Buying Your First Home? How to Spot Problems Before They Become Your Problems

 

You’ve found a house you love.

The kitchen looks great. The garden gets some sun. There’s space for the sofa.

You’re already mentally deciding where the TV is going.

This is exactly when you need to start looking for problems.

Because estate agent photos are designed to make you fall in love with a property.

They’re not designed to show you the suspicious crack behind the wardrobe.

So, before you start measuring up for curtains, here are a few things worth looking for.

First rule: actually look at the building

Sounds obvious.

You’d be surprised.

Most of us walk around a viewing looking at rooms.

“Nice kitchen.”

“Good-sized bedroom.”

“Could make this an office.”

A surveyor is looking at the building.

What condition is the roof in?

Where does rainwater go?

Are there cracks?

Are there signs of damp?

Has someone removed a wall?

Why is that one corner freshly painted?

You don’t need to become a surveyor overnight.

You just need to start asking questions.

Cracks aren’t always terrifying

Let’s start with the thing that scares everyone.

Cracks.

You spot one above the window and immediately imagine the house disappearing into the earth.

Relax.

Properties move, materials shrink and plaster cracks. Plenty of cracking is relatively minor.

But some cracks deserve a closer look.

Pay more attention if they’re:

• Wide
• Diagonal
• Around several windows or doors
• Visible internally and externally
• Accompanied by doors or windows sticking
• Obviously recently filled or covered

The point isn’t to diagnose subsidence during your 20-minute viewing.

It’s to notice something and think:

“I should probably get that checked.”

Use your nose

Seriously.

You walk into a bedroom and get that slightly damp, musty smell.

Don’t ignore it because the room has nice furniture.

Look around.

Check corners. Look around windows. Look at the ceiling. Look behind furniture where you reasonably can.

Watch for:

Mould. Bubbling paint. Water stains. Peeling wallpaper. Damaged skirting.

And one of our favourites:

The suspiciously freshly painted wall.

Maybe they just fancied decorating.

Maybe they didn’t.

Ask.

Look up

People spend hundreds of thousands of pounds buying houses…

…and forget to look at the roof.

When you’re outside, take ten seconds and actually look up.

Can you see slipped or missing tiles?

Does anything look uneven?

What condition are the gutters in?

What about the chimney?

You don’t need to know exactly what’s wrong.

You’re simply looking for signs that something might require further investigation.

Because a new tin of paint is cheap.

A new roof isn’t.

Open things

Open a window.

Try a door.

Obviously, don’t start dismantling the seller’s kitchen.

But normal interaction with the property can tell you quite a bit.

If several doors won’t close properly, windows are difficult to operate or frames look distorted, make a note of it.

Again, it might be nothing particularly serious.

But when several small clues start appearing together, they’re worth investigating.

Look for water

Water is very good at turning small property problems into expensive property problems.

Look for staining around:

• Ceilings
• Windows
• Chimney breasts
• Bathrooms
• External walls

See a brown mark on the ceiling?

Ask about it.

Maybe the bath overflowed three years ago and everything was repaired.

Great.

But “probably nothing” isn’t quite the same as knowing what happened.

That beautiful extension? Ask questions.

Open-plan kitchens.

Loft conversions.

Extensions.

Garage conversions.

They’re often the best part of the house.

They’re also areas where you should be asking questions.

When was it built?

Who did the work?

Was the necessary approval obtained?

Is the documentation available?

Your solicitor should investigate the relevant legal paperwork.

Your surveyor can look at the physical condition.

You want both sides of that puzzle.

Go outside

Your viewing isn’t finished when you’ve seen the bedrooms.

Walk around outside where access allows.

Look at the walls.

Look down.

Look up.

Check for obvious cracking, damaged brickwork, deteriorating render, overflowing gutters and areas where water might collect.

Also look at what’s around the building.

A massive tree right beside the house?

Worth noting.

Ground sloping towards the property?

Worth noting.

Drain overflowing?

Definitely worth noting.

 “But it looks really nice.”

This catches people all the time.

New flooring.

Fresh paint.

Spotlights.

Beautiful kitchen.

Grey sofa.

Lovely.

None of those things tell you whether the building is in good condition.

A house can look incredible on Rightmove and still have defects.

And an ugly house with a questionable choice of wallpaper might be fundamentally sound.

Try to separate:

“Do I like this house?”

from:

“Is this house in good condition?”

They’re completely different questions.

Go back for a second viewing

Your first viewing is emotional.

You’re deciding whether you can imagine living there.

Your second viewing should be different.

Now you’re looking properly.

Take your time.

Check the ceilings.

Look at the windows.

Look at the exterior.

Ask about that crack.

Ask about that stain.

Ask when the boiler was installed.

Ask about alterations.

Basically, become slightly annoying.

You’re considering spending hundreds of thousands of pounds.

You’re allowed to ask questions.

And no, your mortgage valuation isn’t the same as a survey

This catches a lot of first-time buyers out.

Your mortgage lender may arrange a valuation.

That’s primarily for them.

They want to know whether the property provides suitable security for the money they’re lending.

It shouldn’t be treated as a detailed inspection of the property’s condition.

That’s where a home survey comes in.

What happens if the survey finds something?

Don’t panic.

A survey finding defects doesn’t automatically mean:

ABORT MISSION.

Most properties have issues.

Especially older ones.

What matters is understanding:

What is wrong?

How serious is it?

What should happen next?

Sometimes the answer is simply:

Keep an eye on it.

Sometimes it’s:

Get a specialist to investigate this.

And sometimes it’s:

You should probably understand what this is going to cost before exchanging contracts.

That’s useful information.

You can obtain quotations, budget for repairs, investigate further or potentially renegotiate your offer.

One final piece of advice

Don’t try to become a building surveyor because you’ve watched three YouTube videos and read this article.

The goal of your viewing isn’t to diagnose every defect.

It’s to notice things and ask better questions.

Buying your first home is probably one of the biggest financial commitments you’ll ever make.

Spend time looking beyond the nice kitchen.

Already found a property?

Sterlingworth Surveyors provides RICS Level 2 Home Surveys and RICS Level 3 Building Surveys for homebuyers.

We’ll inspect the property, highlight defects and explain areas that may need further investigation – so you have a clearer idea of what you’re actually buying before you exchange contracts.

Because finding out the roof needs significant work before you buy the house is useful.

Finding out three weeks after you get the keys?

Not so useful.