9 minutes When buying a home it pays to plan all the steps from the initial idea of what you want to the final step of moving in. Let's begin with a summary of the steps.
You start by thinking about and noting what you want, 'picturing' your new home, its' price and location. Then looking for the properties online and in estate agents becomes the main work. Finally you narrow down to a few properties, view them, make an offer and start inspections. When all this is done, you have to agree a final price (you might look for a reduction if works are needed), start the legal process and finalise the mortgage.
You learn to separate out the different stages early and clearly (such as mortgage application or choosing a solicitor) to see where you are going and what progress you make. As you proceed, it becomes easier and clearer to manage the steps to your new home.
We have a number of free House Buyers Checklists for the major steps which form part of the overall house buying process described at First Time Home Buyer homebuying process step by step. The checklists are designed from experience to make you think about your house purchase in depth and they contain many items that you may not be aware about or are easy to overlook. Two of the most important are available in PDFs.
You should also read about The Hidden Costs of Buying a Home and Buying a home - are you buying a property dispute? - being aware at the start of the house buying process of pitfalls will help you to filter out problems at an early stage.
The Home Buyers Wants and Needs List is the first step to your new home where you set out your home details - you are guided through all that is in a house from internet speeds to parking to windows and with this template you define your most important requirements and wishes.
'Wants & Needs' narrows down what properties you want to view.
This becomes your guide when looking online in property portals and estate agents. It makes you think about what you want in a home, where it is and what services you want nearby. You will consider everything from EV charging to garden size.
The guide is flexible - as you start looking for a new house, you realise that you may have to trade off some qualities in favour of others and you can revise your preferences.
It is a reference for the property you are searching for.
It helps to make the house purchase easier as you know what you want and steer your way through the maze of houses on offer.
When you start visiting houses and attending open house viewing days, you can start comparing your Wants & Needs with what is on the market. When you find a house you like, usually you take a quick look around on the viewing day and can arrange a second 'inspection viewing' for a later date.
Would you buy a second-hand car without a test drive? The probable answer is 'No', so why would you buy a house without checking it out? The residential step by step House Buyers checklist in printable pdf format is free so download it and inspect!
The answer is very simple - it is at no cost. The Professional surveys that we discuss below are targeted at particular aspects of the house and they do not check many basic items in a property such as if all taps work. If you don't check these, nobody else will and you buy at your risk! House Viewing Repairs Checklist - What to look out for also details many of the major items that that you should inspect for possible repair or replacement.
The Free PDF Printable House Viewing Checklist Survey also known as a 'Pre-Purchase Checklist' guides you through the property viewing inspection.
It is based on real experience and is an easy to follow printable pdf to be used during viewing.
Checkpoints such as failed windows, dampness and drainage are highlighted and there are room by room lists on what to look out for during the house viewing.
Your house viewings are to judge the property checking that the 'basics' work. If you find a fault you get quotes for the repair costs so that you can ask for a reasonable house price discount based on your inspection. The checks are easy to understand and you do not have to be a surveyor or engineer to carry them out.
An inspection is a neutral, fair and simple way to speed up the house buying process for the buyer and seller.
The inspection is to filter out houses that may not meet your expectations and to avoid costly surprises. Your detailed inspection can make you notice problems and could save you thousands of pounds.
An organised house inspection helps you to decide if the property suits your demands and is fairly priced in its present condition.
Timing your house viewings is very important - if possible, take a look at the property even briefly when it is raining as you will see if gutters are overflowing and where rainwater actually goes to. An evening visit will let you see local traffic and visualise the 'home' at night.
You should also take a few trips around the local area - doing this prior to spending money on expert investigations can save you money as you may discover reasons not to buy the house at an early stage. You are not just checking out a home to buy but also the local services and living environment.
Download the Free PDF Printable House Viewing Checklist Survey now and take the worry out of house inspecting.
After you carry out your pre-purchase inspection, you will probably want to take some external advice if you discover problems or simply to have a surveyor or electrician give their expert view on the property.
There are various types of surveys depending on if the check is on the structure, a service such as heating or electrical wiring, a roof or the drains and all should be considered if relevant. Common questions about surveys are answered at Do I have to have a survey when buying a house? - Survey FAQs and at What are the different types of house buyers survey? you can find an extensive list of the common surveys.
Lenders may offer a lower mortgage interest rate if you use their preferred surveyor so always ask your lender if they offer this.
It is not unusual if one survey leads to another - for example a RICS Surveyor carrying out a home buyers survey may discover a possible problem and recommend a builder or engineer be called for further advice. Survey costs are not very high when compared to the cost of a house - they pay for themselves!
