How to house hunt in the new normal
Lyndsey Beckwith, Area Director of Property Sales at Gilson Gray, provides tips on how to house hunt in the “new normal”.
Over the past few months we have all had to adapt to a “new normal” in many aspects of life and the property market is no exception to this.
With activity levels at an all-time high and restrictions to control the numbers of people we interact with, where do you begin with your house hunting when gone are the days of open viewings?
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Look at the photographs and floorplan
Make use of the marketing material on offer – at Gilson Gray we have always believed in having good quality photographs and a floorplan, and never more so than now. Study these and imagine how your furniture would fit in and how you see yourself making a home there.
Read the Home Report
Download the Home Report and have a good read through this. It is always tempting to just scroll to see the 1, 2, 3 grading and then the valuation, but it really is worth reading the detail.
Make sure you go right to the end of the document as here you can often find a specialist report which can provide more detail to something flagged up earlier. For example, maybe damp was mentioned but there could be a report showing that the damp has now been rectified and is no longer a problem.
View properties virtually
You now must view a property virtually in the first instance if possible. At Gilson Gray we will send you a video tour – we have had a lot of positive feedback about how these videos give you a really good feel for the property.
Book an appointment to view a property in person
If you then decide you are keen to view in person, you can make an appointment and will be issued the guidelines which must be followed to allow these viewings to take place. We have found viewings have been working really well and both sellers and buyers generally feel comfortable carrying these out.
Of course, the process is somewhat different from what we were used to. However, we are delighted to still be able to help people sell and buy all whilst ensuring the safety of our clients, viewers and employees.
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Gilson Gray
Find out more about Gilson Gray by contacting the team on 0131 516 5354.
ESPC magazine
This article appeared in the November 2020 issue of the ESPC magazine. Find out more about the ESPC magazine and read the latest issue.
