Buyer’s Guide

Moving home is one of the most important experiences you’ll ever do. Have fun and enjoy yourself!

Get a "Mortgage in Principle"

You need to find out how much you can borrow. Getting a mortgage and buying a house are usually very much intertwined.

When you find a house, you will probably have to move fast to secure it. To prevent being delayed while sorting out a mortgage, we highly recommend you first get a "Mortgage In Principle" agreed. Having this in place means you should be able get the actual mortgage quicker when the race to buy your chosen home begins. You can get this offer in writing to show to estate agents and sellers - who will then see you as a serious prospect and not a timewaster.

A 'Mortgage In Principle' is a conditional offer made by a mortgage lender that - provided the information you give them is correct - they will "in principle" give you the loan you have discussed with them. Knowing what you can afford will also help you narrow your search and give you a considerable degree of confidence.

Our partners, a firm of professional, independent financial advisors, would be pleased to provide you with a free, no obligation consultation on what mortgage options are available to you, and the associated costs. Call 01604 235139 or contact us to make further enquiries.

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.

• Legal/Conveyance Fees - You will also need to instruct a solicitor to deal with all legal aspects of buying the property you want. Conveyancing can be arranged for you through iProperty Finders: please call us or click here to make further enquiries, we have arranged discounted rate from our recommended Conveyancers and Solicitors.
• Stamp Duty - This is a government tax, charged for purchase of properties above £125,000. If your new home is priced between £125,001 and £250,000, you will need to pay 1% of the final agreed price. If it is between £250,001 and £500,000, the tax is 3%; and over £500,001 its 4%. So, for example, if you are paying £200,000 for your home you will be expected to pay £2,000 in stamp duty - i.e. 1%.
  
• Removal Fees - if you're on a tight budget, you could arrange to do all the packing and removals work yourself. However, given the scale of this task, we recommend you seek professional assistance. iProperty Finders has partnered with local Removal companies with good discounts available for our clients! Please contact us to learn more.

If you are a non-cash buyer and have a property to sell, the first step you should take is to put it up for sale.

Why? Because, if you see a house you want to buy you may not be able to buy it without the money from your own house. Also, many estate agents consider you a "non-proceedable" buyer - which means, you are a potential buyer but you can't actually proceed because you need to sell your own house first. So, if there is another buyer who is "proceedable" they may well see the house of your dreams and buy it first!

iProperty Finders can help you in sell your home. Contact us to arrange a free, no-obligation valuation of your home or call us directly on 01604 235139.

Don’t forget we will sell your home for only £250 !


Register with iProperty Finders 

Once you have worked out how much you can afford the next stage is to start looking for a property.

To find your ideal property, we need to know as much as possible about your requirements. You can register with iProperty Finders either online, by phone or by visiting our office, where one of our consultants can assist you with your search.

Once we have a clear understanding of your requirements we will access all properties that match your criteria. When you have registered, details of suitable properties can be sent to you by email – or phone depending on your preferences.

We do recommend you come and see us to discuss in person your requirements as we are very pro-active and will endeavour to go get you the house of your dreams.


View properties

This is the fun bit!

It’s always good to have a good brainstorm about what exactly you will be looking for in your new home. After all, you can't ask for a refund if you decide you don't like it after four weeks! You may well have to make some compromises in the house you buy so decide now what your "MUST HAVES" and "NICE TO HAVES" are. For instance: is an ensuite bathroom a MUST HAVE or a NICE TO HAVE? Remember: Consult your husband/wife/partner and children - so that you are all clear and agreed on what's really important to you.


Viewings of properties on our books

Viewings can be conducted from 9am - 8pm 7 Days a week. You can book a viewing by phone or on-line through the 'Book a Viewing' link presented against each property you find on our property search engine.

The vendor gives us specific times for viewings, although we do ask them to be as flexible as possible.

After the viewing we will answer any immediate questions and usually contact you the next day for your thoughts and general feedback. Please be on time for viewings. We will arrange the viewing with the owner to meet you at the property, or if it is more convenient, at our offices from where we can direct you. If you are running late or have to cancel you MUST contact us as we and the owners have gone to a lot of effort to prepare the viewing time to suit you.

Property Search Service
We also offer a property search service to serious but busy buyers, who have limited time to spend in looking for a home. If this is you, this service could save you a ton in time and money. Contact us for further details on our property search service, or simply call us on 01604 135139

Make an offer

How exciting! - You've found the house of your dreams and you want to make an offer.

Let's hope we've found it for you! As soon as you've found a suitable property, we'll put your offer to the seller, 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 iProperty Finders both vendor and buyer can benefit from the expertise of our consultants, who will work hard to facilitate an agreeable outcome that delivers the best result for all.


Exchange and complete contracts

When your offer is accepted, the vendor's solicitor/conveyancer will prepare a Contract of Sale. You will also need to appoint a solicitor/conveyancer to examine the contract, and raise any queries based on the title deeds and related property matters. We can Recommend Solicitors.

When your Solicitor has replies to enquiries made on your behalf, a completed satisfactory local search, a copy of a mortgage offer, a signed contract and a deposit cheque, they can then proceed to Exchange of Contracts. A deposit cheque is normally required for 5-10% of the purchase value of the property.

Contract completion can be on the date of exchange or can be 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, we hand over the keys and you can then move into your new home.

Please contact us for any further information, advice or help you may need to help you with buying your next home!