House hunting tips to simplify the process

House hunting can be an exciting time – but equally, it can be stressful. When we have moved in the past, I have found that the key is to planning ahead. Even if you are not planning on moving for a year, you can still start the process now. There are a few key pointers that you need to think about before you start house hunting, to help the process go as smoothly as possible…

Get pre-approved for a mortage

Knowing how much you will be able to borrow is key. It means you can focus in on houses that are in {or under} your budget rather than ones that you will not be able to afford. It also makes it a little easier if you happen to stumble across your perfect house sooner than planned.

Decide where you want to live

Deciding on the area you want helps narrow your focus. Investigate possible areas, highlighting pros and cons – this is also a good way of ruling areas out of your search.

Work out your ‘must-haves’

You need to decide what your ideal house will have – the number of bedrooms, bathrooms, living rooms. Garden space,, condition, etc Obviously, you may need to be a little flexible – but if four bedrooms are essential there is no point looking at two-bedroomed properties.

Look at what is available

Once you know what you want, start looking at what is on the market at the moment. A good place to start is with a property search engine such as Grow Property. It allows you to filter results by area, price, and bedrooms. This lets you see if what you can afford and what you are looking for match up.

Visit possible houses

Once you find some houses that match up with your requirement lists, make appointments to go see them. Even if on paper they are not quite right, you may be surprised when you walk in the door. Photos don’t always give you a real feel for a house, so seeing them in person is the best way – even if they are not right, it might make you think of things you had overlooked or reconsider some of what you thought was ‘essential’.

What other tips do you have for house hunting?