At some point in time you will settle on your preferred property. By now excitement levels should be high, but there are still some last-minute checks that you need to do. Here is a list of some of the detailed checks you should conduct before making an offer.

Check the street / local neighbourhood around the clock

All may have looked good on the Tuesday afternoon’s that you viewed the property, but you should check the location at other times of the day. What happens at the weekend, or during rush-hour mornings, later in the evening when families are back at home. Look for any changes that may adversely affect your pleasure time at home. The last thing you want is to discover that the much-treasured school just a few yards down the street conducts band-practice three nights a week and hosts the local disco on two nights at the weekend!

Make a visit to the neighbours

Now this won’t suit everyone, but if you are able, then it’s a good idea to go say ‘hello’, introduce yourself and ask a few questions about what it’s like to live in the street.

Check parking

If you don’t have off-street parking, then be sure that you can park your car easily.

Picture your belongings in the home

It’s really easy to get swept away with the ambience and cosmetics of a home, and forget it’s practicalities. Ask permission to take photos / video of the property. Walking through the home room-by-room (back at your place) will help you work out what goes where – does the home meet your practical needs?

What’s the travel time to and from work?

Drive the route yourself – and do it in both directions (i.e. you may be able to avoid peak hour on your way to work by leaving early, but may still get caught on the home trip). Can you manage the travel times? This can be public transport or cars.

Check out the local Activities / Services

If there are any specific activities or services that are important to you (i.e. they are on your Needs list) then make sure you’ve checked them out. This could be the local bowls club, doctors, church etc.

Check the Fees

What are the rates, strata fees etc. (i.e. compulsory expenses)?

So, when you’ve zero’d in on the likely home – check everything that’s important to you and understand which features are available and which are not.  A word of warning……. DO NOT EXPECT TO GET EVERYTHING YOU WANT. Your needs should be met, but don’t get 100% of your needs and 60% of your wants and feel dissatisfied.

It’s a fact of life that some prospective buyers will never buy, because they can never find utopia. They’ll procrastinate, and look for the smallest ‘non-compliance’ and then back-off. It’s highly unlikely that you’ll find the perfect property, expect to compromise (this is why we have a want list). At the end of the day, part of fun of buying a property is the process of transforming it into your home. Don’t be one of the ‘always looking’ brigade, as you may find that, over time, you get left behind and end up further and further away from your dream.