Buying a property should be an exciting milestone in your life, it may be the first time moving away from home, the first of a portfolio of investment properties, upsizing with a growing family, or indeed downsizing to a more manageable home.
It's fun to view properties and find that potential dream home, but it can also be a timely process, full of the unknown and new legal obligations.
Let me help you with that search and how to prepare in the very best way, so you can make your move with little inconvenience and remove the stress.
Here are my top three tips to be ready to buy that next home:
Know what you want and need.Sounds obvious, but do you have an exact criteria you desire?
Ticking all the boxes can be difficult, so consider what is a must in your search, this could be everything from number of bedrooms to accommodate the family, through to a garage to tuck away your treasured car. Prioritising over the wanted list can be tough, does the flat you are searching for have to have a balcony, and is the second ensuite bathroom an essential part of the next home?
Online portal stats suggest potential buyers can look on property portals for up to three months before viewing a single property.
I would suggest the key to a successful property search is focusing the mind.
Being offer ready.What better way to show your intent and commitment than by having your proof of finances ready to substantiate an offer.
Be ready for agents to ask for evidence of available financial funds when arranging viewings and show sight of such at the point of offer for anti-money laundering regulation purposes….and of course it shows commitment and pedigree to a vendor.
This may well include the sale of a current property you own, a whole new world of fun for you with that classic chicken and egg scenario of “do I sell first” or “do I find first”, to help settle that debate you must see our selling guide.
Know your budget.This isn’t just relevant in terms of making an offer and arranging finances such as mortgage lending or mobilising cash funds, at a price you both want to and can afford, but also factor in moving costs.
Have you funds aside for a conveyancer/solicitor and do you know how much they will charge? Are you liable to pay stamp duty and factored that extra cost in when embarking on your search?
Then there is moving day, make sure you have factored in removal costs, and with thriving industries, have an idea of all these costs upfront.