Are you a first-time buyer looking to buy a home in London? The process of purchasing property might sound complicated and daunting, especially during this particular COVID-19 period. Don’t worry, SearchSmartly has you covered. Here is our seven-step guide to buying a home.
Is buying a property worth it? Although 63% of people in the UK own property, nowadays, more and more young people believe residential property may not be a good investment anymore. People tend to have the misconception that you must own a house to ‘settle down’ or to have a family. But, is purchasing a property really the best option for you?
Before you start your research, your occupation and commitment need to be considered. If you are a student or young professional, will you stay in London a few years down the line? Investment horizons must be taken into account whether you want to live in the property only for a few years, or decades, because the needs for them will be completely different.
Commitment: will you do all the repairs yourself? Do you want to live in the same place for years or perhaps decades? For most people, purchasing a property is their biggest investment, so if you think the property market is not as stable as you’d like it to be, it is always a good idea to wait.
Having a clear understanding of your financial position is also essential. There is no harm in speaking to a financial advisor before you make a decision, especially if you want a mortgage loan. You don’t want to be looking for houses that are over your budget. It is a big financial commitment with ‘hidden’ costs such as stamp duty and solicitor fees, which can easily go beyond your budget. By setting a clear budget goal, you can find your dream home quicker and easier.
Think about where you want to live. There are 1000s of properties on sale in the 32 London boroughs, so how do you find your ideal property? SearchSmartly’s smart score system finds the property that matches all your preferences – no more stress from the enormous amount of information online about London areas. SearchSmartly generates recommendations based on your daily commute destination and what matters the most to you. And your time horizon of investment is the crucial factor in finding your dream home – if you are a young student and only thinking of holding your property for five years, factors like grocery stores and greater accessibility are more pivotal than infant and primary schools. If you are planning to stay in the same place for ten years or longer and ready to have a family, then the level of importance of schools near your property will be greater.
You can always add the properties you like to create a ‘favourite’ list to share with others or come back another time. Remember, always be quick to request a viewing as properties go quickly!
Once you find your dream home, you will need to place an offer. Making an offer sounds very straightforward, but there are always more buyers than sellers. You need to make sure you are the most attractive buyer and here are some tips for that:
- Build a good relationship with estate agents – it’s never a bad idea to have connections with estate agents, the more they know you, the more likely they will help you.
- Get your finances in place before making an offer – you are in a more advantageous position when your finances are ready or if you’re a cash buyer especially if the seller is in a chain.
After an agreement is made between you and the seller, a solicitor or conveyancer is needed to handle the legal process of transferring the ownership of the property to you. Some choose to find a conveyance firm before they put in an offer which can speed up the whole process, but it’s not a must. Conveyancing fees vary from firm to firm but they are typically between £850-£1500. Be aware that if you purchase a leasehold property, the cost is more than freehold properties. Leasehold is a form of legal ownership in which you have a lease from the freeholder to use the home for a number of years from 10 to 999 years. In contrast, with a freehold property, you own the building and the land, in perpetuity and never worry about paying annual grant rent or maintenance and service charges. Your conveyance solicitor can also carry out some optional searches, for example, local authority searches, drainage searches and environmental searches. In total, these searches would only cost approx. £300; it is worth to get them all carried out before you encounter any pitfalls.
Finding a surveyor to conduct a property survey for your house is not essential but advisable. If you need a loan, then your mortgage lender will do a mortgage valuation which provides the lender with independent confirmation of the property’s value. However, a property valuation is much less in-depth than a property survey as it only exams on the value of the house and is solely for the use of the mortgage lender. On the other hand, a property survey provides everything you, as a buyer, need to know about the property, from structural problems to small cracks on the wall and it highlights any potential issues in the future after you move in. The cost of a property survey varies from £500 to £2,000 based on the company, the size and the location of your property. Usually, the cost of a new-build property is much lower. With your survey, you can ask your seller to make reasonable adjustments to the price, for example, if there is a major structural problem, you can ask the seller to reduce the house price or request they fix the problem before you purchase the house.
Finally, the last step! The final step is coming to an agreement on a completion date with the seller. A completion date indicates the date you receive the keys. You should always check with your solicitor on a projected completion date before confirming an exact day with your seller. The completion date must be agreed before exchanging the contracts. And, finally, exchange contracts with your seller and become the legal owner of the property!
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