How to Search the Portals and View Properties Like a Pro
With your finances sorted and a mortgage in principle in hand, it's time for the exciting bit: actually looking at homes. This is where Rightmove tabs multiply overnight and your weekends start filling up with viewings. Here's how to do it properly.
Setting up your search
Rightmove and Zoopla are the two main property portals in the UK, and between them they list the vast majority of homes on the market. Here's how to get the most out of them:
- Set up email alerts the moment you start looking. New listings often get offers within days in popular areas, so being first matters.
- Search by travel time, not just postcode. Both portals let you draw a custom search area on the map : use this rather than rigid radius searches.
- Don't filter too aggressively at first. A property might tick fewer boxes than you think from the listing but surprise you in person, or vice versa.
- Look at the date listed. If something's been on for a long time, it's worth asking why. Sometimes the answer works in your favour.
- Check the sold prices data. Both portals show what homes have actually sold for on a street : brilliant for checking whether an asking price is realistic.
Reading a listing properly
Estate agents write listings to sell a property, so it pays to read between the lines. A few things to look out for:
- 'Deceptively spacious' often means it looks smaller in photos than it is : which can actually be a good thing.
- Check the floor plan carefully. Some listings are photographed in a way that makes rooms look much bigger than they are.
- Note whether the photos show a garden in summer. It might look very different in January.
- Look at what's directly next to, behind, and opposite the property on Google Street View before you visit.
Booking viewings the right way
Don't be shy about booking viewings. Even if a property feels like a stretch financially, or you're not completely sure, seeing it in person tells you things no listing can. And every viewing makes you better at knowing what you want.
When you contact an agent to book:
- Be clear that you're a first time buyer with a mortgage in principle : this gets you taken seriously.
- Ask for a second viewing of anything you like. A first viewing is for first impressions; a second is for asking questions.
- Try to view at different times of day if you can : especially to see how light or noisy it is.
What to actually look at during a viewing
It's easy to walk around thinking about furniture placement and forget to check the important stuff. Use this checklist:
- Is there any sign of damp? Look at ceilings, corners, and around windows. A musty smell is also a giveaway.
- Check the windows. Single glazing, rotting frames or broken seals can be expensive to fix.
- How's the boiler? Ask when it was last serviced and how old it is.
- Look at the roof from outside. Missing tiles or sagging is a red flag.
- Test the water pressure. Run a tap.
- Open every door. Sticking doors can mean settlement issues.
- How's the mobile signal? Some areas of Plymouth can be patchy.
- Where does the sun come in? Is the garden south or north facing?
Ask the right questions
The agent is there to help you. Don't hold back:
- Why is the seller moving?
- How long has it been on the market and has the price changed?
- Have there been any offers?
- What's included in the sale (fixtures, fittings, appliances)?
- Are there any known issues with the property?
- What are the neighbours like? (They may not always answer this one, but worth asking.)
Smeaton tip: At Smeaton Homes we'll always tell you what we know about a property honestly. We'd rather you find the right home than the wrong one : it makes for much happier buyers and a better experience all round.
Viewing properties is genuinely exciting once you get into it. Enjoy the process : but stay objective. Your head and your heart both need to be on board.
