Want to acquire a house? Ask these questions
Now that you found the house you were looking for, it is important that you ensure it matches your needs by asking the right questions.. Asking the right questions help you know the value of a house, its history and find out if there is anything you should be worried about.
Take a look at the 22 questions below:
1. When was the house built?
Reason:
The older a house is, the more prone it becomes to series of problems including termite damage to the wooden parts as well as parts of the house that offer structural support. Older houses are also prone to mould and mildew damage, plumbing challenges, foundation or structural trouble, roof complications, inadequate or unsafe electrical systems, failing or inefficient mechanicals and appliances and substandard or unsafe features.
Newer houses, on the other hand, tend to have few or no issues since most of what has been used in the construction process is new and in good condition.
2. Is the house owned by a family or an individual person?
Reason:
You should find out if the property you are about to buy is owned by an individual or a family. If the house is owned by one person, it is safer to deal with this property owner. However, if the house is owned by a family, you are advised to proceed with caution because when not well managed, houses owned by families are often plagued by controversies born out of power tussle over inherited property.
When the house you want to buy is owned by a family, it is important to request for documents showing ownership of the property.
3. Why are you buying the house?
Reason:
Ask yourself this question – Are you buying this house with your head or with your heart? You may develop a soft spot for the house for instance, because it has a garden but be sure you take the flaws into cognisance.
4. What is the average number of hours the neighbourhood enjoy electricity supply?
Reason:
Nigeria has a persisting problem with electricity supply. This explains why there is no regularised quota for the supply of electricity in the country. Electricity and its level of supply, therefore, becomes a very important question you should ask. In Nigeria, some states and districts enjoy more hours of electricity supply as compared to others.
5. If the neighbourhood is gated, does it have strict policies about when gates are locked for the day?
Reason:
You don’t want to live in a house where you close from work at 11pm and get home at 12 midnight only to realise that you have been locked out of the street because the neighbourhood has a very strict policy of locking the gate at 11pm. A good example of a district in Lagos where you should be mindful of the time of the day you return home are some parts of Surulere, Mushin and some streets on Toyin Street in Ikeja.
6. Is the neighbourhood noisy or quiet?
Reason:
Some neighbourhoods are predominantly noisy and this is peculiar to neighbourhoods that have schools, loud generators, religious houses or grinding machines. Depending on where the house is located, these are common features within Nigerian neighbourhood that constitute noise pollution. Away from noisy neighbourhoods, there are districts that are quiet and offer an impressive level of serenity and ambience for those who have this preference.
In essence, you want to ask this question and from the property owner so as to decide what your next move should be.
You should also ask if there are Churches or Mosques with public address systems in the neighbourhood? In Nigeria, religious houses especially Mosques and Churches often have public address systems mounted on their roofs. As expected, this volume of the public address system constitutes enough noise to spark complaints from homeowners and residents in the neighbourhood where they are located.
In 2016, the Lagos State government shut down 70 churches, 20 mosques, 10 hotels, and various pubs and clubs over allegations of constituting noise pollution and disturbing public peace.
Also, Is there any nuisance factor you should know about? Sometimes, traffic from a nearby store or bar, barking dogs at night and homeowners into animal farming can constitute a nuisance factor. These are things you should be aware of if they exist and the property seller is a good person to ask this question.
You should find out what types of properties are close to your house. Imagine buying a home built next to a bakery with noisy machines. As you might have already guessed, commercial and industrial buildings lower the value of residential properties around them.
7. Why is the property owner selling the house?
Reason:
It’s important to find out if the property owner is selling the house. Is there something fundamentally wrong with the house and the owner is desperate to sell or is it just a need on the part of the owner to cash in on the property by selling? You deserve to know to know why the seller has decided to sell. As such, don’t hesitate to ask.
8. Does the house use a prepaid or postpaid meter?
Reason:
In Nigeria, there are two types of electricity meters used in properties, the pre-paid meter and the post-paid meter. These meters are used for reading and determining the rate of consumption of the end user; the general public. While post-paid meters are ‘analogue’ electrical reading meters, pre-paid meters are ‘digital’ meters that automatically read consumption and electrical recharge balance.
Also, with the post-paid meter, you pay for electricity consumption after usage while with the prepaid, payment is made before usage.
When buying a house, you should be really interested in knowing which one the house has as it goes a long way it determining when you pay and how you pay for electricity.
9. How does the neighbourhood’s drainage system cope during rainy seasons?
Reason:
Some residential neighbourhoods in Nigeria have an extremely poor drainage system and all it takes to expose the depth of this problem is one heavy rainfall. This is not something you want to find out after buying a house. To avoid this, ask the property owner about the drainage system, how it works and if there are any ‘trouble spots.’
