In my series of Insider Tips for viewing a house, I’m talking about uncovering damage, especially ‘concealed damage”.
So, first off, it is not acceptable to deliberately deceive people. Whatever the legalities are, it’s just not nice for sellers to conceal damage from prospective buyers. But in the real world it does happen which is why you need my insider tips for viewing.
The other day, I was speaking to a lovely client, Sarah, who had just got the keys to her new house and she was in tears.
The stark reality of seeing the empty house she had just bought came as a shock. The dishonesty of the vendors was hard to forgive. They left it in a dirty state, there were things broken and damaged fixtures that they had cleverly concealed – the worst being an actual hole in the shower tray that they hid with lots of shampoo bottles. How do you even make a hole in a shower tray? Search me.
The estate agent in this case was right at the budget end of the scale – more an online presence than a human reality. So in that business model, the owners do all the viewings themselves.
In conversation, Sarah and I concluded that viewing this house with the owners was a huge disadvantage. It’s more relaxing to walk around with an agent. It’s easier to fling open cupboards and have a good poke around. When the vendors are standing there with you, that can be a bit inhibiting. It’s a shame that some people are just plain dishonest when they are selling. My client has had to shell out a lot of money that she wasn’t expecting. What a stressful start to a new chapter!
So what are my Insider Tips for finding concealed damage?
I might be stating the obvious, but of course the bathroom pictured at the top makes it really easy to check for any horrors. The cluttered bathroom is the opposite and you can’t even see how clean it is and clutter is not your friend. So, it’s not obvious, it’s an important Insider Tip because clutter is a big no-no.
So what do I suggest? Be tough when viewing a property you are interested in, especially if the owner is showing you around.
Every single centimetre is for sale, so you have the right to poke in any cupboard, run all the taps, test the showers and the toilets. On a second viewing, request in advance that the owners remove all the small items from work surfaces and bathrooms! Plus, I always lift floor rugs if I think I’d keep the flooring. You’d be amazed how often sellers deploy rugs to conceal stains or damage!
On average, people spend as much time “viewing” a car as they do on a house. That doesn’t make sense given the difference in investment.
What experiences have you had? Horrors 😱 or Happiness 🎉?
I’m Eileen and I help busy professionals to love the home they are in by making the space really work for their individual lifestyles. However, sometimes moving is the right decision, rather than improving. I’ve been buying and selling properties for decades for myself and advising clients, so every so often I like to share some of my insider tips on the blog. Check out my other blog posts here.
