Getting ready to buy a new home?

5 steps to help you on your journey into buying a home!

There’s not much point going on viewings until you’ve established what you can afford, the type of home you’re looking for and where you want to be. Looking at properties before being certain about any of these factors is risky, not to mention a waste of time for both you and the owner.

A successful property search requires focus and direction. It’s like a jigsaw puzzle with three key pieces

– budget, space and location.

What you can spend is the starting point; the other two pieces need to fit around that.

1. Establish your budget

First things first. Speak to an independent mortgage adviser to get an idea of what your budget might be for the property purchase. This will largely depend on your salary (salaries if you are buying with someone else), your monthly outgoings, any outstanding debt you have and the size of the deposit you are putting down.

2. Make a wish list

Once you know what you can afford, list down what you want from the property. That means the number of bedrooms, kitchen size, local schools, garden etc. When you’ve done that, mark each requirement on an importance scale of 1-10 as it’s likely you’ll have to compromise on something down the line.

3. Use free tools and information on online portals

Use the information on Zoopla for example, to research local property values, sold house prices and other useful info such as average time on the market in that road or street for example. You can even find out the average price per square foot of the property!

4. Contact some local agents

Useful as they are, online tools and information are just a starting point. They won’t replace speaking to an expert who has up to date knowledge of the current local property market. Discuss your requirements with a few local estate agents – good ones will be helpful. It’s our job to know everything there is to know about the property market in our area.

5. Narrow down your search

With every viewing you will find out more about what you want, don’t want, and what you can and can’t afford. Use each viewing as a means of refining your criteria and potential compromises.

Here at Alexanders, property is our thing.

If you want to talk about what you could do to your house to help it sell, just give us a shout, completely free of charge. It would be our pleasure.

We are here to help.