10. Is the house close to your place of work
Reason:
If you work from home, then you will enjoy more freedom in deciding where you live. However, if you go to work in an office, then the distance is something you should consider. If you work in Lekki in Lagos, then buying a house in Sango Otta, you would be forced to endure lengthy commute to work. Be sure to consider this before you commit your resources to buying the property.
11. Is the use of generators permitted in the neighbourhood?
Reason:
In some neighbourhoods in Nigeria, it is okay to have a power generating set to make up for the epileptic power supply in the country. However, there are several neighbourhoods in Nigeria where the use of generators is prohibited. Some of these neighbourhoods include Senior Camp in Kanji in Niger State, Lagos HOMS and 1004 on the Island in Lagos State. These neighbourhoods have no generator let alone the possibility of using them.
You, therefore, want to find out what the neighbourhood’s policies are on the use of generators.
12. Does the neighbourhood have any strict pet policies?
Reason:
In some neighbourhoods, pets are not allowed. If you are an animal lover with pets that you love as though they were your children, you would want to find out what the pet policies are in the neighbourhood where the house you want to buy is located.
The authorities in some states in Nigeria have quite vocal on the need to make pet owners take full responsibility for their pets especially dogs.
13. What changes and upgrades have been made in the house?
Reason:
If the roof of the house of the house has been changed, you deserve to know. If the water pipes were changed 6 months ago, you should know. What this means is that you should ask the property owner if any changes or upgrades have been carried out on the property. It helps you understand exactly what you are on the verge of buying as well as how much value you should place on the house.
14. How long has this property been on the market?
Reason:
A property that has been on the market for a long time is a good reason to ask why the house has not been bought. The longer the property has been on the market, the stronger your power of negotiation. It could also be that the house has a structural defect or other problems that have discouraged prospective buyers. You should ideally be able to negotiate a discount on the price if the home has been on the market for 90 days or longer. Therefore, be sure to find out.
15. Is there a problem with the house you should know about?
Reason:
Ask the property owner to frank with you on whether there is any problem in or around the property that you should know about. This should be laid bare on the table before you finally make an offer to buy. If there is a problem with the house, it is left to you to decide whether it is a problem you can overlook or if you would rather walk away at that point.
16. How old is the roof?
Reason:
It’s really important to find out how old the roof of the house you intend to buy is. Newer roofs have a life expectancy of anywhere from 15 to 50 years or more and this depends on the material it was built with.
17. Are there schools close to the house or neighbourhood?
Reason:
Schools are a huge concern to Nigerian parents with children below 10. The farther the house is from schools, the stronger your power of negotiation as you could explain to the property owner that buying the house would mean that you would end up spending more money taking your children to school.
18. Can you afford it?
Reason:
Take a look at your budget for the next one year and ask yourself if you can truly afford this house. Ask yourself honest questions like how much of an impact buying this house will have on your finances. It’s okay if you cannot afford it at the moment but there will always be other opportunities to buy a house.
19. Are you working with the right real estate agent?
Reason:
The fact that the real estate agent you are working with is your friend or relative does not mean that you are working with the right agent. This is one mistake a lot of people make when buying a house. What you really need is an agent who has the experience, knowledge and reputation to guide you.
20. Has the house repeatedly changed hands?
Reason:
The more the number of people who have owned a property, the higher the chances that its features would have depreciated over the years. For a house you plan to buy, you should know if it has been previously owned by two people or if you are dealing with a property that has had 5 owners in the last 20 years.
21. What is the range of utility bills for the house?
Reason:
You should have a good idea of how much your monthly or annual utility bills run into and this is precisely why you should ask. This helps you plan this into your monthly expenditure. You don’t want to buy a house only to discover that you cannot afford the monthly utility bills.
22. Has the house ever been infested by termites?
Reason:
For those who might not know, termites can destroy a home. Unfortunately, the stealth with which termites infest a building can be likened to a vicious predator stalking its prey in the dark. Termites emerge from their nest, find their way into the property and initiate the process of starting a new colony. However, they leave signs that can be spotted by those who know exactly what to look for. The earliest signs of termites attacking a house are wood damage and mud tubes on walls, floors and ceilings. The mud tubes are passageways from the nest to the wood source built with soil to preserve body moisture control for the termites.
Ask for the sake of your peace of mind
When it comes to asking questions about a property you want to buy, go all out with your concerns and hold nothing back. A sincere property owner should not have a problem responding to your questions.
Is there any other question you would like to ask a seller before you make an offer?
