Buying

Buying a home is often referred to as the most expensive investment you will make in your lifetime. There are a lot of moving parts and emotions from searching for the perfect home, arranging the finances and understanding the legal process.

We want to make sure that the whole experience is exciting and positive for both our buyers and sellers. Our aim is to not only sell homes, but to develop lasting relationships along the way creating what we believe can be ‘clients for life’. After all, many buyers are future sellers, and we want to be here for our clients no matter how many times they move.

Pre-approval

We strongly recommend that you put yourself in the best position possible before heading out to look for your next home. This will help make the right decisions ready for when you do see that perfect property and want to make an offer.

Getting pre-approved with a mortgage lender is the first step and will give you the confidence as a buyer when speaking to estate agents in regards your requirements.

Registering & Arranging Viewings

Most property searches begin online. But it’s worthwhile registering and keeping in touch with estate agents too as they will keep you updated with new listings that they either have or plan to bring to the market.

Once you have decided you would like to view one of our homes, we’ll arrange a convenient time and day that suits you and the sellers.

At Coast & Country, we understand that people have busy lives and it’s common for us to conduct viewings outside usual hours, so if you want to view after work or on a Sunday, let us know and we can accommodate.

Making an Offer

Once you have found your perfect home, it’s time to make an offer. It’s important to have all your financial information available to the estate agent as they will need this information to verify the offer to their vendor.

There are quite often negotiations that take place with the estate agent playing the pivotal role in communication between you and the vendor and this can take a few conversations to arrive at a price both parties are happy with.

Instructing A Solicitor

Once your offer has been accepted a solicitor must be instructed by you and the vendor. We strongly recommend using local and reputable firms as while there might be some low cost or online options this can often make the process harder and more difficult for all involved.

We will write to all parties outlining the details of the agreed sale and then the solicitors will start the legal work. On average, it takes 2-3 months from this point until completion.

Mortgage Valuation & Survey

When the legal work has started, the mortgage company (if you are getting a mortgage) will conduct their own property valuation. Once they are satisfied, they will issue you with the formal mortgage offer.

As a buyer, you are entitled to instruct a qualified surveyor to inspect the property and provide a detailed report on any concerns or work that could impact the property in a negative way.

The most common type of survey is called a ‘Homebuyers Report’ but a more detailed survey can be a ‘Full Structural Survey’.

Exchange & Completion

Once your solicitor has carried out all the legal work including conducting the searches, is in receipt of your mortgage offer, and received answers to their enquires, they will be able to exchange contracts (making the purchase legally binding).

A completion date is then set, and you can then look forward to you moving day.

We are on hand throughout this period and will be there for the big day, when key hand over takes place.  This is by far the best part of our job!