Home viewing checklist

1. What happens when you view a home?

While there’s no one-size-fits-all process for home viewings, the following areas should generally be part of the visit:

• Location and surrounding environment

• Plot

• Garden

• Building

• All rooms including the basement and attic

2. How long does it take to view a home?

Make sure that you plan enough time for the viewing. The duration of a home viewing depends on the size of the property and the number of potential buyers, among other factors. To view a single-family home, you should plan at least one hour.

Good to know: serious buyers often want to schedule a second viewing, usually with the help of a property appraiser. You should schedule more time for this appointment than for the initial viewing.

3. Preparation checklist: before a home viewing

To ensure a successful home viewing, both sellers and buyers should be well prepared. Here we’ll discuss what arrangements sellers should make, and what buyers should clarify in advance.

Preparation checklist for buyers

Buyers should approach the home viewing process well prepared. Houses and apartments in prime locations get sold quickly. You should think about what requirements the property needs to fulfil before you show up to the viewing appointment. This will make your decision easier.

You should consider the following aspects before the viewing:

Request and review the property brochure

Be sure to request important documents before the visit in order to get a good first impression of the property. It’s particularly useful to note the following points:

• Floor plan and room layout

• Age of the building’s components and any renovations that have been carried out

• Orientation of the property towards the sun

• Any building law restrictions in the land register

Distances: location of the property

• How good are the public transport connections?

• How close is the nearest motorway? Do frequent traffic jams occur on the roads near the property?

• How far away is the property from your place of work?

• How far away is the property from family and friends?

Infrastructure: amenities and activities

• Are there enough shops nearby? Are there small shops like bakeries, confectionery shops, butchers, etc.? Is there a weekly farmers’ market?

• What about the healthcare infrastructure in the area, such as hospitals, pharmacies and doctors’ surgeries?

• What kind of leisure activities are available in terms of restaurants, theatres, sports facilities, local recreation areas, etc.?

• Are there schools and daycare centres nearby? Would your child have other children to play with in the area?

Be aware of possible nuisances

• Are there any industrial operations in the area (such as pig farming) that could cause unpleasant odours?

• What is the level of noise around the property? Is the property near a motorway or busy road? What about schools, churches or cow pastures?

Check tax rates, health insurance premiums, mortgage rates and family allowances

• How high are taxes at the new location?

• How much are health insurance premiums in your new area?

• What are mortgage rates like in the canton?

• How much are family allowances in the canton?

Preparation checklist for sellers

You already have a property valuation. Now you’re ready to put the property on the market.

If you’d like to organize the viewings yourself, however, then the following points can help:

• Prepare your sales documentation: get all of the important documents for your property in order. This includes the sales documentation and the land register extract. You can find more information in the following article “Selling a property: document checklist”.

• Arrange home viewing appointments: decide whether you’d like to have individual or group appointments. Hold the appointments at a reasonable time of day.

• Find out about financing plans: Find out in advance about potential buyers’ financing plans. Even though buyers’ financing plans will likely still be incomplete at this stage, you can use this information to find out who is serious about making the purchase and who is potentially wasting your time.

• Spruce up your property: now is the time to complete any final pre-sale renovations on the house or apartment. Clean the property thoroughly and stage your home in preparation for viewings.

• Prepare your answers: potential buyers will have questions during the viewing, Prepare for them.

4. Checklist: during a home viewing

Important points can easily get forgotten during a home viewing. This checklist can help both sellers and buyers have a successful viewing experience.

Home viewing checklist for buyers

Planning to visit a property soon? Here you can find out what you should keep in mind as a buyer, and what pitfalls to avoid.

What to keep in mind at a property viewing

• Check the condition of the building: what kind of condition are the façade and interior rooms in? Any cracks in the walls? Mould? How is the building insulated? Any damage to the roof? Will you need to renovate?

• Assess the layout: do the rooms meet your needs? Is there enough storage space? How light are the rooms? Is the work surface in the kitchen adequate? Are there enough bathrooms? Are the floors in good shape? Are any improvements required?

