Perhaps now that new members of the family have arrived, the time has come to move house, because the one you live in has become too small. Or maybe you need a change of scenery and now is the best time to look for a new home. In one case or the other, the best thing to do is to get good information on a real estate portal that can recommend the best property based on your preferences and possibilities.

And so that you can go there with the best information in your hands, we would like to give you a few tips that will help you to evaluate all the options available to you.

First of all, visit several properties that catch your eye. We often run the risk of opting for the first one we visit and we really like. This is very logical, but it is good to bear in mind that the same thing happens with housing as with other purchases: there may be more than one option that you really like. It would be a shame to get the first one only to find out a short time later that there was another one that was even more attractive.

Take a good look at the space of the home you are visiting, how it is organised and how you could distribute your belongings and furniture. It may be that the layout doesn't quite fit in with the idea you had in mind. In that case, don't worry and continue studying other alternatives. It wouldn't hurt to think about the use you may need to make of it in the future, with other rooms to occupy if more children join the family or if you have to look after a relative.

On your visits, study very carefully the orientation of the house or flat in question: does it receive the light you would like in the morning, and in the afternoon, and is the façade aligned in the direction in which the wind blows and rainfall tends to fall? All these factors are decisive in achieving the comfort you need and avoiding problems such as damp walls or excessive cold in winter. If there is no other option, it would not hurt to think about insulating the facade thermally to avoid this problem.

It is always nice to live close to places such as hospitals, pharmacies and shops where you can do your shopping without having to move more than a few metres. Therefore, take note of the location of the property you are thinking of buying or renting, and its proximity to all these services.

Ask the neighbours about the living conditions in the area where the property is located: neighbourhood peace and quiet, whether or not it is a conflict zone, etc.

The quality of the materials is also a point to take into account, because if it is not very good, in the long run it will give us problems and, in addition to the loss of comfort, we will have to make new investments in repairs.

If you like the house but it would be necessary to do some work, for example to install that open-plan kitchen with bar that you have dreamed of, how much will it cost? It might be a good idea to look for a property that already includes it at a similar price.

Environmental noise can be a real problem on a day-to-day basis, so check if the area is very noisy and if the house has soundproof windows.

As environmental conditions change from one day to the next, and even during the course of a single day they can go through several phases, it is best to visit the house you like at least a couple of times, if possible during the day and also in the evening.

Finally, don't let yourself be carried away by the initial euphoria and make sure that the price you are being asked is the right one for this property based on its square metres, location, age, quality of construction, etc.

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China has officially started developing a 6G network. While 5G is still barely available worldwide, the Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology is starting two working groups that will build the new 6G technology, reports the American business channel CNBC.

One working group is made up of representatives from various ministries who will look at how the research and development of 6G should take place. The other group consists of representatives from 37 universities, research institutes and companies and will take on the technical side of 6G. First of all, it will have to be determined what exactly a 6G network should contain in terms of speed and applications.

In September, Huawei's top executive Ren Zhengfei said that he was already working on 6G, but now the Chinese government has officially started.

Last week, Chinese mobile internet providers made their lightning-fast 5G network available to customers ahead of schedule. In doing so, China is way ahead of the troops, as the standard is still 4G almost everywhere in the world.

Only in South Korea and some American and British cities is 5G already available. Not yet in the Netherlands. Only in 2022 will the 3.5 GHz frequency become available, enabling really high internet speeds. This frequency is currently still used by the Ministry of Defence.

Mobile networks in general and 5G in particular are an important divisive factor in the trade war between China and the US. Washington suspects the Chinese government of using Huawei's 5G technology to spy on people. Huawei is therefore on a White House blacklist.

6G still in embryonic phase

The successor to 6G is, despite the fact that China has now taken the first step, still very far away. Deputy Minister Wang Xi of Science and Technology says that 6G is "still in the early stages". "The technical route is not yet clear and the main features and applications have not yet been standardised and defined."

Germany has also conducted research into 6G before, according to Bright. The target was a speed of 400 gigabits per second. In practice, the download speed of 4G in the Netherlands is currently 'only' between 40 and 60 megabits per second, according to telecom analyst Opensignal earlier this year.

According to Chinese Minister Wang Xi, 6G is of great importance for the future: "In this critical period in national progress, we should attach great importance to the development of 6G, coordinate planning, promote it efficiently and open ourselves to innovation in this area."

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