While a thorough survey should pick up any major problems with the property itself, checking a few details for yourself never hurts, particularly with an investment as important as your home. Read our tips and you won't be wishing you'd never seen the place...
4Homes Essentials
Mortgage Calculator
Property Search
UK Region Ratings
We're not only talking about the big guy next door who likes belting out Elvis at three a.m. - nearby train lines are just one example of a potential source of sleepless nights you may want to avoid, especially if you have a young family to care for. Check a local website for nightclubs, football stadiums, flight paths, and even emergency services: those sirens won't help you drift off. Annual music festivals and carnivals are also worth bearing in mind if you don't want to be surrounded by anarchic revellers for a week every summer.
No matter how nice the area, your dream home may also make the perfect lodging for a variety of creepy critters large and small. Watch out for obvious signs of insect infestations, while vermin droppings are a definite no-no, as mice or rats can be hell to shift, particularly in older houses where deep foundations can be difficult for pest-control to get to. Outside the home, foxes will make horrific noises when they're getting frisky and can upset dustbins, but local councils tend to leave them alone as they help control rats. Check out websites like foxolutions.co.uk for effective humane solutions to a fox problem in your area, including repellant sprays, ultrasonic deterrents and movement-activated sprinklers.
