Guide to buying
Step-by-step guide
With almost 30 years experience in the residential property market, we’d like to offer our step-by-step guide to buying a property
Step 1: Financial Advice
Finding out exactly how much you can borrow is pivotal to your property search. We’d advocate that you speak to an independent mortgage broker to help ascertain your financial position and ensure that you receive whole of market mortgage advice.
We can recommend several independent brokers. Please contact our office for more information, or click here to be contacted by a broker directly.
Step 2: Join Mailing Lists
Make yourself known to the local agents and register your details where possible, so you can receive information on new listings prior to them being listed online and on the property portals.
Please contact our office on 029 2052 2106 to register your details and we’d be delighted to help with your property search.
Step 3: Arranging Viewings
Once you’ve decided on which area you’d like to live in then it’s time to start booking viewings. This can be done directly through the agent, or via the property portals.
We understand that it’s difficult to fit viewings in with work/life commitments, so we offer flexible viewing times where possible.
Equally, we supply video tours and virtual viewings as part of our standard sales package, so you can view from the comfort of your own home prior to a physical viewing.
Step 4: Choosing a Solicitor/Conveyancer
Instructing an experienced solicitor/conveyancer will be instrumental in ensuring a smooth process from offer accepted through to completion. It would be our advice to work with a local firm who have knowledge of the local area and who you can physically visit to deliver documentation, ID, and so forth.
Once you’ve had an offer accepted, your solicitor/conveyancer will request a draft contract pack from the seller’s solicitor and will raise enquiries accordingly. You will need to put your solicitor/conveyancer in funds to order local searches on your behalf.
Once the enquiries have been answered in a satisfactory manner and the searches are received, your solicitor/conveyancer will liaise with the seller’s solicitor to agree a date for exchange and completion. There is typically a week between exchange of contracts and completion of the purchase.
We work with several local solicitors and can obtain a no obligation quote on your behalf. Please contact us for more information.
Step 5: Making an Offer
Once you’ve decided on which property you’d like to purchase, we’d advocate you put your offer in writing to the selling agent, as well as a verbal offer.
It’s best to be ‘offer’ ready, so include your mortgage broker’s details, a copy of your mortgage agreement in principle, together with your proof of funds, your current position (if sold, provide your selling agent’s details, so the chain can be verified), your solicitor details and your offer amount.
Once your offer has been accepted the selling agent will issue a memorandum of sale, which will instruct all the sale/purchase of said property.
The property should then be listed as ‘Sold’ subject to contract and survey.
Step 6: Mortgage Survey, Building Survey & Mortgage Offer
Once you’ve had your offer accepted, you’ll need to inform your mortgage broker who will then instruct the mortgage survey on your behalf.
You will have the option to upgrade this survey to a basic homebuyer survey, or you can instruct an independent surveyor to carry out a building survey on your behalf, which will detail any faults with the property and recommend a course of action.
We can recommend an independent surveyor. Please contact our office for more information.
Step 7: Exchange and Completion
Once the Solicitors are happy that the enquiries raised have been answered in a satisfactory manner and the local searches have been completed, your Solicitor will request a deposit, typically 10% of the purchase price, in order to exchange contracts.
This is legally binding and you’d need to source buildings insurance, if it’s a Freehold property, prior to completion.
Completion will take place once all the remaining money has been transferred to the seller’s Solicitor.
It will then be a case of collecting the key from the selling agent’s office.
Congratulations! You are now a home owner!
Get in touch
To get started with your purchase today, please contact our expert team on 029 2052 2106