Not every inspection is needed but be aware that if there is a fault that you did not look for, your insurance may not pay to fix it in certain circumstances. We discuss this in detail on our section on the Importance of House Surveys and Insurance.
Inspections can be invasive when part of the building must be removed if, for example, there is a wall crack and an engineer wants to check inside the wall. In these cases the written agreement of the seller may be required.
When buying a house, it is easy to overlook the importance of choosing the correct types of insurance cover available both during and after house purchase.
House insurance is NOT a legal obligation but since you are responsible for a house from the moment of 'Exchange of Contacts', it makes sense to have it and the seller will require it.
You may also want to have insurance cover for the costs of professional surveys if the house purchase falls through or to protect your furniture and contents when they are being moved to your new home.
New service suppliers are also needed - these vary from internet to water so to help you plan an easy move these are included in the checklist.
Now that we have discussed the buyers wishes and preferences, we move to explaining other matters to think of when buying a home. The house from your wish list sits in surroundings that you have to consider. Everything from the weather to local traffic will influence how and where you live so we now look at a few common items to look up.
Before you even visit a property, it is worthwhile carrying out a few 'background' checks on the property and area. These are often free of charge and are a simple filtering method. They may cause you to reject the property but it is better to discover potential problems early before you incur costs. The many causes of flooding are explained at Buying a home with flood risk or chance of water damage.
Climate risk is a general term for matters including flooding, ground stability and soil erosion - you may need expert advice but some free information is available. If for example, a house is built on clay and the surrounding area is clay, the clay will expand in winter when it rains and dry out in summer - this can cause movement and cracking in walls. Drought, coastal erosion and wildfire may also be relevant.
In the building, heat stress and energy performance describe how temperature could affect living in the house. Houses with large south facing windows will let heat and light in.
All of the above will affect insurability and property value both now and in the future.
In the rush to buy, you have to protect yourself financially and ensure that you minimise your risks. If preparing your existing property for sale, we have a dedicated site House Sellers Checklist .co.uk to help you sell your existing home.
Always verify that anybody you pay during the house buying process is fully insured for their work/opinion (indemnity insurance or similar) - verify your solicitor (Solicitors Regulator) or conveyancer (Conveyancers Regulator) and any insurance agent.
House contracts can and do fail at the last minute so do not make any change to your living situation that can't be reversed until after your 'completion' (when the property is yours).
Don't cancel services or rental agreements if at all possible - just accept some additional costs as part of the house move process. Most participants in a house sale (estate agents, solicitors etc) are used to last minute hitches so you just have to accept them.
The Law Society of England & Wales designed the TA6 form which has a list of questions that the house seller completes mainly concerning the legal status and condition of the property. This 'sellers disclosure' is a legal document so it forms part of the contract if supplied.
It is often issued after you have carried out your inspections but you have every right to ask for it to be supplied 'early' in the conversation about buying a house - there is little point in progressing with a house purchase if there are major stumbling blocks so get this information as early as possible.
In Scotland there is the 'Home Report' which includes a visual inspection by a Chartered Surveyor - it has to be available once a property is advertised for sale and it must be supplied to prospective buyers.
How you phrase the question is as important as the question itself and this is part of the reason you hire expert advice from a solicitor. There are many items to consider and the items below are just an introduction with a detailed article at 50 Questions to Ask when Buying / Viewing a House Checklist 2026. You have to know if there are consistent problems such as slow internet access or a leaking septic tank.
Enquire about Access Rights that others have across the property and your rights across any other property nearby - it is very important with a shared drive.
Any Notices that affect the property should be listed including such things as any proposed developments nearby of any type - these can sway your decision as few people want to live near a wind turbine!
Construction matters relating to extensions, door, damp proofing, window repairs or replacements - check if they have building approval or installers certificates with guarantees. Guarantees may be only valid with maintenance conditions so ask if all required maintenance has been carried out - guarantees may not be transferable to a new owner.
Neighbourly disputes are common and vary from trivial to potential legal problems regarding the heights of trees. When you buy a house, you may also buy into a disagreement so always check. (see Buying a home - are you buying a property dispute?)
The Insurance - protecting your home lists services to consider when changing house. You need to verify the working condition of all and to check if services not owned by the seller cross the property - underground cables are an example. Ask the buyer if any claims have been made on insurance and the outcome.
Some of the terms used by estate agents, mortage brokers and solicitors can be new to the home buyer so check out our Glossary - common words used when buying a home
last updated December 19th, 2025