What to ask an estate agent when buying a flat on the secondary market?

A number of questions arise in the mind of a person planning to buy a property of their own. They want to be sure they choose well and will be proud of their choice. In addition, as a consumer, they want answers to the questions most important to them. A professional adviser will dispel all doubts. First of all, however, it is worth finding out what to ask an estate agent when buying a flat on the secondary market. We present a list of the most important issues.

• What to ask an estate agent? Two key issues
• Ownership issues
• Neighbours and tenants come in many guises
• Charges and appliances left at your disposal

What to ask an estate agent? Two key issues

When talking to the seller, it is worth asking the almost trivial question about the reason for the sale. Sometimes in the course of such an exchange many interesting details can come to light. The person you are talking to may point out the elements that will ultimately allow you to negotiate the purchase price. It is good to realise that, as a rule, the final offer can be as much as 10% lower than the initial one, so it is certainly worth negotiating. What other details should you ask the estate agent about when buying a flat? The list of issues is long.

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Ownership issues

It is extremely important to check the legal status of the property being bought carefully. If we ask an estate agent for help, we will incur additional costs, but it is worth doing. Just as important is making sure that the property is not security for a loan or mortgage. Next, you should find out how long the premises have been occupied by the current owner and who lived there before them. A large number of previous owners often makes you wonder what hidden defects the property has, if it has kept changing hands. In addition, experts advise analysing what repairs have been carried out so far and which are still planned. Another matter is who manages the building where the flat is located. Whether decisions are taken in a housing cooperative (spółdzielnia) or a homeowners' association (wspólnota) can be of considerable importance.

READ ALSO – BUYING A NEW FLAT BEFORE SELLING THE OLD ONE

Neighbours and tenants come in many guises

When deciding to live in a given place, we should know what kind of people we will have in our immediate surroundings. In the longer term this is very important. It is good to be aware whether the neighbours are friendly, or whether they keep creating one problem after another. Daily contact with such people, even in the most modern building, can really fray your nerves. Another important question is whether the premises were previously rented out. There is no knowing what "surprises" previous occupants may have left behind. In addition, let us check the immediate area. If the surroundings do not entirely suit us, it is worth thinking it over carefully before signing the preliminary agreement (umowa przedwstępna).

READ ALSO – THE 5 MOST COMMON MISTAKES WHEN BUYING A FLAT

Charges and appliances left at your disposal

It is extremely important in a conversation with the seller to find out how high the service charge (czynsz) and utility bills are. After all, these are what will be paid every month, and it is good to be sure that we can cope with these expenses. It is also sensible to check whether the flat will be left empty, or whether there will be furniture and TV/household appliances there. This will certainly help us determine the total expenses we will have to bear.

As you can see, a buyer should ask the estate agent a number of questions when buying a flat on the secondary market. All doubts arising in this area will be dispelled by the specialists representing the REMAX Gold estate agency.