Top tips for choosing the perfect property

Around this time four years ago my husband and I moved into a new home and for the first time it wasn’t rented, it was ours! Having spent a few months looking around in South East London where we wanted to settle so that we were within driving distance from my parents and a train ride away from the office, we discovered our flat in Peckham. Perfect for a couple the compact but comfy flat has 2 bedrooms, a new bathroom and a modern kitchen. It is ours to this day despite now living in Kent.

We were lucky to find something suitable for our lifestyles (at the time) within our desired area within our budget and I am thankful that we were able to buy it with only a few hiccups along the way. Funnily enough, it was only the second property we looked at, but finding something suitable can be a time-consuming process and you really need to know what you are looking for before you rush into any decisions. Here are my top tips for choosing the perfect property.

Finances

Of course buying a property is a decision with huge financial repercussions. Normally a traditional mortgage allows you to borrow up to three times your annual income so make sure you are aware of your potential budget before heading out to look at properties. Repayments should not be more than 35-40% of your net monthly income. We found ourselves a great independent mortgage adviser who talked us through all our options based on our income and found us a range of mortgages so we really knew what we were getting into – I can’t recommend this enough, our adviser not only helped us find our original mortgage deal but has given us plenty of advice over the years when it came to renewing or changing our agreements.

Find the right estate agent

I have to admit that the experience you have with the estate agent can make all the difference. When my husband and I had our first viewing for the flat that we would go on to purchase we were met by a rather agitated estate agent who had run late because he hadn’t told us the correct place to meet him. He then went on to almost dismiss the idea of us buying the flat at all because of the area it was in (which we knew well having lived just up the road for a year) which he obviously thought wasn’t good enough – almost like he wasn’t interested in the potential commission from selling it! I was really put off my his attitude but luckily I was so keen on the flat that I didn’t let it get me down. I really recommend finding an estate agent who is really interested in helping you and offers the personal touch like The Personal Agent.

Location, location, location

We knew exactly what the local area of our new property was like as we had lived down the road for some time, however, if you are looking to move to a new place make sure you spend some time researching the basics so you know what you’re getting into! What is the local transport like? We were lucky that Peckham has great train and bus links so we could get to work easily. Do you need space to park a car? Take a look at the local streets, are there some handy shops or restaurants? Can you see yourself spending an evening out nearby? If you have a family it is definitely work checking out the local schools and child-friendly facilities in the area. Try and visit your potential property at different times of the day and different days of the week to see how the area changes. Lastly, although you might not want to think about it , what is the crime like in the area? Check local newspapers for reports of anything untoward. See some more things to check here.

Beware the details

When we were property hunting my husband and I visited the location of an exciting development in Lewisham and of course, we were blown away by the glossy marketing and the beautifully set up show apartments which were straight out of a magazine. Having been really sucked into the idea of living in a brand new, bespoke flat I was really disappointed when it came to looking at what was included in the sale of the units – ultimately you got a lot less for your money than you would expect as nothing was included! Not even the floor. They tried to explain this away by saying that they couldn’t possibly know what sort of floor we’d like so thought it better to leave it to the new owners to decide on and pay for separately, of course. I can’t emphasise this enough – ask questions about any property you see whether it be new or old, make sure you know what is included and what is not to avoid walking into your newly purchased house to find no floor!

Buying a property really is an amazing experience and I hope my top tips have given you a few things to think about. Happy hunting!