Be Excellent To Each Other

Hello!
It appears that I am moving out of London and becoming a dirty commuter. We are going to look around some houses on Saturday. When we bought the flat, we had rented in one exactly the same for a year, so we didn't really want to know anything about it. What are good questions to ask?

Quitter.

Apparently, little flat with awesome view == fucking hooooge house with garden.
And as I'll still be working in London I'll still be going out in London, so you won't miss me.

'Is this house built on an old burial ground?'

'What's that smell?'

Ah, indeed, would do. Whereabouts are you looking?

For questions, leave the building stuff to the survey.

Ask the people who live there how long the commute takes, and how easy parking is at the station. Ask them whether the neighbourhood is lively or dead. Ask them (if they have kids) about the local schools.

I can tell you all about this because Mrs Chinny asked all these things because I dealt with all these things recently.

Ask about the neighbours.
Council tax band.
Is the house on mains gas.
What are the bills like for gas and leccy?
Are you on a septic tank/has it been replaced recently. Will they empty it?
Age of gas boiler if its on gas.
What is the broadband speed.
Do they have Sky? Do they have a South facing wall where you can install Sky? Or are they on cable.
Bin arrangements
What fittings will they be leaving?

In general check for smells/damp/potential maintenance and shit.


Then get your survey done.



Visit a couple of times, possibly at different times of day (to check for traffic, etc).

Ask about the neighbors, or even better, talk to them yourself.

And then don't believe their answers 100%. They are, after all, trying to sell you this.

I'm not sure what I'd ask. I'm clueless about this kind of thing. That said, we're moving again in January (only to a different rental place), so I'd beter work out some questions for when I start looking at places for that.

Ask, matter-of-factly, how soon is convenient to have a full structural survey done. Watch carefully for signs of pants-brownage.

Please don't move next door because that means Craster visiting will impact the property price.

Thanks. x

How huge is the garage, for my collection of fast cars, hand-built offroaders and cool bikes?
How shootable are the local peasants?
Is the local government willing to rename the county after me, given I'm buying it?

I'm moving back to where I used to live, so I can answer those questions. Also parking will be easy, because if I have to drive to the station I have been given the green light for a motorbike. Z1000, here I come

Fucking huge, man
And there's space on the drive for six cars. Six!

Noted, ta.

Ask why they're moving.
Check the land registrar for potential future headaches suchas
1. Bypasses being built close to your house
2. Train links
3. Planned property developments that will encroach, spoil your view.
4. Contact the local plod and see what the crime situation is in the area - break ins, that kind of thing.
5. Don't buy anything listed.
6. Pay for a full and comprehensive survey of the property and the land registry.

Check to see if your house is a hotrodders road - you don't want your young lad in danger of being mown down by some idiot trying to break the landspeed record.

Find out who your neighbours are and google them - if they're a PITA they'll probably show up in some shape or fashion.
Try and assess them as well, by studying their houses/cars/kids

I don't think that would be an issue after Grim... caught up with, rammed into a roll and drove over the top of, before hoisting up a tree, the second or third in his Tomcat.

Yeah, to be honest, if anyone needs to be worried about idiots in cars it's the people who already live in the area.

Speaking of which, I'm in the wrong thread.

Where are you going to put your gear? Also, Z1000 for house - station only is a bit like swatting a fly by creating a singularity and swallowing the universe.

Check what time the last train to your station is from the local town with the best pubs.

[quote="DBSnappa"4. Contact the local plod and see what the crime situation is in the area - break ins, that kind of thing.[/quote]Grim... knows the area already, but in general I would say -- don't bother asking the police. Just get a few house and car insurance quotes. If anyone knows crime statistics, it's insurers.

I bought this house on one viewing. And the only thing I remembered afterwards (I went straight from the flat to Curiositys' house to watch the FA Cup final where I proceeded to get eurocunted) was that it had a gas hob. Gas cookery was extremely important.

I did however know the area having lived 200 yards away for a year. If you can deal with renting for 6 months in the prospective area, I'd strongly recommend that before you make the plunge. I'd say the potential benefits outweigh the hassle factor.

Duh. NOW I read that you know the area. As you were.

(This one is particularly important if you're moving anywhere near a railway line.) Ask if they've ever had any sign of mice, and look them straight in the eye when they answer. If they say yes or flinch even slightly, leave immediately and put all thoughts of the property out of your mind.

N.B., potential buyers of my flat should disregard this advice.

You've never lived in the country have you?

Whereabouts are you moving to, if you don't mind me asking? If you do, just tell me to fuck off. WRT the future developments, don't just check the planning application section of things, if the council are "reviewing their core strategy"* these things will not be at the planning stage yet, but could still lead to major developments in the area.



*sigh

Top tip: If you find something you like have a drive around the neighbourhood late on a Friday/Saturday to see what the local wildlife get up to. Once almost bought a house near a recreational park, glad I didn't because the youths got up to all sorts of noisy activity until the wee hours.

It's terrible here. They all fuck in the trees and make noises all night.

Bloody owls!

Somewhere near Bedford, as there is a fast train into London and my family live around there to help out with the sprog-sitting.

say hello to my Father in Law

Could well be that I know him. Where does he live?

Don't forget to ask about rust around the side door. Parts are a bitch for the Isuzu engine as well.

What are your plans for receiving deliveries now that you won't have a doorman?

erm, I have the address on my Sat nav, it is a housing estate... bomaris close (spelling)

Fuck off, he does not live in Rushden!

Yup... that is where Mrs C is from..

He has a freelander..

He lives in the new bit though, so I doubt I'd know him.

Ah cool, it is not new really about 20 years old...

Surely not? If you look on Google Maps you can see it's all new, they're still building it. I thought those out-of-town estates were built at the same time as the bypass?
There used to be pretty much nothing there until you got to The Compasses. You'll have to PM me his name now, in case I do know him

Er, everyone else, just grab a book or something.

The principal is the same as living by a railway: there can be mice aplenty outside, but you want to make sure the little fuckers aren't getting into your house.

It's more "They will get into your house. Find a way to deal with it".

Well yes, but either that applies both to living in the country and living by a railway, or my not having lived in the country has no bearing on my advice.

I may revise my advice to "don't live in the country if you don't enjoy the prospect of mice entering your property (may apply to a lesser extent to houses near railways)" for the sake of accuracy.

Whoa there, steady on. He's not out of london yet.

I'd imagine that train-proofing a house is quite easy, to be honest.

It fucking well isn't.

And remember, if you do find your flat is on a railway line, try not having your flat on a railway line.

Yeah, you'd need walls at least 10 Range Rovers deep.

Check when any major extensions were done - if it was since the last time the council tax band was determined, then once you buy it, that triggers a re-evaluation of the band. This happened to us. The solicitor obviously wasn't being paid enough to bother to mention this to us at the time.

Can you not just put some traps down or something?

If you are going to be there for, let's say 15 years +, ensure to be equidistant between something equivalent to Cheltenham Ladie's college and the local comp. You've got to think of the grimlet's future.

Or, what I wanted:

Roof, walls, decent shower.

Will you post a picture of the house you're looking at Grim...?

He'd need to use the Hubble to get it all in one frame.