Buying a home can be an exciting experience, especially as you view potential properties and visualise how your life will look within that space.
However, amidst the excitement, you mustn’t let your excitement take over during viewings – and take your time to thoroughly inspect every nook and cranny. A rushed viewing can easily lead to overlooking potential issues that could become costly headaches down the line.
House viewings in the UK tend to be rushed – with 22% of people in Britain spending 30 minutes or less on a house viewing. Considering that you’re looking at something that you could be spending years of your life living inside, only viewing it for a few minutes does not seem long enough to base such a big decision on.
To help make sure you don’t leave any stone unturned, we’ve put together this guide and free downloadable House Viewing Checklist for Buyers. We used our own experience of buying several properties over the years to ensure that you can make a smart, informed decision to find that perfect home.
Before you view
Before your viewing, it’s a good idea to get as much information about the property as you can. If you look at websites like Rightmove, some information will be readily available on the listing. For some information, like school catchment areas, you can use websites like Locrating.
You can also use the Gov.UK website to check your council tax band if it’s not listed, and calculate how much council tax will be.
Along with EPC certificates, you can get a more accurate idea of what your monthly bills and expenses will be in this property – giving you a more accurate idea of what it will be like living there.
Broadband speed is also an important factor to check, particularly if you work at home, want to stream TV, or play online video games.
- How much is the council tax?
- What is the EPC rating?
- What is the broadband speed?
- Where are the nearest transport links?
- How close is it to amenities?
- What school catchment area is it in?
- Is it leasehold or freehold?
Start with the outside
Before you go inside, make sure that you spend a good amount of time outside the property. If it helps, you can always arrive at your viewing early and spend the first 5-10 minutes looking at the outside and seeing what the street is like.
This is a good opportunity to see how busy the road is, how loud it might be, and what the parking situation is like. If you have access to a driveway or garage, it might also be a good idea to check to see how easy it is to park in these areas and how other cars on the street are parked.
It would help if you look beyond your immediate surroundings, too. Law et al. (2019) revealed that viewing aerial images tend to provide more context for amenities and predict trends in house prices for certain London neighbourhoods.
The last thing you need is to move to a home where you have to fight with inconsiderate neighbours to park your car. When we bought our first home, we didn’t do that.
The house was close to a Primary School, and during the school run, parents constantly parked in front of our drive, which was really annoying.
One of the most important factors to check is the condition of the property’s exterior and roof. Repairing a roof can be one of the most costly home renovations, costing an average of £5,000 to replace.
However, homeowners can end up paying an incredible £18,000 to replace roofs – so we’d look at this one in as much detail as you can.
- Is there parking?
- Is there space for visitors to park?
- How easy is it to park your car?
- Is there a front or back garden?
- Are you sharing any outdoor spaces with other properties?
- Where are the property boundaries?
- Is the structure of the building in good condition?
- How old is the roof?
- Is the roof in good condition?
- Is the road loud or quiet?
- How much traffic is on the road?
Garden areas
If your property has a garden, the big things to consider are how much maintenance this will entail (big gardens = more work) and whether structures like sheds or decking are already pre-built into the garden.
You should look at the condition of these structures, assessing if they need to be replaced or repaired so you can factor that into your costs.
You should also be wary of any overgrowing bushes or trees, particularly if they go into a neighbour’s property or block their light, as they could request a High Hedge Notice that will force you to cut down or trim the trees.
Look out for any signs of non-native and invasive species, too! Based on a study of 61 gardens in Sheffield, UK, by Smith et al. (2006), each garden’s population was made up of 55% non-native species.
Meanwhile, the Japanese knotweed, one of the most aggressive species, grows bamboo-like shoots that can worsen your home’s structural weaknesses (Payne & Hoxley, 2012). Based on the Sun’s estimate, removal can even set you back as much as £15,000!
You’ll also want to consider which way the property is facing, which will have a big impact on what times of day you will get the sun in your garden – as well as how much light your house gets.
- When does the garden receive sunlight during the day?
- Will the seller relocate parts of the garden, such as pots and trees?
- How much effort is required to maintain the garden?
- Are there any large trees?
- Is there a clear boundary between the garden and the neighbouring property?
- Do neighbouring houses have a direct view of the garden?
- If there is a shed, is it in working condition?
- Do hedges overhang pavements or roads?
- Is it the homeowner’s responsibility to maintain them?
- Is there an outside tap installed?
- If there’s a decking area, what is the condition of the decking?
Your House Viewing Checklist For Buyers
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- Have all the vital information in one place
- Never miss a thing during a viewing again
- Printable, so you can take it to the viewing
Inside the property
As you move around the rooms, look for any warning signs of dampness or visible cracks in the walls. Older homes are typically at greater risk of damp, but that doesn’t mean they are the only homes that could have a problem.
