Viewing checklist: what to look out for

Start outside

A viewing checklist does not start in the living room, but outside. Walk calmly around the property before you go in. Ask about the year of construction and the most recent maintenance: a house from the 1970s needs different attention from one built in 2015.

Outside, look at these points at least:

• The state of the pointing and the brickwork
• Gutters, roof covering and chimney
• Window frames, paintwork and rot around windows and doors
• Cracks in the façade or subsidence of the paving
• Damp patches on ceilings, in the cellar or under the roof
• A musty or strange smell; that often points to damp

Inside, look beyond the furnishings

A neatly presented home sometimes hides precisely the defects you want to see. So look past the furniture and the colours, and test what you can test.

Inside, take these points with you:

• Turn on the taps and check the water pressure
• Check whether windows and doors close properly
• Look at the pipes under the sink and in the meter cupboard
• Ask about the energy label and the insulation; they partly determine your monthly costs
• Ask about the age of the boiler and the electrical installation
• Watch for cracks in walls and ceilings and damp patches behind cupboards

Stay structured, even across several homes

The question of what to look out for at a viewing often comes from buyers who lost a bid earlier because they decided too quickly or too emotionally. Structure helps against that.

Take photos, ask the same questions at every home and compare calmly afterwards. That way you avoid half-forgetting the second viewing by the time you are considering an offer. Also write down straight away what you still want investigated, for example by a building surveyor.

We come along to the viewing ourselves. Four eyes see more than two, and your dedicated agent knows where things usually go wrong.

Viewing in Amsterdam, Hoorn or elsewhere in the Netherlands

Wherever you are viewing, the basics stay the same: look carefully, ask the right questions and do not decide in haste.

We work throughout the Netherlands, from Amsterdam and Haarlem to Groningen, Leeuwarden and Zwolle. Wherever the viewing takes place, we assess the property with you, help you judge what a realistic value is and prepare you for the next step: making an offer or carrying on with the search.

What the support costs

Viewings are part of the buying support. That costs a fixed amount of €2,499, everything included, from the first call to the handover of the keys. No charges per viewing are added and there is no commission that moves with the purchase price. You only pay once you buy a home, and you settle through the notarial deed.

That all-in amount covers our agent's fee. Transfer tax, notary fees, a valuation report, a building survey and mortgage advice are paid separately to the parties doing that work.