Buyers Guide
1. Sell your existing property (if you have one and are not a cash buyer)
You need to have sold or at least have your property on the market to be considered a 'proceedable buyer', as most people will need the proceeds from the sale of their current home to be able to purchase their new one.
2. Work out what you can afford
On top of the cost of the house itself, there are many other one-off expenses involved in buying a home and moving.
These costs include:
- Mortgage Arrangement Fees (if applicable)
- Lender's Valuation (Basic Valuation)
- Professional Survey
- Legal/Conveyancing Fees
- Stamp Duty
- Land Registry Fee
- Local Authority Search Fees
- Other Search Fees and Disbursements
- Sales / Estate Agent's Commission
- Removal Fees
3. Get a 'mortgage in principle'
Speak to our partners at London and Country mortgages to discuss this. Having a 'mortgage in principle' will speed up the process when you find the house you want.
4. Register with Eveleighs
Register now with Eveleighs and we can send you emails or SMS messages immediately new properties come onto the market that meet your criteria. You can set your criteria as broad or as narrow as you wish.
5. View properties
We actively encourage customers to be as descriptive as possible about their "MUST HAVES" and "NICE TO HAVES"; afterall you can't ask for a refund if you decide you don't like your new home after only four weeks! You may well have to make some compromises in the house you buy, so decide now what's most important to you. For example, is an ensuite bathroom a MUST HAVE or a NICE TO HAVE? Wherever possible, consult your husband/wife/partner and children so that you are all clear and agreed on what's really important to you.
6. Make an offer
How exciting! - You've found the house of your dreams and you want to make an offer........let's hope Eveleighs have found it for you.
As soon as you find a suitable property, we will put your offer to the seller both verbally and in writing. We always aim to communicate your offer on the same day. The offer will be subject to a contract being signed and there are no legal obligations on either side until this is done.
Sometimes there may be a process of price negotiation and by working with Eveleighs both vendor and buyer can benefit from our expertise, as we will work hard to facilitate an agreeable outcome that delivers the best result for all.
7. Exchange and complete contracts
When your offer is accepted, the vendor's solicitor/converyancer will prepare a Contract of Sale. Please note that you will also need to appoint a solicicitor/conveyancer to examine the contract, and raise any appropriate queries.
When your solicitor has replies to any enquiries made on your behalf, including a completed satisfactory local search, a copy of a mortgage offer, a signed contract and a deposit cheque, they can the proceed to Exchange of Contracts. A deposit cheque is normally required for 5-10% of the property value.
We recommend that by this stage you confirm arrangements for a moving day and start thinking about a removal company, change of address mailers, mail redirection, cleaning company etc.
Contract completion can be on the date of exchange or anything up to 28 days later depending on your requirements. On completion your solicitor hands over the remainder of the purchase money to the vendor's solicitor and we hand over the keys so you can then move into your new home.