Statista (2024) published that 4.1% of homes in England have some form of damp problem, equaling around 984,000 households.
As well as damp, you should also take a look at key information such as electrical sockets and outlets, the boiler and the radiators.
- Are the windows double-glazed?
- What condition are the window frames in?
- Is there any sign of damp or mould anywhere?
- Are there any visible cracks, leaning walls, or signs of uneven settling?
- Is the flooring in good condition?
- Is there built-in storage space?
- What’s the type, age and condition of the boiler?
- How old are the electrics, plumbing and heating systems?
- Are the light switches all working?
- How many power sockets are in each room, and are they in handy places?
- Is the loft insulated and accessible?
- Are the curtains and blinds all in working order?
- What fixings and fittings will be left behind?
Kitchen
The kitchen is an incredibly important room when looking at a house, so it’s important that you spend time here and really think about whether it suits your needs. Think about the cooking style you have (or want to adopt), your appliances, and how you would place them in the space.
You should also check the condition of the built-in units and cooker and factor in any replacement appliances or upgrades into your budget.
- How much cupboard space do you have?
- How old is the kitchen, and does it need any updating?
- Is the cooker electric or gas?
- Are built-in appliances such as the oven and extractor fan in good condition?
- Is the kitchen plumbed for a washing machine and dishwasher?
- What size fridge/freezer fits?
- How much counter space do you have?
- Are there enough sockets for appliances like a kettle or air fryer?
- Do you have enough room for a dining table?
Living room
Traditionally, this is the room where you relax and unwind. Whether you do that by sticking on a Netflix drama or by curling up with a good book on the sofa, you’ll want to make sure it’s a comfortable space for you to enjoy.
- Is the room big enough for your sofa?
- Where would you place the TV?
- Are the electrical sockets in a good position for your TV?
- Are the fireplaces decorative or functional? What type of fire is used?
- Is there space for storage?
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Bathroom
When looking at the bathroom, you should prioritise making sure that there are no leaks in the plumbing and that there’s no sign of trapped moisture or damage anywhere.
Good ventilation is essential for keeping bathrooms moisture-free, so make sure you inspect the windows and any extractor fans that are installed.
In addition, take a look at the storage space on offer and envision how you will store your bathroom essentials. If you have a lot of products and not a lot of storage, the bathroom might not work for your needs.
- How well-ventilated is the bathroom?
- Does it have an extractor fan installed?
- Does it have a power shower?
- How old is the bathroom?
- What is the water pressure like?
- Are there any signs of moisture damage?
- Are there any heated towel rails?
- Are the tiles and grout in good condition?
- Is there any storage for bathroom essentials
Bedrooms
The most important part of viewing bedrooms is ensuring that the right-sized bed and wardrobe will fit into your room to adequately store you and your clothes. If the bedrooms are tight on space, you could potentially consider turning another room into a walk-in wardrobe or storage space.
We have a king-size bed, so whenever we viewed houses, we made sure that at least one of the bedrooms was big enough to accommodate. It might be a small thing, but if you are used to sleeping in a big bed like this, you don’t want to find that you have to change to a double after you move in.
Generally speaking, bedrooms should be big enough for you and your wardrobe.
Aside from spacing, you should look at how the light enters the room, depending on which way the bedroom is orientated and the direction of your house. Are you likely to get early morning or late afternoon sun, and would that work with your current sleep pattern?
- What size bed would fit in the room?
- Is there a built-in wardrobe?
- What kind of wardrobe would fit into the room?
- Are there enough sockets in the right places, i.e. for lamps on bedside tables
- Does the sun come through in the morning or evening?
Don’t forget to ask questions
When viewing a house, take your time and make sure that you’re satisfied that you’ve got all the information you need. Although you’ll be able to gather most of it from the property listing and just walking around, you will need to get some of it from the buyer.
But remember, that’s why they are there during viewings. Make sure to use them to ask any remaining questions and gather any other insight about the property and the area.
Don’t stress about what questions to ask, though—this guide to the best questions to ask a seller has you covered.
Download your free checklist today
Buying a property is a stressful and exciting experience all wrapped up into one. To make sure that you keep a level head and get all the information you need, we put all these questions into our free downloadable House Viewing Checklist For Buyers that you can take to your viewings.
And if you ever feel like you missed something on your first viewing, remember that you can always go back.
It’s more important that you feel 100% confident and happy with your decision so you can proceed to the next step: making an offer.
For any other questions or concerns about viewing houses, check out our FAQ on house viewings here.
Your House Viewing Checklist For Buyers
Download Now For Free
- Have all the vital information in one place
- Never miss a thing during a viewing again
- Printable, so you can take it to the viewing
