Buying a property. What you should pay attention to?

Buying a property is a very important matter that should be given enough time and effort. What should you look for when buying a property? In this article, we cover the main points that should not be overlooked.

Property location

One of the most important questions when choosing the house is the choice of the area. It is necessary to take into account not only the cost of apartments in different parts of the city but also your lifestyle and the specifics of a particular location.

• Transport accessibility. Is it convenient to get to the city center, your frequent places of visit: work, favorite shopping centers, places of residence of loved ones. Is public transport developed, are there frequent traffic jams?
• Ecology. Are there parks and squares, are there industrial enterprises nearby, what is the level of air pollution.
• Safety. The level of criminality, the number of fire departments, ambulance stations, and clinics.
• Infrastructure. Are there any large shopping, entertainment, and sports centers, supermarkets, consumer service centers, cafes and restaurants, kindergartens, and schools nearby?
• Social composition. Densely populated or quiet area, are there many new buildings and their number of storeys, are there social housing.

Assessment of the house and territory

If you have decided on the area and started your search, it is important to pay attention not only to a specific apartment but also to the house in which it is located. These points are equally relevant for the primary and secondary markets.

• House condition. Are there any cracks, wet spots on it, are there any unpleasant odors, in what condition is the facade. The quality of the material of walls and ceilings, the features of water, electricity, and gas supply, the class of energy efficiency, the introduction of the “smart home” system are important. For the secondary – the year of construction and the last major overhaul, the percentage of wear.
• Safety. Does the house have security, concierge, surveillance cameras, intercoms, what is the procedure for admitting guests. Fire safety is important: smoke detectors, fire hydrants, ease of evacuation in case of emergency, the presence of a fire escape.
• Parking. Is there a paid parking, free parking spaces for residents and guests, a “courtyard without cars” format. In the secondary housing – how full the parking spaces are at different times of the day.
• The condition of the yard. Is there a playground, an area for walking dogs, places for recreation, complex landscaping. Is it clean here: it concerns the removal of snow, the fullness of trash cans and garbage cans.
• “Garbage question”. Is there a garbage chute in the house, how far from the house is the container site, and is it fenced, is there a separate collection of garbage, modern buried bins, bins in front of the entrance to the entrance.
• Elevator. Its presence, in principle, is there a cargo, in what condition it is, whether it works quietly.
• Apartment areas. How many apartments are on the floor, are they located in blocks or in the format of a corridor layout. Are there storage areas (bicycles, tires) on the floor or in other parts of the house. Is there a light in the entrance.
• Management Company. Read reviews on the Internet, whether they often complain about high utility bills, whether the Criminal Code is associated with scandals or legal proceedings.
• Compare with other offers. Cost, payment options – is a mortgage possible and on what terms, the availability of discounts, the functionality of the layouts, for new buildings – the deadline.

Buying a resale property

Buying a resale property has its own characteristics. It is important to assess the technical condition of the house and apartment, to pay attention to the neighbors.

• Assessment of social homogeneity. This is one of the most important questions because the neighbors can poison life even in the most beautiful apartment. This can be done according to the external signs of the state of the house: cleanliness on the stairs and in the elevator, the availability of smoking areas, the appearance of windows and doors. If you like the apartment, visit the chosen house at different times of the day and days of the week, observe the life of the yard and at home.
• Legal purity. To do this, it is worth attracting a realtor or a lawyer. Key points: the presence of registered and discharged (certificates on forms 9, 12), the presence of registered children, are there any encumbrances or illegal redevelopment, debts for utilities.
• The general condition of the apartment. How long ago and what type was the repair, in what condition it is now. Assessment of layout, ceiling heights, and window views. Redevelopment is possible.
• Electrician. Check the functionality of sockets and switches.
• Heating, water supply, sewerage, ventilation. The presence of drips in batteries and pipes, the condition of plumbing, the quality, and quantity of radiators, are there heat regulators, are the meters automated. Check the operation of the ventilation windows: if you attach a sheet of paper to them with the windows closed, it should “stick”.
• Windows and doors. Wooden or plastic, panoramic or standard, operability of mechanisms, the presence of drafts. Is there a balcony or loggia, their insulation, and/or glazing. Is there a metal front door and will it be easy to replace the lock, in what state are the inter-room doors: creak, swelling, adherence to the jamb.
• If the apartment is on the first or last floor – get access to the basement or the attic.
• Equipment. Clarify what remains in the apartment. There have been cases when former residents took away everything, including the toilet.
• Cost. Clarify whether bargaining is possible, as well as how the costs will be divided in the case of a transaction with a notary.