Buying Information

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Be specific about price ranges and property types to narrow the search

Arrange to View the property

Once you have chosen some properties, arrange to view them to find the most suitable to your requirements.

Make An Offer

Once your offer has been accepted you will need to quickly arrange a mortgage.

Mortgages

Unless you are buying for cash, most people need to arrange a mortgage.

We act on behalf of all leading lenders and shop around to find the best deal for your circumstances.

It is important that you realise, even though the owner may have accepted your offer this is not legally binding until you and the seller exchange contracts.

Survey

Once you have applied for your mortgage the lender will initially obtain various references, eg: from your landlord, current mortgage lender, employer, etc then appoint an independent surveyor to inspect the property. The surveyor will produce a report and in most instances the lender will provide a copy of the report. The surveyor may recommend that additional inspections are needed, eg: for damp proofing, wall ties, electrics, etc – we can often arrange for these reports to be done upon your behalf.

Mortgage Offer

Once they have obtained satisfactory references and are happy with the content of any specialist reports requested, your lender will issue to you a formal offer of mortgage, which will contain the terms and conditions of your loan. This should be read carefully.

Instruct Solicitors

When buying or selling a property you will need a solicitor to carry out the conveyancing, this in layman's terms being the legal work required to transfer the property from the sellers name to the buyers name. We can recommend a solicitor to act upon your behalf.

We will write to your solicitor on your behalf advising them of the details of your purchase along with the sellers name and solicitor.

Conveyancing involves a considerable amount of work by the solicitors concerned. The following gives a brief outline of what is involved.

• Take instructions from you the client.
• Obtain the deeds from the seller or the sellers bank/building society. This allows the solicitor to confirm that the property actually belongs to the seller.
• Prepare an enquiry form, part of which confirms what is included in the sale, eg carpets & light fittings. This form will also question the seller about any known defects in the property that you should be made aware of.
• Check on the property's legal boundaries.
• Obtain from the seller's solicitor a draft contract setting out the terms of your purchase.
• Carry out a local search. (You will often be asked to pay for this in advance of completion of the sale) This allows the solicitor to check for any up and coming events which may affect the value of the property, eg: the construction nearby of a new road or unpleasant development, say an abattoir.
• Dealing with the financial aspects of the sale, ie: briefly, the buyers solicitor collects any deposit from the buyer and obtains mortgage funds from the buyers lender. The sellers solicitor will ensure that the sellers mortgage and any charges are cleared from the proceeds of the sale.
• Liaising with all parties to agree an amicable completion date that suits you and the seller.

Mortgage Offer

Once they have obtained satisfactory references and are happy with the content of any specialist reports requested, your lender will issue to you a formal offer of mortgage, which will contain the terms and conditions of your loan. This should be read carefully.

Exchange Contracts

Once your mortgage has been offered, your solicitor should have a draft contract ready for you to sign. When you have signed the contract, your solicitor will send it to the sellers solicitor, in exchange for the contract the seller has signed. This is the point of no return, both you and the seller are legally committed to the deal.

If exchange of contracts and completion occur on different days, you may be asked to pay a deposit. Your buildings and life insurance should also be placed into force. A completion date will be agreed. Often this can be on the same day as contracts are exchanged.

Complete The Sale

On completion day if you have not already paid a deposit you will now need to do so, along with your solicitors fee. Your solicitor will obtain any mortgage monies from your lender and transfer this and your deposit to the sellers solicitor. Once the sellers solicitor confirms that funds have been received the sale is completed and you can collect the keys to your new home.

As soon as you know your completion date make sure you book a removal firm if you need one and arrange for telephone transfer or a new connection

Move In

Simultaneously with moving in try to arrange to :

• Read the meters in your new home and previous home if you are moving out.
• Redirect the mail to your new address.
• Advise the Local Authority & Water Company, etc that you have moved in (and moved out).
• Write to all those who you have regular contact with, eg: friends, relatives, bank, etc etc to advise of your new address.