Looking At A House Objectively: What Matters And What Should Not

Everyone heads out to look at potential homes with a list of the things they want in a house, and a list of the things they definitely do not want.  In addition to that wish list, there are also some other things you will notice about the homes you visit that may strike you as potential problems.

When looking at homes, it is important to know what things are deal breakers and what things are minor issues that you can deal with easily.  Turning down a dream home because of something that can be easily fixed seems like a silly thing to do, but it happens surprisingly often.

Cosmetic Issues

When you walk into a home which has outdated wallpaper or paint colours you wouldn't dream of using, it turns you off immediately.  While that first reaction is normal, it is important to take a moment, step back from that instinct and think about it objectively.  Painting is not that difficult or expensive, so try to imagine how the home would look with a different colour palette, one that is more your style. You might wish to redecorate to suit your taste anyway, so don’t let those details cloud your judgement.

Being able to recognise which issues are merely cosmetic and can be easily fixed is very important to finding a house you will love. Be prepared to visualise the home as you could make it perfect with a few cosmetic changes.  It will open you up to the different possibilities and might allow you to consider homes that aren't perfect the way they are now, but could be just right for you with a little elbow grease and a touch of paint.

Major Repairs

In some cases the major repairs that a house needs might be obvious.  Sometimes they might only be uncovered during a home inspection.  Either way, you will need to give consideration to whether or not you are willing to deal with the problem.

If the home needs expensive repairs, you can either try to get the vendor to do the repairs or accept that you will need to do them yourself.  In many cases, the vendor will not be willing to take on major repair work, but they may reduce the asking price accordingly.  Still, this might be a deal breaker if you are looking for a home in turnkey condition.

Knowing The Difference

A house inspection is the best way to uncover all of the issues, both minor and major, that a house might have.  When you review the inspection, look for things that can be dealt with easily as well as those that can't.  The amount of work you are willing to do will determine what problems you can personally live with.

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Should The Vendor / Tenant Be Present During House Viewings?

Showing your home can be a stressful experience for some - you have to keep it clean and ready, always looking its best, and you also have to consider where you'll be during the viewing.  Most people choose to leave the home, but if a viewing is arranged at the last minute and you don't feel you can leave, should you stay? 

Why it’s important to leave during viewings.

Most buyers prefer to look at a house while the current residents are out.  This is because it makes them feel more relaxed, since it's unusual enough to be walking through and examining a stranger's home.  It allows them to make observations and ask questions, which they might feel uncomfortable asking with the owner present.

Especially if you have a family, it can be really hard for people to get a good look at and feel for a house with you and your kids are around.  Leaving the house might be difficult sometimes, but allowing people to get the best possible look at your home means it's more likely they'll be interested in making an offer for it. Being close, but staying out of the way during a viewing can be beneficial; consider going out for a walk or drive, especially if you have kids who could get in the way.  You'll be nearby for questions and yet out of the way. 

It’s in your best interest.

You and your family can be a distraction for those who want to really get a good feel for the home - remember, they need to envision their family living there, not yours.  If you as the owner or in a rented the tenant absolutely must be present, then it is essential to stay out of the way as much as possible, and make sure the estate agent knows you would like to be helpful if there are questions - but stay away unless asked.  In other words give the professional estate agent the time and space to do their work it’s in your best interest to do so. 

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Ten Items That Are Most Likely To Be Left Behind During A Move

When the moving day arrives, there's nothing quite like the nagging feeling that you are forgetting something.  But, don't let the moving blues get you down because there are a few tricks that you can use to make sure that you don't leave anything behind.

Most often the last things that you use are likely to be the ones that are forgotten, so make sure to do a final check through the house before leaving. Before you start packing for your move, make a checklist of the items you need to remember to pack.  If all else fails, use the following checklist to help you retrieve ten items, that are most likely to be left behind during a move. 

1.    Lawn Mower.  Although that is not a small item that's easy to miss, it is easy to forget your lawn mower because it's likely to be stored away in a shed or another location outside the house 

2.    Medicine.  When people go on vacation, their medicine is one of the most commonly forgotten items.  Therefore, it just stands to reason that it may also be easily forgotten during a move. They are easily overlooked, because most medications are kept in a medicine cabinet.

3.    Tools.  We all use tools for simple fix-it projects, but we rarely think to pack them.  Tools are important but, because they are not something that's used every day, they are easy to miss when packing for a move. .

