What to look at when choosing a new home

Location and daily life

Start with the routines you will repeat every day. A place that is 10 km from work can be a 15-minute or a 70-minute trip, depending on the roads and the connections.

• Commute and public transport: check the timetable, not just the map. How often does the bus or train run at the hours you travel, including evenings and weekends? How far is the stop, and is the walk lit and safe? Try the trip once at rush hour.
• Shops: is there a supermarket you can reach on foot or by bike, or will every errand need a car?
• Doctors and pharmacy: a GP, a pharmacy and, for families, a paediatrician nearby. Note the nearest hospital with an emergency department.
• Schools and childcare: places at kindergartens and schools are often allocated by catchment area or waiting list. Ask the municipality early, not after you move.
• Leisure and green space: parks, playgrounds, a forest or riverbank within walking distance, sports clubs, cafés. These matter more than people expect once they live there.

Environment and risks

Environmental issues are rarely mentioned in a listing, yet they affect health, sleep and the value of a property. Official maps cover most of them.

• Noise: main roads, railway lines, tram curves, airports and their approach paths, bars, schools and industrial sites. Strategic noise maps show day and night levels; a visit in the evening shows the rest. Note which side the bedrooms face.
• Flooding and natural hazards: rivers, small streams, heavy-rain runoff on slopes, landslides, avalanches in the Alps, earthquakes in parts of southern Spain. A property on a flood plain can be hard to insure and costly to repair.
• Air quality: busy roads, heating with solid fuels, industry and, in Spain, Saharan dust episodes. Air-quality monitoring data is public in both countries.
• Heat: dense, sealed neighbourhoods with little greenery stay hot at night (urban heat islands). Top floors under a flat roof and large south- or west-facing windows without shading can overheat in summer.

The building and the home

The home itself determines your comfort and much of your running costs. Look beyond the fresh paint.

• Condition: roof, façade, windows, stairwell, lift, wiring and pipes. Ask when they were last renewed and whether works are planned.
• Energy certificate: mandatory for sale and rent in both countries. It shows the heating and energy demand; a poor rating means higher bills and possibly costly renovation.
• Heating and hot water: gas, district heating, heat pump, oil, electric or wood. The heating type affects costs, comfort and future regulation.
• Insulation and windows: single glazing, draughts and uninsulated outer walls are expensive in winter and hot in summer.
• Mould and damp: look behind furniture, in corners, around windows and in the cellar. A musty smell or fresh paint on just one wall is worth a question.
• Orientation and light: which rooms get sun and when. Neighbouring buildings and slopes can block low winter sun.
• Storage and parking: cellar compartment, storage room, bike storage, a parking space or garage, and the cost of each.
• Accessibility: steps at the entrance, a lift, door widths and a step-free shower matter for prams, injuries and old age.

Costs beyond rent or price

Compare homes by their total monthly cost, not the headline figure.

• Running costs: service charges or community fees (cleaning, lift, garden, caretaker, insurance, building management, water, waste).
• Energy: ask for recent heating and electricity bills or the annual statement, and compare them with the energy certificate.
• Taxes and fees: property tax, waste and water fees, and in apartment buildings any reserve fund or special levy for repairs.
• Transaction costs: when buying, transfer tax, land registry fees, notary or lawyer, and possibly an estate agent typically add several per cent to the price. When renting, the deposit and moving costs.
• Future costs: planned renovations of the building, an old boiler, a roof that needs replacing.

Neighbourhood and future

You are choosing the area for years, so look at where it is heading.

• Planned construction and zoning: the zoning plan shows what may be built on the empty plot next door or in the green space behind the house. Ask the municipality about planned roads, rail lines and large projects.
• Population trend: a growing place usually has better services but rising prices; a shrinking one may lose shops, schools and transport over time.
• Safety: walk the area after dark, and ask neighbours and local shops.
• Internet and mobile coverage: check fibre or cable availability at the exact address and test mobile reception inside the home, especially if you work remotely.

Viewing checklist

• Visit at different times: on a weekday morning, in the evening and at the weekend.
• Do the commute once at the time you would really travel.
• Open the windows and listen. Check bedrooms for street and neighbour noise.
• Look for damp: corners, behind wardrobes, window frames, the cellar.
• Test water pressure, hot water, heating and mobile reception.
• Talk to neighbours about noise, the building's management and planned works.
• Ask for the energy certificate, the latest running cost statement and, for flats, the minutes of recent owners' meetings.
• For a purchase, check the land registry entry for owners, mortgages and rights of way.
• Check the flood and noise maps for the exact address.
• Read the contract in full before signing, including the duration, notice periods and who pays what.

Location data for your shortlist

Place Check's place pages summarise official location data for each municipality: population, everyday amenities, noise and traffic, natural hazards, connections and climate. See places in Austria and places in Spain. For a specific address, you can create a report with the same checks at that exact point.

Frequently asked questions