Buying and moving into a new home is right up there with losing a close relative and having a baby with the most stressful life changing experiences. Is it any wonder that we want to get it just right? The best way to ensure you whittle your search down to the perfect few homes to choose from is to ask all the right questions to whoever is showing you the house. You should hope for this to be the current tenants or the sellers themselves, but if it's a landlord or an estate agent the following questions are just as important.

Firstly, get the boring but immensely serious stuff out of the way first. Ask to see gas and electricity certificates, when the house was last rewired or electricity checked and whether there has ever been problems with the boiler. If they can't provide you with a photocopy of the gas certificates or at least see a copy then arrange a time to meet and see them again, or have them posted to you. Is there a carbon dioxide alarm? It's an idea to take one with you just to check. Along these lines you should always ask how the property is insulated, if at all. If you're moving to a hot area is the paint on the outside of the house white and reflective?

Ask why the old tenants are moving, how long they have been living there or failing that, what the neighborhood is like. All sorts of things can drive people away from a place, so you want to deduce that they're simply relocating for a new job, rather than because a nightclub has opened just a few doors down and nobody can sleep. Always ask if there have been any noise disturbances and most importantly whether them or any neighbors have been burgled in the past couple of years.

Take a quick look when you're outside the house at the roof. A leaking roof or one with holes doesn't just mean a cold house or rodents being able to get in, but it can mean rain water leaking onto electrics and ultimately life threatening problems. Ask what the weather is like in that area and how the house deals with it. Does the street ever flood? Are there many earthquakes and if so, which room is hit the worst?

You can always ask whether there has been any damp in the walls or subsidence, but a seller might be a bit shady about these things. Look out for that characteristic damp smell, or alternatively fresh painting only in one corner of the house (which could be an attempt to cover it up). Subsidence can often cause doors to stick and the walls to crack.

Last but not least, you should always ask what is included within the deeds, or contract for the house. Is there land nearby that you could have rights to? What about parking? Of course you will see all this in the contract when you get it, but it's well worth asking when you look round as sometimes there's even a separate piece of land such as a stable that's included.

Stan Tian

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