In The Times, Ben Horne, Head of Country at Middleton Advisors, discusses why even diligent buyers can be caught out by hidden issues when purchasing a property. From carefully timed viewings to overlooked local nuisances, Ben explains how Middleton Advisors goes beyond the surface to uncover what buyers might miss. His advice highlights the value of on-the-ground research and local insight to avoid unwanted surprises:
“The problem is that sellers can tick ‘don’t know’ to questions. And even though buyers can later sue sellers for withholding information, it can be a grey area. Sometimes buyers don’t ask the question – and sellers can time viewings to hide a problem.”
“I recall a case of a house in the home counties, a few hundred yards from the local hunt kennels, where I suspect viewings were timed to avoid noisy feeding times for 80 hungry hounds.”
“Buyers in Wiltshire should be warned about military night firings on certain days; you can hear the bangs from 15 miles away, but wouldn’t know it if you saw the house by day.”
“Don’t go next door: they might be great friends. Go a bit down the road. Say, ‘do you enjoy living in the village?’ People are very free talking and love telling you what’s going on.”
