These checkpoints are essential when you rent or buy a home. Yet, hardly anyone thinks to watch them.
Renting or buying a home is an important decision. Although we want to say yes straight away if we have a crush, we must nevertheless take certain precautions and check certain points. Some seem obvious: have you already looked to see that the taps work well, that the windows and doors open and close well, the general condition of the house, the environment, the nearby shops, the electricity, the energy performance, etc. But have you really thought about everything?
The answer is definitely no. So although it may be tempting to say yes quickly because real estate may be scarce, don’t take the risk of feeling remorse later and having to spend thousands of euros to repair your house. A real estate expert, Jonathan Rolande, founder of a real estate platform on the web across the Channel, shared his advice and the points not to forget to check when you visit a house. He points out that almost no one watches any of them.
The first thing to look at is the neighborhood. Are the houses on the street well maintained? Is it clean in front of your future neighbors? Are there any noisy businesses? This already gives you an idea of your neighbors. Because yes, we cannot change neighbors like we change decor!
He also advises to “type the name of the street into Google” and look at the “all” tab, but also “news”. You might discover neighborhood-related news or something that might turn you off, like neighborhood conflicts or even worse like a high local crime rate.
Another point to look at: are there any cracks in the masonry or grouting? In homes built after 1930, corrosion of wall ties is common and quite expensive to correct, the expert notes.
Also remember to look at the manhole covers nearby, mainly on the terrace or near the gutters. If they’re covered in dust and grime without a clear edge, that’s actually a pretty good sign, because it shows that no one has touched them recently. On the contrary, if they appear to have been raised recently, this may indicate a defect.
And finally, the point that no one checks: see if there are trees near the house? Are these “thirsty” varieties like conifers? If so, they could cause subsidence or drainage problems. Don’t panic about them, but it’s worth investigating further… Just in case.