• Check the electrics and household appliances: are there a sufficient number of power outlets? What is the phone reception like? Is there a fibre-optic connection? Does the house need to be rewired? Do the appliances work?

• Heating and hot water: what kind of heating system does the property have? How old is it? Is it energy efficient? How is water heated? How old is the water heating system, and how many litres can it handle? What is the water hardness level?

• Maintenance work and upkeep: has the property been well maintained? Have the bathrooms been properly cared for? What level of upkeep will the outside areas of the property require? Is there anything that will need a lot of maintenance?

• Safety and security: is the property sufficiently secured against burglary? Are there unsecured windows or utility areas (cellar, garage, attic, etc.)?

• Inspect the garden: is the garden in line with your expectations? What condition are the plants in (particularly the trees and hedges)? How time-consuming will it be to maintain the garden?

• Don’t forget historic preservation requirements: is the property protected by a preservation order, or is it on the list of properties requiring special preservation? Will this restrict any construction or renovation plans?

• Check the floor area ratio: the floor area ratio refers to the percentage of the plot that may legally be built on. It is calculated using the ratio between the gross floor area and the area of the plot. The higher the ratio, the more square metres you can use as living space. For older properties, this ratio is often not fully utilised, which opens up more possibilities for making your dream home a reality.

Home viewing pitfalls

• Not scheduling a second viewing: if the property makes it onto your shortlist, you should schedule an appointment for a second viewing. For older properties, you should bring a professional property appraiser: they can detect hidden defects and assess the renovations that will be required. Schedule the appointment at a different time of day and on a different day of the week. This will help you get a better impression of life in the neighbourhood, the availability of natural light, and the general level of noise.

• Getting pressured to sign the contract: a trustworthy seller will give you time to reach a decision after the second appointment. If they try to rush you into signing the contract, it may be better to withdraw your offer.

• Not reviewing the documentation in detail: read all the documents carefully and make sure they are complete. If any questions arise, you can ask the seller at the viewing. If you’re seriously interested in the property, it’s best to have the documents reviewed by a property expert as well.

• Visiting the property in the dark: you’ll get a better impression of the property if you visit during daylight hours. You can only properly see how bright the rooms are when natural light is present. It’s also difficult to notice flaws in the property when it’s too dark.

Home viewing checklist for sellers

5. Next steps after a home viewing

You’ve finished all the viewings. What happens now? Read on to find out what the next steps are for both buyers and sellers.

Next steps for buyers

If you’ve come away from the viewing full of enthusiasm for the property, then that’s great news. But don’t let your excitement lead you into making rash decisions.

• Contact a mortgage lender: get in touch with a bank or other mortgage lender as soon as possible in order to get an initial consultation on your financing options. It’s critical to have your mortgage documents ready.

• Keep an eye on mortgage rates: to get a feel for the interest rate situation, you should start monitoring mortgage rate trends early on in the process.

• Get to know the neighbours and community: try to get a clearer picture of the people living in your future neighbourhood. Ideally you should try to talk to some neighbours to find out more about the day-to-day reality of living in the area. Check whether any construction projects are taking place nearby.

• Inform the seller of your intention to buy: as soon as you’ve secured financing for the property, you should inform the seller of your intention to buy. This marks the beginning of the purchase process, which can look different depending on the property and the number of interested buyers.

• Be careful with reservation fees: with reservation fees, the buyer runs the risk of losing part of the sum to the seller without receiving anything in return. The reservation contract often contains a penalty in the event that the sale falls through. If the buyer doesn’t complete the sale, the seller can only keep the part of the reservation fee that covers their actual provable expenses, however.

Next steps for sellers

After the viewings, you’ll ideally start receiving some offers. Here’s how to handle the upcoming negotiations in a professional way:

• Prepare your negotiation strategy: some offers may not live up to your expectations. This makes it all the more important to have a well thought-out sales strategy and persuasive sales arguments.

• Act quickly if you don't receive any offers: if you receive too few offers for your property – or even none at all – you should take action quickly and adjust your asking price.

• Signing the contract and transferring ownership: have you decided on a buyer? Then you’re almost there. Now it’s time to sign the contract and transfer ownership of the property.