While the estate agent showing you around your perspective house will be giving you plenty of information, here are some questions you could ask and information you need to gather to help you decide whether the house you are viewing is the one for you.

First off, try and establish the reasons as to why the house is on the market. You may be told straight off the reason why or the estate agent may say things that can give you clues as to the reason.

One question that it’s worth asking the estate agent is ‘what would you want to know about the house if you were buying it?' This can provide you with valuable information about what’s going on in the area. If you’re interested in the house because of its proximity to certain feature, such as open countryside or train station, you don’t want to find out after you move in that your countryside view is going to be replaced with a housing estate or that the train station that you were relying on is going to be closing. In this vein, it’s worth having a wander around the area and having a word with local shop owners and residents to see what their thoughts are on the area.

It’s also highly important to establish what is included in the sale, especially if you are thinking hard about buying the property. Find out what the current owners will be leaving behind when they move. Are they taking the shed, curtains, washing machine, fridge, curtain rails etc. or are they leaving certain things? This could help you ascertain what you need to bring with you or what you may consider leaving behind when you move out.

Also try and find out how long the house has been on the market for. If it’s longer than three months it’s worth asking whoever is showing you round why they think the house hasn’t sold. It may be something as simple as the house needing renovation which is putting other buyers off, the house could be on for too high a price or it could be something more sinister that others have noticed that you haven’t. Equally, it could just be that the house didn’t suit the needs of those viewing the house before you and there may be no exact reason why the house isn’t selling. If the house has been on the market for a while and hasn’t sold then this could be bargaining chip to negotiate with the sellers.

One other question to ask is how often the current owners have been in the property for. If it’s a short time with no apparent reason for moving (such as family or work commitments) then it could be worth asking why it is that the owners are selling up after only a short while. Is there something wrong with the neighbours, for example, that are causing the move?

It’s also worth establishing how quickly the sellers are looking to move as this could drastically affect you and the people looking to buy your house.

If you’ve got a house to sell or are looking at buying a house in Stevenage then get in contact with Vincent Giddings today. Having been in the business of selling houses for over 20 years, you can guarantee that you are getting the best service possible.