Making repeated viewing trips can be unnecessarily costly, both in money and time – so planning ahead and knowing what to look for is crucial. Here are our top tips for a successful viewing trip abroad.
If you’ve been considering moving abroad and know where you’d like to go, we suggest arranging a viewing trip to help you make informed decisions before departing. This is particularly important if you’re planning on purchasing a home before the big move.
Here are some top tips to help you plan your viewing trip.
Do your research
By conducting as much research as possible before you depart on your viewing trip, you will maximise your precious time when you get there. There are many ways you can do this: expat forums, Google searches, real estate listings, job boards and social media can all be good resources of information. If you’re purchasing a property, research reputable estate agents who have experience helping overseas buyers and provide them with a list of your requirements. This way you will only view properties with potential, rather than driving miles to see a something you know isn’t right the moment you lay eyes on it. Google Street view is a useful tool for checking a property’s kerb appeal before you set off, to save you wasting time.
Conducting as much research as possible before you depart on your viewing trip will ensure you maximise your precious time when you get there.
Make appointments
Make appointments with key people before you arrive. This might include real estate agents, banks, property managers, schools and recruiters. By having a detailed itinerary of people you wish to speak with, you will use your time more efficiently and get answers to your most important questions.
Likewise, if you can speak to them in advance, so much the better – that way, you’ll already have gone over your requirements and what you’re looking for, and can use the trip entirely productively to actually look at a narrowed shortlist of properties. Attending property shows like Your Overseas Home can be some of the easiest ways to do this, as it gives you the chance to speak to everyone you need to gathered under one roof.
Read more about buying a home in your favourite country by clicking on the link: France, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Cyprus, Greece, USA, Canada, Turkey, UK, Ireland…
Follow our top tips to make the most of your viewing trip
Plan your route
If you’re vising several locations on your viewing trip, plan your route in advance. By being organised and saving time with travel preparations before you jet off, you will have more time to dedicate to the task at hand. Try and avoid peak peak times, when flights are more expensive, tourists are in town and accommodation is booked up.
Take lots of notes and photos on your viewing trip to detail what you have seen and learnt.
Take notes and photos
Take lots of notes and photos on your viewing trip to detail what you have seen and learnt. You can even use videos on your phone when viewing property, to help your decision making process when you get home. After the information overload that is your viewing trip, these records will be vital. It’s not as if you can just pop back for a second look.
Need to raise a little more money to buy abroad? Read how to do that safely with your free guide, How to Pay for an Overseas Property.
The Viewing Trip Guide is designed to support you through the process of a successful property viewing trip, with tips and information on the most important steps to take. The guide will help you to: