist.

More importantly, take a trustworthy builder if you can.

We always recommend getting either a Homebuyer Report or Building Survey. They’re there to help you make informed decisions.

But do your due diligence as well. Because sometimes things go under the radar.

Buying a house is equally exciting and stressful. And it’s one of the biggest decisions of your life.

So you need to get it right.