Buying Tips

Confirm your financial position

Before viewing any properties you should get independent financial advice. We have five fully qualified mortgage advisers whom, through our partnership with Mortgage Advice Bureau have access to over 90 different lenders and many many thousands of different deals. You will then be well informed on what you can afford, how much you will be paying each month, what deposit you need to put down and if you will have any left for decorating etc! Then you can look at properties with confidence you can afford them. A vendor will look favourably on you if you have already taken financial advice from ourselves.  For further information click here

Stamp Duty – don’t forget to put money aside for stamp duty depending on the price brackets you are looking in. For further information on Stamp Duty visit our stamp duty calculator

Determine your needs

Have look at our properties online and try and get an idea of what you would like to buy. A 2 bedroom period terraced property or a 3 bedroom detached new build, a renovation project or ready to move into?

A lot will depend on what you can afford, but there are lots of styles of properties available. View different styles of properties in a few areas to get confirmation of what you actually want from your home. Then you can concentrate your search on suitable properties or even consider part exchange.

Viewing properties

If you can, view properties at different times of the day to get a feel for the location, also a second viewing will help you get a better feel for the house and if you can see yourself living there.

Making an offer

If you find a house you like, make an offer!

Contact us to discuss the property and make an official offer. Don’t be surprised if your first offer is rejected, that’s when negotiating will start.

Offer accepted!

When your offer is accepted one of our mortgage advisers will speak to you and help you with your mortgage arrangements, your survey will then be organised through your lender, some buyers arrange a separate survey (depending on the age of the property).

Bear in mind other costs that may be involved:

• Mortgage arrangement fee
• Mortgage indemnity fee
• Lender’s valuation fee
• Conveyancing
• Land Registry fee
• Surveys
• Stamp duty land tax
• Removals
• Contingency fund (there are always unexpected costs along the way)
• Buildings & Contents insurance

A normal sale involving a mortgage takes on average between 10-12 weeks, depending on the chain.

Our sales progression team will keep you informed along the way, but you will also need to speak to your solicitor for regular updates.

On the day of completion, depending on the chain, you will get a call from your solicitor to advise the funds have been transferred. The previous owners of the property may be waiting for further properties to complete involved in the chain so you may not get the keys immediately, but normally around mid-afternoon.

Lastly – enjoy your new home!!