Guide to buying a property

Step 2

Are you selling too?

If your move will involve selling your current home it is advisable to advertise your current property before looking for a new home.

Being ready to sell means you are less likely to miss out on your dream home.

Step 3

How much can you afford?

Before you begin searching it is advisable to arrange your finances and, if required, have a mortgage agreed in principle.

Our recommended mortgage broker, Alexander Hall, has access to the entire market, as well as exclusive deals and rates to help find you the best mortgage available.

Step 4

Instruct a solicitor

A successful purchase relies on an efficient and experienced solicitor.

Solicitors at Conveyan have been hand-picked for their expertise, speed and efficiency.

Step 5

Find the right property

With hundreds of new listings each week, we'll help you find the right property.

We can also keep you constantly up-to-date via email and text alerts, even before properties get listed on Rightmove and Zoopla.

Step 6

Viewings

Book your viewing online or in the office.

We will chauffeur you to your viewings ensuring you arrive in a relaxed frame of mind and accompany you throughout so that we are on hand to answer any questions immediately and advise where necessary.

Step 7

Making an offer

Once you find your perfect property you can make an offer online or with your agent.

Let us know if there any special conditions of the offer and we'll communicate this to the seller.

At this point you may need to demonstrate that you can proceed by providing evidence of your mortgage in principle and solicitor details.

There are no legal obligations on either side until contracts are signed.

Step 8

Offer accepted

Once you accept an offer we will do the following:

You will now need to instruct your solicitor to proceed with the conveyancing process and your mortgage broker to proceed with your application.

Step 9

Conveyancing

As part of the conveyancing process your solicitor will carry out the following:

We will assist your solicitor and negotiate throughout the process, keeping you informed every step of the way.

Step 10

Survey and mortgage offer

A survey of the property will be booked by a surveyor on behalf of the mortgage lender to identify any structural problems and advise on the property's value.

After the mortgage valuation report is received, a formal mortgage offer will be sent to you and your solicitor which you will need to sign before it is returned.

There are no legal obligations until contracts are signed.

Step 11

Exchange of contracts

Exchange of contracts occurs when all enquiries have been confirmed and agreed.

Once the contract has been signed by both parties the deposit (usually 10% of the purchase price) will be transferred online or paid in the form of a banker's draft from your solicitor to the seller's solicitor.

The completion date is then set by mutual agreement.

Step 12

Completion

Completion is when the residual monies (usually 90%) are transferred from your solicitor to the seller's solicitor's account.

We will release the keys once the money has cleared in the seller's account.

Congratulations, you are now the legal owner of your new home!