BUYERS’ GUIDE
B
uying process
BUYERS’ COSTS SURVEYS AND VALUATIONS
Once your offer is accepted, tell your mortgage lender. They will do a valuation to ensure the property is worth the money being advanced. At the same time, instruct a surveyor to carry out a survey. If this shows problems, find out how much they would cost to rectify and use this information to renegotiate the sale price. Or, tell the seller certain repairs need to be carried out before contracts are exchanged.
SOLICITOR’S/CONVEYANCING COSTS £500-£1,500
MORTGAGE FEE £0-£1,000
VALUATION £0-£300 (depending on your mortgage deal)
SURVEY £300-£500 (depending on the type of survey you have done)
SOLICITORS After the offer is accepted, you will also need to appoint a solicitor or conveyancer who will oversee the contract, deal with the finances and exchange the deeds. Your solicitor will carry out searches, check the terms of any lease and tell you how much stamp duty you have to pay. The seller will also appoint a solicitor, and the two legal teams will be in regular contact to make sure the purchase goes as smoothly as possible.
TIPS
A QUICK SALE Push the seller to take the property off the market. This will limit the chances of being gazumped (another buyer making a larger offer). The seller can insist on continuing to show the property, especially if you haven’t offered the asking price.
EXCHANGE AND COMPLETION Once the mortgage offer is in place, the contract is satisfactory and buildings insurance has been organised, both parties will agree an exchange date. On exchange of contracts, you pay a deposit, and a completion date is set. At this point, there’s no going back – the seller could sue you if you pull out, and you could lose your deposit. The exchange can be on the same date as the completion, but they are usually a week to 10 days apart. On completion, the final paperwork is done, and the property is legally yours.
Use a recommended solicitor who you know to be reliable and can move fast. Never get pressured into an exchange and completion date without knowing all your finances and documents are in place. If you can’t complete, you may have to pay the seller’s costs. English property law is different to Scottish law: in England, if you put in an offer and then have a change of heart, you can legally back out of the deal or negotiate up until the exchange date. But, in Scotland, an agreed price is binding.
SOLICITORS
Compare quotes from solicitors, and ask your friends if they can recommend someone. A good solicitor can make a big difference to a purchase completing or falling through.
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LOCAL AUTHORITY SEARCH FEES £300 (included in your solicitor’s bill)
LAND REGISTRY FEES £50-£920 (depending on the property’s value, e.g., £200 on a property costing between £100,000 and £200,000).
MORTGAGE BROKER’S FEE 0-1%
STAMP DUTY 0% for properties costing up to £125,000
2% for properties costing between £125,001 and £250,000
5% for properties costing between £250,001 and £925,000
10% for properties costing between £925,001 and £1,500,000
BUILDINGS INSURANCE £300 per year, payable monthly or in advance. Buildings insurance can cost a lot more if your property is at risk of flooding.
TIME SCALE From offer to completion usually takes about six weeks to three months, but don’t feel pressured or rush into anything you’re not sure of just because the seller or estate agent wants you to exchange.
SEARCHES
Look at the results of searches your solicitor has done. They will tell you, for example, if a main road is about to be built at the end of your garden.
INSURANCE
After you’ve exchanged contracts, arrange buildings insurance – this will be a condition of your mortgage offer.
REMOVALS
Shop around for a removals firm, and find one that can move your possessions on completion day.
SERVICE CHARGES AND GROUND RENT ON LEASEHOLD FLATS £100-£4,000
COMPLETION
Your solicitor or estate agent will call you to tell you the property is yours. The solicitor will have some final paperwork to do, and you will then have to pay the solicitor’s bill and your stamp duty payment (if applicable).
First Time Buyer August/September 2019
FTB 90-95 Buyer's Guide August-September19.indd 94
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