Viewing a home: what to check before buying

Decide what you need to learn before booking

Choose three essential requirements: step-free access, somewhere to work and a manageable daily journey, for example. Separate them from preferences you can compromise on. This stops a newly fitted kitchen from overshadowing a difficulty you will face every day.

Ask for the location, any available floor plan, a list of the spaces included and the asking price. Check that you can view the actual home, garage and storage room. Agree how much time you will have and ask permission before taking photographs.

Use the same record for every property. Save the date, listing and viewing contact; advertised terms can change.

Record the condition and any unanswered questions

DECO PROteste recommends checking the property's condition and obtaining a professional assessment where there are doubts. Damp, cracks and problems with windows or flooring warrant clarification; appearance alone does not establish the cause or repair cost.

Record each question under three headings: what I observed, what I was told and what still needs evidence. For example: “stain on bedroom ceiling; seller says an old leak was repaired; report or assessment of its cause still needed”. This keeps a verbal explanation separate from a technical conclusion.

Ask what work has been carried out, when and what records are available. For an unresolved problem, arrange a second viewing with an independent specialist before deciding your offer. Do not open electrical panels, dismantle equipment or enter roofs or areas without safe access.

Try out everyday life in the space

Walk through a normal routine: bringing in shopping, moving a pushchair, working in a room or parking your car. With permission, take the measurements you need instead of relying on how spacious the photographs look.

Spend a few minutes in silence. Notice daylight, privacy and the routes through the building. If the home remains a possibility, return to the area at another time and try the journey you will make most often.

In the Algarve, add questions about using the area throughout the year: which services you can use outside the holiday season, how you will reach the home and where you will park during busy periods. Check these conditions locally against your own routine.

Read beyond the energy rating

Request the energy certificate and check that it identifies the correct property. ADENE / SCE explains that it includes the energy rating, component performance and suggested improvements.

Use it to ask which improvements have been completed and which remain outstanding. An energy rating does not guarantee a defect-free home or predict your exact bill: how you use the home and its equipment also matters.

View the building and compare the documents

List every space you were shown: the home, parking, storage, terrace or garden. Ask the professional handling the legal checks to confirm ownership and rights of use in the relevant documents. Access to a space during a viewing does not establish that it is included in the sale.

For an apartment, read the guide to condominium documents and debts. Request information about contributions and works, then add the amounts and dates you can verify to your budget.

Compare the viewing with the other documents to check before buying. Any room, extension or alteration you do not understand belongs on the list of questions to resolve before committing.

A checklist to take with you

Turn your interest into a decision after the viewing

Send outstanding questions in writing. Separate the purchase price from the money needed for works and recurring costs. A discount only helps your decision when you understand what you will need to spend afterwards.

Before signing a reservation or a Portuguese promissory sale agreement (CPCV), have the payment terms, deadlines and treatment of outstanding checks reviewed. A viewing is one preparation step; technical and legal conclusions need the appropriate checks for that property.