4.   Flashlight.  When the electricity is out or you find yourself outside after dark, these handy gadgets are a necessity.  Moving day, however, often finds families in the dark when it comes to realising they have forgotten their trusty flashlight.

5.    Bathroom Plunger.  It's not a glamorous essential, but it is a necessary one nonetheless.  A plunger is the easiest item to forget on moving day.

6.     Coffee Maker.  If you or someone in your family is a lover of caffeine, your coffee maker is a kitchen essential.  It's likely to be one of the last things that you will use before leaving the home, so it's also likely to be forgotten.

7.   Toilet Paper.  Speaking of one of the last things that you will use before you leave the home, toilet paper will be one of them.  Pack it or buy it when you get there but, either way, this is one kind of paper that you can't afford to forget.

8.   Car Keys.  Whilst taking your belongings to your new home, it's extremely easy to forget your spare set of car keys.  Do yourself a favour and make a note to take them along.

9.     Safes.  Nowadays many families have these, but alot forget them during a move.  Although most safes are purchased to store important papers, such as title deeds, and other essentials, they can be overlooked as they are usually located in an inconspicuous place.

10.     Bills.  Believe it or not - bills are easy to forget.  Most people think about the obvious items that they can see, but it's so easy to accidentally mix some new bills with the old ones and simply discard them.  As we all know this can cause serious problems in the future.

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Dublin city to allow eight storey apartment blocks

This article originally appeared in The Irish Times.

Decision by councillors allows for building of blocks 5m taller than currently allowed in most of city 

At 28m the maximum height for most of the city would be half the height of Liberty Hall (59m). File photograph: David Sleator/The Irish Times

Dublin City councillors have approved plans to allow apartment blocks to up 24m, the equivalent of eight storeys tall in “low-rise” areas of Dublin city.

The decision means apartment blocks 5m taller than currently allowed in most of Dublin, would be permitted in the new Dublin City Development plan.

City council chief executive Owen Keegan had wanted to allow apartment blocks up to 28m tall – the same height that is currently permitted for office blocks, in “low-rise” areas of the city. Apartment blocks 28m tall would have reached nine storeys. The existing maximum apartment height through most of the city is 19m or six stories.

Several councillors wanted low-rise heights to be at the “traditional height of the city”, the “historic height of the city” or the height of “Georgian terraces”, which are about 14m tall.

Mr Keegan urged councillors not to go ahead with these restrictions. “Reducing the definition of ‘low-rise’ to the height of typical Georgian buildings . . . would have severe repercussions across the city in terms of employment, international competitiveness, housing provision, together with critical infrastructure such as transport and hospitals.”

Compromise motion

Councillors late on Wednesday agreed a compromise motion keeping the maximum commercial low-rise height at 28m but increasing residential low-rise height to 24m .

Andrew Montague (Lab) who chairs the council’s planning committee advocated for the 28m limit. “We have to make a choice: do we want to have high rents, high inequality and high homelessness or are we going to do the best for the people we represent. Cities that have restrictions on height have high rents and high homelessness.”

Cieran Perry (Ind) said he didn’t know how anyone could consider nine storeys low rise.

People before Profit councillor John Lyons said anyone who believes 28m was low rise had been “spending too much time out in the sun”.

Sinn Féin’s Seamas McGrattan said lowering the proposed heights of apartments “sends the wrong message from the city”.

“I agreed 28m and I haven’t seen anything to change my mind. My clinic is full of people who need housing.”

Dermot Lacey (Lab) said the city planners had always wanted high rise. “They are using the housing crisis as an excuse.”

In the previous development plan heights in the “low-rise” categories were expressed in storeys as well as metres.

In terms of storeys there was little difference between apartment or commercial blocks: in the inner city low-rise was defined as up to six storeys for residential and up to seven stories for offices; 

developments at rail stations could be six storeys for both apartments and offices; while in the rest of the city low rise was defined as four storeys for both.

However, because of the lower ceiling heights of homes as opposed to offices, the use of storeys meant the inner city low-rise apartments could be 19m and offices 28m. At 28m the maximum height for most of the city would be half the height of Liberty Hall (59m).

Councillors have not sought reductions of mid- and high-rise areas. Nine areas have been designated as suitable for mid-rise buildings (up to 50m), and four, the Docklands, and George’s Quay, Connolly and Heuston can have high rise buildings in excess of 50m.

The Irish Times: Dublin city to allow eight storey apartment blocks

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