My place is a leasehold. I was dead set against the very idea but a solicitor looked through the lease and reassured me it’s a pretty good deal. And I loved the flat, so I went ahead and bought it. Only been here a year, so it may go bad , but so far so good.
As has been said, check out google maps, street view and satellite view too. You’re looking for green spaces and large roads.
Hone your criteria. Look at places you know aren’t perfect. Look at places in different areas. For instance, I thought I wanted to be closer to the Tube station; that was one of my hard core priorities. I looked further out and realised it wasn’t as important as I’d supposed. So I looked even further out and learned that I didn’t want to be that far out; I also learned that I didn’t want to be in a neighbourhood where everyone knew everyone around them, and that was a factor I’d not considered at all until it was a selling point for a particular property.
Look out the windows when you view the place. Look up at the sky, at the houses opposite. This will be your daily view so make sure you check it out.
Where does the sun fall? Are there rooms that get blasted with sun? Now that heatwaves are getting more common, it’s something to consider. British houses are not constructed to deal with 3 weeks of very hot weather. A fortnight of 30 degree heat in Turkey is unremarkable and the houses are built deal with the heat in mind, but U.K. houses aren’t designed for heatwaves. If you struggle with the heat (especially when sleeping) it’s something to consider. On the other hand, it’s only three weeks of the year, so..
Alternatively, there may be rooms that get no sun at all, or very little in the winter, or miss out on summer sun. That might be fine for you but again, consider what you want to use that room for and whether lack of sunlight might be an important factor for you.
The sun shifts around so much through the year at this latitude that it’s not easy to be clear about this. You can get an app that will elucidate this for you. The estate agent will neither know nor care. “South facing garden” is about their limit.
As you’re walking around, listen for creaky floorboards underfoot. Not much you can do about it but I found that it’s a good way to switch on my general receptiveness. We make this huge enormous decision based largely on gut instinct so switching on your gut instinct is important.
Ask about water pressure in the area. Will your shower be a disappointing dribble or a warm luxurious waterfall?
Nearest pint, decent takeaway, park or green space, bus stop and post office.
Look for brand new paintwork. Why have they done that, are they covering something up?
Is there any storage? If not, is there space for wardrobes, shelves etc.
When looking online, ignore the furniture, soft furnishings etc. That’s the lifestyle and you can easily replicate or avoid it. Look at the size of the rooms, the windows etc. If the curtains are closed in the photos, check on googlemaps for street view etc: what is the photographer trying to hide?
You can change the study into a sitting room or the bedroom into a dining room if you want to. Don’t be stuck in the template presented by the vendor.
Imagine coming home with shopping, from a holiday, with friends: does the space work for you?
Where will you hang your coat when you come indoors? This may seem like a small thing but everyone who has had to live with piles of coats and shoes on the bannisters or clogging up the doorway will know how badly it can impact on your home.
And my favourite bit : once you’ve found a place you like, lie awake at night and walk through the place in your imagination and live in it in the best possible way you can imagine. Go in through the front door and explore every room, in as much detail as possible. If anything seems blank or worrisome, go back and check that space or detail IRL. Do the same in the garden and the local streets.
All the legal and financial stuff can be researched and explored and discussed with friends, on here, on the web etc. The only stuff that is solely your own work is choosing the place you want, and there’s no higher authority for that than you.
www.rightmove.co.uk
www.theguardian.com
heaven knows what the service charges are like.
