Buying
A guide to buying
Three out of four homeowners say their home is the most valuable thing they own, which is what makes buying one a trying business. This is the order it happens in, and where an agent is actually worth having.
Choosing an agent
It is worth choosing an agent who will support you through the whole move rather than to the end of the viewing. A good one grasps what a buyer actually needs, matches it to the right properties, and keeps a purchase moving once the offer is agreed — which is the half of the job nobody sees.
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Know what you can borrow
Before you look at anything, find out what you can actually borrow. An agreement in principle is what turns an offer from a hope into a position, and it is the first thing a seller will ask about.
Speak to an adviser -
Work out where
Most buyers narrow the area before the house. Sold prices, what actually comes up and what a street is like to live on are all worth more than a postcode guess.
Sold prices by area -
Register, then be quick
A good property is often gone before it reaches a portal. Registering with us means you hear when something fits rather than when the internet does.
Tell us what you are looking for -
Viewings
See it twice if you are serious, and once at a different time of day. Ask what the seller’s position is — whether they have found somewhere matters as much to your timeline as the survey will.
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Making an offer
We put your offer to the seller with your position behind it: your funding, your chain, when you can move. A well-presented offer beats a slightly higher vague one more often than people expect.
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Survey and conveyancing
Your lender will value the property for its own purposes, which is not a survey of the building. Upgrading to a homebuyers report or a full building survey is where most renegotiations begin.
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Exchange and completion
Exchange is the point at which it is binding; completion is the day you get the keys. Between the two, nothing changes hands and nothing can be assumed.
Hear about it first
Tell us the areas and the budget and we will let you know when something fits, including the properties that never reach a portal.
Asked and answered
Common questions
What should I do before I start viewing?
Find out what you can borrow and get an agreement in principle. It is the first thing a seller will ask about when you offer.
Does a higher offer always win?
No. A well-presented offer from a buyer in a strong position — funded, no chain, able to move — regularly beats a higher one that is vague.
Is the lender’s valuation a survey?
No. It values the property for the lender’s purposes. A homebuyers report or full building survey is what tells you about the building itself.