Property Search, Interior Design

Property Search, Interior Design, Home Projects, Domestic Renewal

What to consider when trying to find a property

Property to rent or to buy – article

23 May 2012

What do you need to consider when trying to find a property?

Although there are a number of things that you will need to consider when you are looking for a house to rent in Leeds, or Edinburgh, or any other major city, there are three points which are of particular importance. These are: how are you going to go about finding it in the first place, how much do you want to pay, and what are your priorities in terms of the property itself and the location. If you can figure these things out up front you will stand a much better chance of finding somewhere suitable.

In terms of ways of finding a property there are more options available to those looking now than there were before. The traditional methods, including estate agents and the property pages of newspapers are both still valid methods, but the rise of online property websites has given people another choice. On the plus side, these allow people to look for properties anywhere in the UK from the comfort of their own home, while on the downside, some of them are less than reputable. If you choose this method it is best to go with a site that has a well-established reputation such as findaproperty.com, to remove the element of risk.

You also need to be clear on how much you can afford to pay, either to buy or rent the property, as you cannot narrow the search down without this information. It is best to avoid places where the costs are too close to your monthly budget as this will leave you little margin for any unexpected changes in your finances – look for places well within your financial grasp. However you also need to be clear on what is important in terms of the property itself – whether it is space, furnishings, the freedom to have pets – and the location. In terms of the latter, if the property is situated outside the centre of town, you will probably want to ensure that there is easy transport access as well as decent shopping and social options in the local area.

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photograph © Adrian Welch

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Edinburgh Property
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photograph © Adrian Welch

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photograph : Michael Wolchover

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image from Richard Murphy Architects

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