Although seemingly simple, visiting an apartment still requires taking some precautions. Indeed, so that your crush does not turn into a nightmare, it is good to take care of a few aspects. It’s about having a global approach to housing: the neighborhood, the condominium and of course the apartment itself.
Summary
The neighborhood
Even before the visit, study and visit the neighborhood: are there shops? schools ? a doctor… Is the place accessible by public transport, is parking possible? It’s also an opportunity to understand the « soul » of the neighborhood and see if you might like it here.
The building
Security being important, be attentive to access to the building: presence of a guard, digicode, video intercom…
Take the time toanalyze noise and odor nuisances generated, for example, by a shop open late at night, a bar, a restaurant, etc.
The state of the facade, the cleanliness of the common areas will give you an idea of the overall management of the building provided for example by the syndic but also of your future neighborhood.
Read also: Procedures for looking for a rental property
The apartment
After a few seconds, you will certainly have a feeling about the property in question, whether positive or negative.
Although this feeling is important, it should not prevent you from having an objective view. Use your eyes, ears, nose and imagination to visualize your interior design and furniture in this apartment.
Depending on your criteria, analyze the size of the rooms. Does the room have many nooks that will make it difficult to furnish? Is the overall layout convenient or do you have to cross the room to go to the bathroom?
Pay attention to the storage spaces because if the apartment has few of them, this will force you to buy furniture and will reduce the surface area of the rooms accordingly.
Evaluate the brightness and therefore the exposure of the property. For this, it may be wise to make the visit at a time of day when you will be regularly at home afterwards because a home can be very bright in the early morning and very dark the rest of the day!
Finally, take the time to listen: how well do you hear the traffic, the neighbours, the sound of running water, the children playing in the park, etc.
In addition to these rather general ideas, here is a non-exhaustive list of things to look at during a visit:
- Doors and windows : open and close all the doors and windows yourself to see if there is any malfunction that could have an impact on thermal and sound insulation.
- Walls, ceilings and floors : Examine these elements from different angles. Decorations left behind or very recently painted can sometimes hide moisture problems. Feel free to touch the surfaces.
- Water points : test the taps to check the pressure but also the leaks, the tightness of the bungs, bend down and look at the evacuations.
- Heater : inquire precisely about the mode of heating (individual, collective, electric, gas, presence of a programmer, etc.) This aspect can have a significant impact on your budget. Remember to ask for the energy performance report of the accommodation, this is mandatory.
- Electricity : is there a standard electrical panel (circuit breaker, fuses, etc.)? Is the location of sockets and lighting points judicious?
Tips: visit the apartment with another person, ask lots of questions and if possible visit the apartment several times at different times!
Read also: Buying a condominium: who pays what?