ARTICLE: Property Buying Tips Part 2
Date Added: 2007-06-04
For those who thought the term location meant convenience to your daily routines, it is much more than that. It implies the constantly changing effects upon a specific home or property, caused by other people and the natural environment. Your concern should be pinpointed against other people what type of people are your prospective neighbors The viewing appointments will probably take place during office hours when neighbors are at work or school, but how does the neighborhood change in the evening Are there people in the area who make life unpleasant at night Do many people work shifts, coming into the area during unsociable hours and waking up everyone else Any location requires a careful survey to allow assessment of the pros and cons after all, youre investing a large amout of your money in this. |
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A certain amount of caution is required when undertaking the following exercise; I can't advise on specific locations and each one is unique. What I wish to do is suggest various ways by which you can thoroughly assess a location, so here's my next tip:
# 2: Bring a 'prop' when you visit your intended neighborhood and avoid inspecting it alone. Nothing draws more attention than a solitary adult loitering around an area and , in some countries, this is illegal. Look at it from the neighbor's point of view; they are protecting their family and property against possible threat and can't tell from glancing at you that your motives are innocent. You don't want to draw adverse attention to yourself or have the neighbors phone the police because you look suspicious. What do I mean by a prop? It could be a partner or friend, preferably from the opposite sex if you are male (two men together make people suspicious since their first thoughts are you are 'casing' their home before breaking and entering). If you have a child, bring him/her along (but avoid bringing several at the same time since they might attract too much attention - ration them out for subsequent trips if they are keen to accompany you).
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| An accompanied child often attracts positive attention from strangers, and may be a good way to introduce yourself to a prospective neighbor or for you to ask useful questions once you have explained that you're checking the neighborhood. Another useful prop is a dog (providing you bring a bag in case it fouls the path/sidewalk!). Like a child, a dog allows you to pass slowly through an area, paying attention to detail and innocently surveying the scene. Where possible and safe, examine on foot, rather than arrive in a car, eve if it means parking in a car park some distance away. For those who cycle, this is a non-invasive way to arrive and spend a little time without drawing undue attention. You can feign a mechanical problem and spend some time on the path/sidewalk 'fixing' your bicycle. If you can adapt or combine these props, you can make several visits to your location. Always bring a brochure/prospectus of the intended property which you can produce to demonstrate that you are a genuine prospective buyer.
Such surveys will yield a lot of useful information about an area that you might have missed by visiting during office hours. It allows you to take an informed decision about an area, to privately decide which factors might affect your quality of life and to use any adverse effects as bargaining power when negotiating with the property's owners.
In the next installment I will suggest less direct ways of exploring a potential neighborhood and gathering important information about your future home, once you decide that an area still attracts you.
If you found these suggestions useful, please explore my websites.
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