Buying Guide

Choosing the right mortgage

It’s never too early for you to start thinking about arranging a mortgage as this can be time-consuming.

You can get a mortgage from an Independent Financial Adviser (IFA), mortgage broker or lender.

Once you’ve found a mortgage product you like, agree it as a mortgage ‘in principle’. This tells you how much money the lender is likely to offer and the interest rate you’ll pay. You might have to pay a booking fee to reserve the mortgage product you want. Typical cost: £99-£250

We can also advise you with this process and point you towards several lenders who may be able to help you.

Register your interest

Register your requirements and budget with us and we will then send out details of relevant properties to you. Just simply fill in your details and main requirements in the property box and we will contact you immediately. You can also email us at enquires@efpgestateagents.com or tel our offices on 00350 200 65065

Finding the right property

We will assist you with your property search and offer sound advice on which properties to view and which are suitable options in accordance with your requirements and budget.

Making an offer

Once you have found your ideal property you should make an offer to the agent. You must carefully consider how much you can realistically afford. Take into consideration the mortgage offer plus any equity you have in another property. Don’t forget to allow for Stamp Duty and legal fees. Once the vendor has accepted your offer you should instruct a lawyer to start the buying process. If you don’t already have a lawyer in mind we can recommend one to you.

Offer agreed

Once you receive acceptance on the offer from us procedures can then be initiated by each parties lawyer towards Exchange of Contracts or some cases directly to completion, this can take between 6 to 8 weeks on average. We will liaise between your lawyer and the vendor’s lawyer to ensure that your purchase goes through as smoothly as possible.

Conveyancing

This is the legal term for the transfer of ownership of a property from one party to another. Your lawyer will liaise with the vendor’s solicitor while carrying out Land Registry and Local Authority searches.

Survey and Mortgage Offer

Your lender will require a survey for mortgage purposes, but this is merely to establish a valuation. You may also choose to undertake a full structural survey although this is usually advisable on a period property or a property of non-standard construction. Any issues highlighted may either affect the lenders ability to offer a mortgage in its entirety or impose special conditions on the mortgage offer. The survey may also highlight any expensive problems to you before you purchase the property.

Exchange of Contracts

Up until this point, either party can withdraw from the sale without financial loss. When your lawyer has received satisfactory replies to all their searches and enquiries, a copy of a mortgage offer, a signed Memorandum of Sale and confirmation that the deposit has been paid (usually 2% of the agreed sale price), they can then proceed to Exchange of Contracts. From this point the seller and buyer are legally committed to the deal so if the buyer pulls out for whatever reason they lose their deposit.

Completion

Completion is the formal process of transferring the balance of monies due. This process will be dependent on your circumstances and any other parties involved in the buying chain. Once the monies have been received you can collect the keys from your lawyer as the legal owner of the property.