I wouldn't be happy doing that, I would always want to visit the place and have a good look round it in the flesh, as it were. There could always be something wrong with it that isn't apparent from a remote viewing. Like a nasty smell or a neighbour who plays loud music at 2 am.
Then again, do you find out everything you need from a physical viewing? The average viewing is only 20 minutes, and often less than that. If the place has been thoroughly redecorated and refurbished, there could be something seriously wrong with it that you don't notice because its been hidden.
So in practice a physical viewing isn't much better than a remote viewing. Of course you can get a surveyor's report that will tell you if it's structurally sound, but that still won't tell you about the nasty smell or the noisy neighbour.
Jenny and I spent about 20 minutes looking round this house, which looked fine but the surveyor's report told us a lot of things we were unaware of (nothing too serious thankfully - nothing to stop us buying the house).
I've read a few times about people buying a property after seeing it online, only to find that the house or flat doesn't exist or it's owned by someone else and not the seller. But that seems to be very rare.
Call me old-fashioned but if I'm thinking of buying a house, I want to have a look at the actual thing, not some online sample.
We bought a house 1/2 block from an elementary school as our daughter was coming of school age. The next year they closed that school then bussed our daughter to one much further away. How do you "look" for details like that?
ReplyDeleteLinda
Linda: Indeed, who could have foreseen that? The best laid plans can suddenly be up-ended.
DeleteI can't imagine not looking. Looking at how old is the furnace, does it smell musty, what is being left behind, etcetcetc.
ReplyDeleteJoanne: Yes, all sorts of things one needs to know. I forgot about the "queries before contract" which the seller has to complete. That can sometimes throw up a few unexpected details.
DeleteNot just looking...but go back in the early hours to check on noise...music, motorbikes....
ReplyDeleteFly: I did in fact come back to see this house one evening to check on noise etc, but the whole neighbourhood was as quiet as the grave!
DeleteI went back in the middle of the night before the offer to see if there were problems. Noise, breakins, shady goings on, drugs. Always got a reputable inspector to check it all out and a good lawyer to check out liens or hidden ownership (i.e. not front (wo(men)) I've had friends who got burned with hidden royalty arrangements on crown land, etc. Can't imagine buying sight unseen, but desperate housing market, I guess.
ReplyDeleteXO
WWW
www: Sounds like you were very thorough when you were purchasing. Even good lawyers can sometimes miss something important.
DeleteI can't imagine making such a big purchase without seeing it in person. We did tour houses for our son and his wife, as they lived two hours away and could not keep driving up here every time a house became available. Eventually, we helped them find the right place and they made the offer before having seen it themselves (though we facetimed with them while in the house).
ReplyDeleteBijoux: It was handy that you could look at houses on their behalf. When Jenny and I moved to Belfast, there was no way we would have bought somewhere through remote viewing. We came over to Belfast and looked at every possible house in the flesh.
DeleteMary says: "I've never done that. I would need to see the place in person."
ReplyDeleteMary: Me too. How can you trust a remote viewing to give you a full picture of the place you're interested in?
DeleteI like browsing Rightmove, but if I was putting in an offer I'd have to view the place at least twice - and check out the neighbourhood. Estate Agents are very selective with their photos!
ReplyDeleteSx
Ms Scarlet: Indeed, estate agents can be very selective - and very crafty - with their photos.
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