How to choose your dream family home rather than a nightmare

Do not rush

When buying a house, great caution is essential. Try not to rush the entire process in order to avoid serious mistakes. Do not underestimate the preparation involved, and find out in advance about the purchase process and the required documents. The main issue is often a lack of professional experience, meaning that a layperson cannot competently assess certain aspects of buying a family house.

The most common issues when buying a family house

With newly built family houses, we often encounter serious issues where buyers do not pay sufficient attention to checking the occupancy approval and fail to monitor warranty periods for individual parts of the house. With older properties, the biggest problem is usually an inadequate assessment of the house’s technical condition and construction quality, which can significantly affect the purchase price. A layperson can only assess a house superficially based on their impression, whereas an expert can identify potential weaknesses and address them during the viewing.

Check the ownership documents

If you are planning to buy an older house, carefully examine the title deed. You can request it from the seller, but experts recommend obtaining it yourself. Although it will cost a few hundred Czech crowns, you can be sure that the document is current and in the correct form. An incomplete extract from the Land Registry (katastr nemovitostí) is free of charge, while the full version can be downloaded online for a fee. The title deed provides information about the owner or owners, but above all about all encumbrances on the property, including enforcement proceedings, loans, court disputes and others.

Check the property’s technical condition

Whether it is a newly built or refurbished house, it is unlikely to be entirely free of defects. The key is being able to assess the severity of these issues: minor defects can be used as an argument to negotiate a lower price, but in the case of more serious problems, it is better to start looking for another property. Assessing the house’s building and technical condition is crucial to your future satisfaction with living in the property. In this case, it is certainly worth investing in the services of an expert with greater knowledge than the average buyer. It is essential to check the condition of the roof and whether there are any leaks, identify any cracks in the external walls that could indicate structural stability issues, and detect abnormal rising damp, which may point to inadequate waterproofing. It is also important to check the loft, chimney, electrical wiring and pipework.

We hope these tips have helped you find your way around the process of buying a new house. If you need advice, we are here for you.