How to buy a house at a credit crunch bargain price

The Observer had a great article on how to drive a hard bargain when buying a house. I wish we had this when we were looking to buy. It’s surprising that these tips come from a UK real estate agent.

‘Don’t feel you have to be polite,’ advises Stacks’s Gideon Sumption, who searches for buyers looking in the west country. ‘Open cupboards, look in the loft, the cellar and outbuildings, open and close windows and doors, look underneath and behind furniture, check water pressure, examine workmanship, turn off lights to see how much natural light there is. Ask anything you want to ask,’ he says.

There is no doubt that buyers now hold more power, however the checklist in the article would be useful in any climate.