Buying a new house causes a lot of psychological pressure for a lot of people, it is considered to be the biggest investment project in ones life. In order to minimize this pressure and to turn the buying process into an interesting experience we would like to offer you some general guidelines that will enrich the buyer knowledge and help him taking the right decision to buy the right property land or the right house.
First: Buying a property land to build a house:
It is preferred to take your time when you want to buy a property land, that is because choosing the right one is the best start for achieving your dream. To do this you need to consider the following:
- Location of good soil (that can bear the pressure and can be used later for re-filling will help a lot in reducing the building cost. The groundwater level will also have a big impact on the building cost. Visiting close-by sites, that were recently drilled accompanied by the real estate consultant or an engineer, will help in knowing that. It is necessary to avoid flood plain or locations that were exposed to landslides while choosing the site.
- Building regulation in the Area. You should ask about planed building structure in the area (height & building ratio) to ensure suitability of property land for the planned project. The Municipal Council can provide you with such information.
- Check the availability of Infra Structure and Utilities (Roads, Electricity, Water, Sanitation & Phone lines) not forgetting checking the site’s accessibility.
- Check the compatibility of the land specs to the official papers of ownership (Area, Dimension & Surrounding).
Second: Buying a House:
Before starting the search for the suitable House, you need specify your requirements:
- Sit with your family and prioritise your requirements. This means writing down your requirements, where you should start with the most important thing, then the less important and so on till you reach the last one (e.g, to have a garden, to have two bedrooms with its bathrooms, big kitchen .. etc). This will help giving an overview based on the important things and family members' number.
- Try to specify the Areas you want to buy your home in, and don't focus in one Area (the more you choose the best chance you will have to find the required home).
- Don't try to look for a fix surface area but look for a range instead (e.g. between 550 & 750 sq. m).
- Good Choice for property side (the Sun & Wind directions): It is preferred to have the property of a side that allows sun rays in the house and not forgetting the wind directions.
- It is better to start your search by visiting Real Estate Listing Websites. Just by pressing some buttons you can get a large number of properties based on the chosen criteria. Then the results can be reviewed and that will save your time and effort. We in 4sham have worked on providing our site pages with advanced search engines that enables site visitors to do their search electronically. The available search engines (city, area, type ..) will help in minimizing the choices based on the needs. The resulted properties can be reviewed in addition to the photos of some advertised ads. Visits appointments can be then arranged after contacting the Owners directly.
Many have succeeded in finding their properties by using our website (www.4sham.com).
Try to note your comments when visiting the chosen properties which will include the positive & negative sides of each visited property. That is because it is possible to forget some details while visiting so many properties and it is better to minimize your option to help you in reach your final decision.
Try also to rank the visited properties based on its preference to you. Then try to minimise the options till two for example and make a second visit before taking the decision. This will clarify your view.
- Consult your friends who have good knowledge about property prices based on the surface and specs you need and then try to estimate the property value. If you don't have the full amount start visiting the banks who give reasonable facilities and then choose the best deal for you to have the balance in terms of profit and time of payments. These are the two elements that will determine the instalment you have to pay and that should not be a burden to the family budget.
Take your time before taking any loan from a bank or a real estate agency until you make a complete review to your financial statements.
- Take the opportunity:
The good house of good specifications and in a reasonable price will not wait forever for you. So if you find a suitable house and it is of good price, take the opportunity. Try also to take a trust worthy specialist advice since he can estimate the house price before you make the final decision. Don't give your word about the price before getting his advice.
- Don't get cheated by the appearance:
While visiting the house you want to buy, don't let the overview deceive you. Some of you will think that we mean by deceptive appearance those houses that being by being built by traders with a bad finishes but of good external look, no in fact this can be easily recognized. By Deceptive appearance, we mean the opposite (dirty house, old paints & a lot of defaults in the finishes). Try to look carefully and try to judge the house by the way it was built, its space and how it meets your requirements. It is possible to have a golden chance in terms of specification and price and by a little effort and money you will make your dream house out of this house.
- Ensure the availability of comfort elements in the location
Pay a visit to the place during daylight and in the evening to ensure the absence of disturbance elements such as:
- Noisy neighbourhood (school, nursery, loud speakers, machinery in a factory or a workshops)
- Bad smell (Fuel station, animal farms, Slaughterhouse, swamp water)
Before signing the Contract;
Let your real estate consultant help you in ensuring the following:
- The availability of official papers of ownership and its compatibility with the actual space, location and surroundings. You need to check that there is no mortgage related to the house.
- Availability of Blue-Print (engineering drawings) and ensuring its credibility. Checking the building license and the compatibility of the drawings to what has been executed in terms of building area and floor numbers (e.g the drawing might refer to one floor while the building is of three floors which will be considered as a risk to the building).
- Ensure the owner has paid all the Utilities invoices.
- Check with the council if there are any fines or penalties related to the house.
Finally, ask for an advice from one of your friends & neighbours who have experience in real estate. Ask him to check the house from the buyer point of view and let him give you his positive and negative feedback about the building.
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