What to ask at a Property Viewing

This post is a reply to @crazyhouseprices Instagram post. In his post, he outlines a host of helpful questions that property buyers should ask at viewings. In this reply, we hope to elaborate on the advice given and arm potential buyers with some additional knowledge to help them get the most out of their viewings. Below are @crazyhouseprices list of questions to ask as well as our thoughts on each question. Hopefully it will be of some help to property buyers as they start their journey to home ownership.

What’s Included in the Price?

This would seem like a basic part of selling property i.e. to clarify at the outset what is and is not included in the sales price. Alas, all too often confusion arises which can lead to disputes. On all Auctioneera properties, we include a “What is included in the sale” section which clarifies this key issue. If viewing an Auctioneera property, be sure to refer to the property’s listing on the Auctioneera website to get this information.

Auctioneera includes a “what’s included in the sale” section for all of our properties.

It is further important to understand that what is listed on the auctioneer’s website or in brochures or conveyed verbally is not legally binding. The contract is what is binding on the transacting parties so it is crucial that purchasers liaise with their solicitors to ensure the contract accords with their understanding of what is included in the sale. Section 1 of the requisitions on title deals with contents such as furniture, free standing appliances and so forth i.e. items other than fixtures and fittings. By default, fixtures and fittings are included in the sale and can only be excluded via a special condition in the contract. Buyers’ solicitors will guide them on this.

As important as what is included in the sale can be what is not included. Disputes can arise if unwanted items are left in sheds, garages or attics. The best way to prevent a situation whereby a purchaser arrives, excited, at a property on closing day only to be upset by such unwanted items, is to do a final inspection close to the closing date. Auctioneera routinely facilitates these final inspections. Prior to closing, the purchaser still has leverage as possession is nine tenths of the law, as they say. Once the sale has closed, the vendor’s appetite to engage to solve post closing issues is diminished as they are in funds at that point.

In short, understand the constituents of the lot on which you are bidding, liaise with your solicitor to ensure the contract accords with this understanding and do a final pre-closing inspection to ensure no last minute surprises, while you still have leverage.

How flexible is the seller on the asking price?

Every vendor wants to get the best price they can for their property, as would you if the roles were reversed. At Auctioneera, if you offer the guide price on a property, we put a two week deadline on proceedings in order to progress matters. Vendors are typically unwilling, particularly in the current market, to entertain offers below the guide price. Of course you can try but typically such offers will be dismissed. Stepping up and offering the guide price, assuming you deem the property to be worth this amount to you, is the best way to progress to “sale agreed”. If the vendor doesn’t accept your offer, at least you can rule out this property and quickly move onto others.

How long is the property on the market?

This question is an attempt to establish some leverage on the basis that the longer a property is on the market, the more likely the vendor will be to entertain offers below the guide price. This is reasonable as a vendor who has been on the market six months may be more open to offers than a vendor who has just come to the market.

Why is the seller selling? Are they keen on a quick sale?

This is a useful question to ask as if you have been served with a termination notice on your rental property which expires in a month, you probably don’t want to go sale agreed on a property where the vendor needs to find an onward property and isn’t yet sale agreed on one. If you need to close quickly, then a vacant property is more suitable. At Auctioneera, we ask all our vendors as to the reason for the sale but some prefer to not divulge this information, albeit most do as it is useful information for potential buyers. We insist that all vendors apprise us as to how quickly they can close a sale (subject to conveyancing) in order to avoid a situation where the buyer and seller’s timelines are incompatible.

Has there been much interest? Are there any offers?

At Auctioneera, we publish all offers on our website in real time so there is no need to ask us regarding offers as you can see what we can see. “There are no offers, no interest, we haven’t had a viewing in weeks, she’s over-priced and frankly we are desperate at this stage,” is something an auctioneer may think from time to time but not something to which they will admit to a potential purchaser. Of course you can ask, but every self respecting auctioneer will put a brave face on things, so take responses here with a grain of salt. Offers are the manifestation of interest, that’s it.

Of course, just because interest levels are low does not mean that a vendor will drop their price. The booming rental market offers vendors who aren’t achieving their desired price a tempting alternative to selling for less than they had originally expected.

What is the energy rating?

We publish this on our website alongside the certificate and advisory report.

What is the aspect of the garden / balcony?

You can check this with a compass app on your phone. Another useful tip is to view the property on Google Satellite view. The red compass arrow at the bottom right of the screen always points to the north.

When was the property built?

We include this on our website.

Are there any other similar properties for sale in the area?

This can be found on Daft/MyHome/Auctioneera
All three websites enable you to set up alerts to ensure you receive an email the moment a property matching your criteria is listed for sale.

Has the property been altered in any way?

This is a reasonable question albeit this is covered formally in the conveyance part of the process. If a vendor has altered a property, they must provide necessary planning and compliance with building regulations documentation to the purchaser’s solicitor. Asking for this documentation at the bidding stage is somewhat premature, as it is covered formally at conveyancing, unless the property is being sold by auction in which case this documentation will be available with the rest of the title deeds published on our website.

