First Time Buyers Guide

Buying a property for the first time is very exciting, but it is important to understand the process of buying a property so your expectations are managed.

•          Agree a mortgage – if you start by agreeing a mortgage in principle, then it can give you a firm idea of how much you can afford to pay for your first home. This will help you when looking for a property and also mean that when you find the house you want to buy, you are in a good position proceed immediately.

•          Location, Location, Location – can you afford a property in the location you want to buy in? Great if the answer is yes, but you may need to compromise otherwise. Think carefully about the area in which you focus your search and also about where your property is located. Does it have good transport links, is there good on street parking, is it near a park or the shops? Work out what your needs are and ensure they are met in the property you make an offer on.

•          Find your property – it is particularly difficult to decide what you want from a property when you are buying for the first time so try to sit down beforehand and think about things that you don’t want – for example a bathroom downstairs. This means you can refine your search to include only the houses you want to see. Estate agents will try to get you to view all their properties, so be selective or else you will spend a lot of time viewing unsuitable property.

•          Find a solicitor – finding a good conveyancing solicitor is important. Make sure that they will work to your timescales wherever possible and that they will accept both email and phone as methods of contact.

•          Make an offer – once you have found a property, make an offer. You will have to decide if you want to make a cheeky offer or a more sensible one and this depends on whether you have any competition for the property. If your offer is accepted, make sure that the vendor agrees to remove the property from the market to avoid being gazumped (someone else agrees to pay more for the property than you have offered).

•          Exchange contracts – your solicitor will carry out all the searches on the property and review the draft contract prepared by the vendor’s solicitor. Once your solicitor is happy, contracts will be exchanged and a completion date will be agreed. Your purchase is now legally binding and you cannot pull out without losing your deposit, which is paid at this point in the purchase process.

•          Move in! – once the balance of the funds have been transferred from the mortgage company on completion day, you can go and pick up your keys and start moving in, congratulations, you own your first home!

You can see that buying a property is a straight forward process as a first time buyer, so enjoy it!

If you would like to discuss our conveyancing services with us, please call Julie Docherty on: 01264 325835 or email conveyancing@bsandi.co.uk and a member of our team will be happy to help.