How to buy a House
How to Find a Property
The traditional way to find a property you want is to register with estate agents selling houses in the area where you want to buy. This will be free of charge, as the estate agent's fee is paid by the vendor, not the buyer.
You should visit in person so that the agents can get a feel for what you want. The details you will need to give will be: city or town, preferred area, number of bedrooms needed, bathrooms and reception rooms. They also need to know your maximum price and what type and style of property you prefer. To know your maximum price you should seek mortgage advice to see how much you can borrow.
After discussing your requirements and expectations, they will send you details of relevant properties or phone you with the ones they think are especially suitable.
You can then view the properties you like by making an appointment with the estate agent. The agent may or may not accompany you to the viewing. It is in the estate agent's interest to help you find a property so he should be pretty helpful.
For the best results, stay in regular contact with your estate agents.
If you like a house that you view, the vendors may issue you with a Home Information Pack (HIP). This will become the law from 2007, but some vendors are already choosing to use them. The HIP includes a survey and local searches related to the property, which has been compiled in advance.
Some owners now use online agents or websites to advertise the sale of their house, so keep a look out here too.
Find your First Property
www.EstateAngels.com
www.PrimeMove.com
www.SmartNewHomes.com
www.NewHomesforSale.co.uk
www.New-Homes.co.uk
www.BrandNewHomes.co.uk
www.Rightmove.co.uk
www.PropertyFinder.com
www.FindaProperty.com
www.Fish4.co.uk
www.PrimeLocation.com
Some people cut out the estate agent altogether and sell their home privately by advertising in local or national property newspapers, or the Internet. In these cases, contact the owner direct.
If you have very little free time to house-hunt, there are companies that will search for a property on your behalf and will even shortlist and view properties for you.
Before making an offer to buy a property, make sure you have considered the following:
Commuting times
Distance to mainline stations or motorways
The length of the chain you are buying into
The structural and decorative condition of the property
Any development or proposed development in the area
Businesses or schools nearby
Resaleability of the property
When you have found a property you would like to buy, you make an offer ‘subject to contract'. If you have not already seen a survey in the HIP, it will also be 'subject to survey'.
Establish which fixtures and fittings are for sale, and be prepared to negotiate. (As a benchmark, fixtures and fittings are the things that, if you turned the house upside down and shook it, would not fall out.)
Find out more in our guide to how to buy a house in our guide:
How Much can I Borrow? l Mortgages l Conveyancing Solicitors and Legal costs l Stamp Duty l Property Insurance l Home Information Packs l How to Budget Surveys and Surveyors l Solicitors l Removal companies l Utilities Companies l Buying a House at Auction l Buying a Repossessed Property
Useful Links:
www.naea.co.uk – the National Association of Estate Agents (industry body)
Most useful and most popular pages on this site:
Look for your First Property l Seek First Time Buyer Mortgage Advice l See our Best First Mortgages Comparison Table l Find out about First Time Buyer Mortgages l Find out How to Buy a House l Learn all about The First Time Buyer Mortgage l Shared Ownership
- Find a conveyancing solicitor to help you through the process
- Locate a families solicito r to help you draw up wills and ownership agreements
- Find a mortgage advisor to help you find the right mortgage
- Locate your nearest HomeBuy Agent
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