Whether you are buying a new or second-hand home, you need to have all the information you need to make your investment secure. Knowing what to ask the vendor or estate agent offering the property is essential.

Remember that you are making a major expenditure that will change your life and that of your family.

If It’s a New House, What Should You Ask About?
If the houses for sale you are looking at are new, you know that they will not have the normal wear and tear that a second-hand house would have, but there are many other factors that you need to evaluate in order to choose the best option based on your needs and budget.

Does the Company or Person Selling to You Have an After-Sales Service?
After-sales service is a service in which the estate agent or seller follows up with the customer to ensure that they are satisfied with their purchase.

It is important that you determine whether you will be supported and looked after if you have any questions, complaints, need advice or simply to ensure that the transaction is not fraudulent.

What Is the Specification of the House You Are Getting? Are They Guaranteed?
A home’s finishes, floors and coverings add value, both in terms of beauty and added value. Be sure to ask if the house you are buying comes with the pilot project finishes and, if not, that they specify how they will deliver them to you.

You should also ask if there is any after-sales maintenance, cleaning or insurance cover for damage to the finishes.

Do You Accept Mortgages?
It is never easy to come up with the cash to pay for a new home, so mortgages are the most important tool you have.

For this reason, you need to be completely confident that you are dealing with a conveyancing company that can work with this system without any problems, and that they can also deal with the type of loan you have been approved for or are looking to access.

How Do You Arrange a Mortgage With Them?

Once you have established that the company in question deals with mortgages, it is important to ask which ones they work with and what the process is for using them to buy a property with them. You need to know what documents and information they require, what the waiting periods are and what the general steps are for buying a home through them.

Can the Company Help You Manage Your Credit?

Some estate agents will help you manage your mortgage, while others will be more passive and expect you to deal directly with the bank. You need to be aware of the type of support they offer.

What Type of Construction Do You Manage?

Builders generally offer several types of construction, the two most common being block or brick houses in a more traditional style and prefabricated concrete houses. Both have their advantages and disadvantages, so you need to know how the house you want o buy is built and analyse which one best suits your needs and possibilities.

How Many Years of Experience And/or Projects Have They Developed?

Agents with more experience usually have a greater variety of properties to offer and enough expertise to know which one might best suit their clients’ needs. This is a valid question, but the service will certainly reveal the experience of its agents.

What Is the Total Cost of Buying a House?

When buying a house, you will always have to add an additional amount to the total price of the house for taxes, deeds and other set-up costs. If the estate agent is helping you manage your loan, they will probably be able to give you an accurate answer as to the total amount you will have to pay.

There you are! You now know what type of questions you should ask when buying a house. Do you have any other of your own? Let us know in the comments below.

And, if you want to know more questions, come back to check the second part of our article.