What to do at a house viewing

What is a show home?

A show home is a completed property that housebuilders, like Redrow, create to showcase their homes at a development. As most new homes are sold “off-plan” before they are physically built, developers usually build one or more properties first to act are their “shop window” on a development. They are decorated and furnished by a professional team of interior designers to look like a real home. Read more about how a show home is designed.

What to do on a house viewing?

Making an appointment to view a house is a key initial stage on any homebuying journey. Viewing one of our show homes is no different. It’s your chance to see if the property meets your needs in terms of layout, space, dimensions and design. If you’re viewing a show home, you may be looking at a different house type to the one you are considering buying, but it’s still useful to compare dimensions, look closely at building quality and see the specification included as standard or what features are upgrades.

Five points to remember during a house viewing:

1. Take your time. You shouldn’t rush a house viewing. You need to try to take in as much information about the property as possible and get a feel for every room. You can take as long as you like to view any of our show homes. Opening times and days do vary for our developments, but our show homes are usually open from 10am to 5.30pm at least five days a week, including weekends.
2. Ask questions. Whether you’re viewing a home through an estate agent or being taken around by one of our experienced and friendly sales consultants, you should use the opportunity to ask questions and find out more about the property, wider development and the neighbourhood.
3. Bring a notebook. It’s worth bringing a notebook or using the notes app on your phone to jot down details as you look around. You may think of questions to ask later or want to write down the make and model of appliances. Even if you think you’ll remember the details later, if you’re viewing several properties, it can be difficult to differentiate between them by the time you’ve completed all of the viewings.
4. Take a tape measure. When buying a Redrow home you will be given detailed plans of your room layouts, however a tape measure or an app version on your phone is always handy to measure smaller areas like the size or alcoves or bay window. When it comes to adding character to your new home, you’ll want to see how your existing furniture will fit the space so make sure you measure how far your bed will extend into a room or whether your current sofa will fit along a particular wall.
5. Book a second appointment. Once you have narrowed your home search down to a handful of properties, it’s worth booking a second viewing to revisit your favourites. First viewings can often be a chance to get a general feel for a property; can you see yourself living there, does it give you “the feeling”, whereas during second viewings you have usually honed your focus. Ahead of a follow up viewing you can narrow down the information you still need to find out and gain clarity on whether you want to take the next step and make a reservation or put in an offer.

Five reasons to visit a show home

While you can follow the above steps when viewing any property, did you know a visit to one of our show homes can give you even more of an insight into your future lifestyle? Here are five reasons to visit a show home today.

1. Experience your new home virtually. When you visit our show homes, you will access them via a customer experience suite (CES). This is where you can meet our friendly sales team and start you homebuying journey. Our customer experience suites are digital led, with a series of screens to provide information on the local area, the development and the help available to you. If you make an appointment to visit one of our show homes, our screens will be personalised for your visit. Central to the CES is a large touch screen with technology that allows you to walk down streets virtually and look around specific plots on the development, even before they are built. The technology is so detailed you can see views from windows and down your street that reflect the real-life views once your home is built.
2. Our energy performance calculator. Living in a new Redrow home will save the average buyer £2,422* a year on energy bills, compared to living in an older home. However, our energy performance (EPC) calculator will come up with a figure tailored just to you. This is based on where you currently live and the new home you are considering buying. Book an appointment at your nearest Redrow development to use our EPC calculator and receive your personalised results. You’ll need to arrange an energy performance certificate (EPC) when you’re selling your current property. Learn all about what is an EPC certificate with our guide.
3. Use our kitchen visualiser tool. Our show homes can inspire you when it comes to designing your new kitchen. It’s likely you’ll want to consider various colour and finish combinations of cabinetry, worktops, flooring and other elements before you decide on the kitchen you’d like in your own home. While seeing specifications samples is useful, we’ve once again harnessed the best virtual reality technology to bring you our kitchen visualiser. This gives you the option to design a kitchen from scratch and then bring your kitchen design to life in your chosen house type, so you can see exactly how the combination works in the space. It works seamlessly with My Redrow, which is where you then choose your options and purchase any upgrades.
4. Find interior inspiration. Our show homes are designed by our expert in-house team of interior designers, based on the latest interior trends from the design and trade shows. So, they are great places to find inspiration for when it comes to decorating and furnishing your own home. From on-trend lighting and accessories to soft furnishings, artwork and furniture, every item is handpicked for the space by our team. You can visit our show homes as many times as you’d like before or after you’ve moved in, and our interiors team are available on our social media channels if you have any questions on everything from paint colours to lighting trends.
5. Discover more about the local area. Visiting our developments and show homes is your gateway to finding out more about your future home. Our sales team are knowledgeable about the local neighbourhood and can let you know about things like school catchment areas and closest shopping and health facilities. Our digital CES screens can also help you find out more. Why not extend your visit to the show homes into a tour to really get to know the area you’re moving to.

Why not:

• Visit a local pub
• Pop to a local coffee shop
• Discover a local walk
• Attend a religious service
• Spend time at a local park
• Visit a local sports club
• Enjoy the green spaces that are part of Redrow developments – these are great places to meet people who already live there
• Explore the area digitally by joining local Facebook groups or following hyperlocal websites
• Visit at different times of day to get a real feel for the neighbourhood

With so many reasons to visit a show home, all you need to do is find your nearest Redrow development online or download the Redrow mobile app, available on the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store, which makes searching for your new home even easier.

*Research by the HBF, based on EPC ratings, suggests that buyers of new build houses could have saved an average of £2,422 on their annual energy bills last year.