Open Homes

This may lead onto further questions due to the age i.e. if it is an older house you may ask further questions around when was it last re-wired, what renovations have been made, how old is the hot water cylinder and when was it last replaced (the life expectancy of modern copper or stainless steel cylinders is 20-40 years, but mains pressure glass-lined steel can be shorter at 12-20 years. The newer the house, the likelihood that these additional types of questions are irrelevant.

Asking this question, you get an understanding on what the competition is like and the salesperson is likely to state if previous offers have been made and declined, and possibly an indication of the price (range) expectation that the vendor is seeking.

The longer a property is on the market, will tell you two things: one, the market isn’t willing to meet the sellers expectations (some room to move and a potential bargain); or two, that the seller’s motivations to sell are not urgency based and that they are happy to be in the market until the ‘right’ buyer comes along.

Much like the above question, you’ll be able to determine the demand a market for the property and get an indication on an acceptance price.

This may be self-explanatory if a single or double-garage is present, but if nothing exists, it is important to know off-street parking exists.

An important question if your new property has a fireplace. If it doesn’t, how else is the home heated. And if it hasn’t been tested for a period of time, it may be something that is negotiated or alternatively you will know needs to be carried out when you move in and want to use it.

The last thing a salesperson wants to offer up is that there was a murder in the house three weeks ago! But is important to know as it will put some buyers off, while others may see a bargain. You can also do a Google search on the address and see if this picks anything up in the search results.

This will identify everything that will come with the house but more importantly provide you with a list of things you may need to purchase once moved in or what can be a point of bargaining when it comes to negotiation. For example, you may want a spa pool where one currently sits and it would be easier to purchase with the property rather than purchase new and have it installed; or the 60 inch television that currently sits on the wall of the lounge.

This question should not replace a builder’s report and/or LIM report.

This is a leading question to determine if any previous disputes with the neighbours have been had or whether the vendor has had previous discussions with neighbours about development and what the outcome of those discussions have been.