Rooms we walk before we buy

A house we might buy is walked in daylight. We look at the living room, the bedrooms, the windows, and the way the front door sits. The pictures here show the sort of rooms that come up. They are not a catalogue of homes on the market today.

Two beige armchairs, a fireplace further back, and wide windows over a pale carpet.

The living room first

We stand in the main room and look at light, damp marks, and whether the windows shut. A fireplace is noted if it is there. We are not scoring the cushions. We are deciding whether this is a house we want in our own name.

If the rooms are occupied, we only come at a time the people there have agreed.

A pale bed against a grey wall, a floral rug, and trees visible through the window — A pale bed against a grey wall, a floral rug, and trees outside the window.

Bedrooms and the quiet faults

A bedroom tells you about the windows and the heating more than about the paint. We open the window, look at the sill, and check the corner where a roof meets a wall. A hairline crack is written down. A stain that is still wet is a reason to pause.

A white timber house with a red metal roof, flower baskets, and steps up to a white front door — A white timber house with a red metal roof, flower baskets by the door, and steps up from the path.

The outside, on the same visit

We walk to the front door, look at the roof from the path, and note the gutters if they are full. A house can be sound inside and tired outside, or the other way round. Both go in the note we keep before we decide to buy.

When one of our houses is for sale, a viewer sees the same rooms, at a time we have set. Write via the contact page if you want to ask about a house we own.