How is the property heated?

This is published on our website.

Has there ever been a fire in the property?

This isn’t a question that auctioneers will ask their vendors as a matter of course so they will likely need to refer to the vendor to get the answer, which will typically be no of course. Remember that you will be having a surveyor inspect the property’s physical condition prior to signing the contract in any case, so buyers can take comfort in this.

Has the property ever been flooded?

Check www.floodinfo.ie as per @crazyhouseprices guidance.

What kind of parking is available?

We publish this information on our website.

Has there ever been difficulty securing home insurance at normal rates?

The auctioneer will need to consult with the vendor here as this is typically dealt with at the conveyancing stage.

Are there any proposed developments in the area?

Myplan.ie and/or the local authority’s planning portal provide this information in great detail. Properties with green boundaries have had planning granted, red is refused (typically the applicant will submit a new application having considered the reasons for rejection of the current application), purple is invalid, blue is withdrawn and orange denotes that you should click to see further details. This is a fantastic free, public resource and this is not covered in conveyancing. Purchasing solicitors will typically do planning searches on the property itself but these cover very limited information like if there are any enforcement notices, CPOs or road widenings that will impact the subject property. In order to understand upcoming developments in an area, the buyer should do their own due diligence as outlined above.

Is there wifi available?

As per @crazyhouseprices advice, simply put your eircode into switcher.ie or bonkers.ie

What are the neighbours like?

To be blunt, there is no point asking the auctioneer this question. If the vendor is leaving owing to difficulty with the neighbours, they will not share this with their auctioneer. Even if they did, no self-respecting auctioneer is going to say, “she’s a fine house, notwithstanding the heavy metal enthusiast next door who likes to practice in the back garden at 3am.”

So the estate agent typically won’t be aware of any issues, and if they are, they will obviously put a brave face on the situation as they represent the vendor in the transaction. So what can a prospective purchaser do to avoid moving in nextdoor to the neighbour from hell? In the first instance, walking the area at different times of the day to get a general feel for the area is a worthwhile exercise. Search on Google News for the address to see if there are any adverse news stories mentioning the neighbours. It is also worth knocking on the neighbours’ doors, introducing yourself as a prospective next-door-neighbour and having a chat with them. You can then form your own, first hand judgment as to whether you would be comfortable living next to this person or not.

Has the roof been repaired?

It is best to leave this to your surveyor should you get that far albeit if you ask one of our agents, we will get that information for you.

What level of snagging is included?

As with second hand sales, make sure not to close the sale until totally satisfied. Typically, reputable builders are very helpful in returning even after the sale has closed to help with any teething issues. One important note here is if the development is finishing up soon, it is far more difficult to get a builder’s attention once they have left the site so if there are any issues, the time to raise them is while the developer is still onsite.

How old is the boiler and when was it last serviced?

At Auctioneera, we include this question in our initial vendor questionnaire so we have this information to hand and can share with buyers at viewings.

What is the annual service charge in a multi-unit development?

We include not only the charge but also what it covers. This is important as a charge that includes refuse collection will obviously be far higher than one that does not.

At Auctioneera, we include the amount of the management charge as well as what it covers.

In the conveyancing stage, an additional question that is asked, as part of the requisitions on title, is if there are any substantial works planned which are likely to substantially increase the charge. Buyers should concern themselves not only with the current charge but what it is likely to be in the future. This is covered formally during conveyancing.

What schools and transport links are available?

A list of all schools in the country is available here https://www.gov.ie/en/directory/category/495b8a-schools/ Google Maps is fantastic for checking transport links.

How much similar properties have sold for over the last few years?

Check www.propertypriceregister.ie or https://www.auctioneera.ie/all-sold-properties On our website, we also include sale agreed prices as well as sold prices, which may be of interest.

How much will renovations cost?

There is no point asking an auctioneer this question as it is not their area of expertise. Feel free to bring a builder to a viewing and get a quotation from the experts.

Is the converted attic / loft certified?

When an attic is converted, it can be done so in two ways: with or without planning permission. If done with planning permission for use as habitable space, the attic can then be used, for example, as an additional bedroom. A three bed can become a four bed if the necessary planning permission was granted.

If not, then even if the attic is in use as a bedroom, it technically shouldn’t be and it doesn’t qualify as a bedroom i.e. this is still a three bedroom technically, even if there are four bedrooms in the property. In such instances, the vendor will need to produce a certificate of exemption from planning permission. In either case, a certificate of compliance with building regulations is required. This is covered during conveyancing.

Check the floor measurements match the BER Assessment (can be found on SEAI.ie)

At Auctioneera, we use laser measures to measure floor areas so they are typically extremely accurate. If there is a discrepancy, it shouldn’t be assumed that the BER assessor is correct instead of the auctioneer / whomever produced the floor plans for the auctioneer. Measure yourself at the viewing to get the definitive answer if there is ambiguity.

Is there a septic tank / is it working?

We ask this question albeit we come across it rarely as the bulk of the properties we sell are in urban areas.