Buyers - Making the Most of Viewings!

So, you have assessed your needs of a property purchase, you have done your internet research, you have determined an area where you would like to live, which can offer the lifestyle you seek, now and in the future and you have also made a list of properties to view in that area, have your viewing schedule planned and are ready to go buy a home in France….or are you?

Even the most organised person can get to this stage with good intentions and then find their viewings simply do not turn out as planned and they still have no idea which property would be the best purchase choice, having viewed numerous of all their preferred types ….but why?

Well, the simple answer is lack of structure when viewing.

It is all too easy to think that once you have your schedule ready, you can view the list of properties, make a choice of the most suitable, offer, agree a price and buy.

In reality what often happens is that there is simply too much information to take in at each viewing. Layouts, detail about the buildings and area become muddled in your mind and you forget to ask some of the most basic questions of the sellers. “Was that the house with the large barn, or was it the one with the hangar and purple bedroom wallpaper; or was the large barn house the one with the purple bedroom wallpaper? Was the house on the edge of the village the one with the highest tax foncière, or was that the town house?” Conversations such as this after a day or two of viewing properties will not give you the desired outcome of sensible, calculated decision making and ultimate purchase of your ideal property.

So, how to avoid being in this situation - as with the whole process, preparation and planning are key.

Before you even leave your home on the journey to France, you need to prepare for your viewings.

1. Create a check list of basic points relating to your already determined needs from a property and location.

2. Create a list of questions you need to ask the sellers about the properties, location and their own lifestyle in the area.

3. Adapt each of the above to account for information you already have on the property and location for each of your properties on your viewing list.

4. You will be left with checklists and questions to ask each seller and have the facility to take notes on each viewing.

5. Prepare your sellers by requesting some time at the end of the viewing to go through your questions and lists, so they understand you are prepared and serious.

6. Also, allow your sellers time to ask you questions. This can often be helpful in garnering more information for your own decision making.

7. Feedback is important for two reasons; the seller needs to know the reasons you discount their property to improve their future chances of selling, but from your point of view as a buyer, your feedback can lead to glaringly obvious “needs” from a property which you haven’t considered at all, or previously regarded as “wishes”. Your criteria for a suitable purchase may well evolve as you view and you can adapt your viewings to better suit your new criteria. Some sellers will give you a feedback form to complete, but many won’t. Arm yourself with your own feedback form to complete after each viewing and give yourself time to do it immediately after each visit. A 15 minute chat and completion of the feedback form at that point can help you eliminate unsuitable properties removing the need to ponder over them later.

8. You will have a comprehensive file of information on the properties, locations and lifestyle in the area and it is a good idea to decide on the best 3 properties viewed at the end of each day, to carry them through to the following day of viewings. So, at the end of day 1 you will have 3 favourites, at the end of day 2, two of these favourites may have been replaced and you now have a new list of 3 favourites …and so on until the end of your viewing schedule and you then have a final favourite 3 to view as second appointments.

9. For second appointments, go through the checklists and questions, highlighting positive, negative and uncertain points and any unanswered questions; don’t be scared to ask for repeat answers, or further clarification on previous responses.

10. Finally, a word of caution, when you eliminate a property for good reason, beware of continually referring back to an appealing part of it. That fabulous kitchen may have been truly fabulous, but if the 3 bedrooms won’t allow you sufficient storage and the upkeep of the enormous number of outbuildings would present serious financial problems, then there is just no point at all wishing you could buy the kitchen! Equally do not eliminate otherwise suitable properties for superficial reasons, which could be easily remedied e.g. “the bedrooms are painted in awful colours”.

Preparation and planning will save you confusion, heartache, time and money by making your decision to buy the right property to suit your needs and lifestyle a clearer cut process. The heart will still come into play, but any irrational decisions will be tempered by structured information gathering.

You will offer on a property you are confident will suit you now and in the future (as far as anyone can tell what the future holds, of course!) and you won’t be second guessing the wisdom of your decision as you sign the purchase contract.