Using The Internet To Check Before Buying The Home Of Your Dreams
Before purchasing your next home, you may wish to check on what you really need to know before buying, especially if it is an area unfamiliar to you.
Historic House Pricing
Sometimes asking prices are unrealistic and offer no guide on what is the true value of a property, so firstly, its worth checking the values of homes sold within the area you are looking.
www.ourproperty.co.uk offers this service for free.
This is useful when negotiating the purchase price.
Local Crime Rates
It is also worth checking on the local crime rates, and the police now publish all of this data online.
Is The Home in a Flood Plain or Subject to Other Environmental Hazards?
The environment agency now allow a quick way to check if the area is in a flood plain, near an area which may be been used for landfill or subject to pollution. All of these would affect your insurance premiums and are also considerations should you be raising a young family.
http://maps.environment-agency.gov.uk/wiyby/wiybyController?ep=maptopics&lang=_e
How does the area fare for economy, unemployment, education, health, crime, housing and community strength?
The Government now provides an app for iPhone and iPad to show how your local area fares on the important issues – the economy, unemployment, education, health, crime, housing and community strength.
http://data.gov.uk/apps/numberhood
Summarise What you Need to Know About the Area
A summary of the area can be found here:
Stamp Duty
Finally, HMRC provide on online service to calculate the amount of stamp duty due for purchases and leases: