Give us your criteria and we will search out the home to fit your dreams...
A place in the country
Convenience of town |
ROBERTSON THOMAS
...a different kind of estate agent
We appreciate that buying a property is probably one of the most important decisions you’ll ever make but it doesn’t have to be difficult. Why not read our guide to buying..
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Free valuation call us on
01132 586060 |
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Our Buying Guide
STEP 1 Do you have a property to sell?
The first step is to put your own house up for sale. Robertson Thomas can help you do this. To arrange a free valuation call us.
STEP 2 How much can I afford?
As well as the cost of the house itself, there are other expenses to think about for example; solicitors costs, perhaps mortgage related expenses and general one-off expenses. Other costs to consider:
Lender's Valuation (Basic Valuation)
All lenders require a valuation of the property to check that it is worth the price being paid for it. This is commissioned by the mortgage lender but you must cover the cost. The cost of the valuation depends on the value of the property
Survey
It is strongly advised that you have your own independent, more detailed survey carried out to check for any defects. There are two types of survey, the Homebuyer's Report which costs around £500, and the more comprehensive Building Survey (Structural Survey) which can cost anything up to £1,000, depending on the value of the house. Allow extra if you need more specialist checks, for example on old properties.
Legal/Conveyancing Fees
You will need to hire a solicitor to deal with the legal aspects of buying a property. There is no standard fee so it is a good idea to shop around for the best rate. Robertson Thomas can recommend solicitors for you to use.
Stamp Duty
This is a government tax, charged for properties above £125,000. If your new home is priced between £125,000 and £250,000, you will pay 1% of the property price. From £250,000 to £500,000, it will be 3% and over £500,000 it will be 4%. So, for example, if you are paying £200,000 for your home you pay £2,000 in stamp duty.
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Land Registry Fee
The Land Registry is a government department which looks after the registers of all registered properties in England and Wales. It charges a fee for transferring the register to the new owner. This fee is charged according to property price.
Local Authority Search Fees
Local searches will be carried out by your solicitor/conveyancer to ensure that there are no potential problems such as planning permission on neighbouring properties or plans for new roads nearby.
Other Search Fees and Disbursements
These include index map, commons, the coal authority, land charge, company searches, bank transfer fees. Allow about £70 to cover an average house purchase.
Estate Agent's Commission
If you're selling your property as well as buying one, the sum charged by your estate agent has to be taken into account.
Removal Fees
Ask for quotes from at least 3 different removal firms and pick the best one that suits your personal requirements
Contingency Fund
Leave a decent-sized contingency fund for emergencies.
STEP 3 How much can I Borrow?
Before you start looking for that perfect property, you should consult a lender or mortgage adviser as to what your maximum possible loan would be. You should really do your homework here as there are a lot of different products out there. If you would like to speak to someone regarding a potential mortgage we can refer you to an impartial whole of market Financial Adviser.
STEP 4 Register with Robertson Thomas
Once you have worked out how much you can afford the next stage is to start looking for a property. Call in or telephone and registry with us and let us help you match you criteria. |
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call us on 01132 58 60 60
email or pop in... |
Viewings
Viewings can be conducted from 9am – 5.30pm Monday to Friday and 9am - 4pm on Saturdays, Sundays on request.
We usually conduct property viewings; the Vendor will not always be present. Sometimes a vendor gives us specific times for viewings, although we do ask them to be as flexible as possible. We normally keep keys and can access the property to suit your availability. You should also ensure that anyone likely to share in the decision views the property as well.
After the viewing we need to know if you have any questions or if you are interested in buying the property. So please allow time to discuss your thoughts with us. We will normally contact you the day after the viewing to see what you thought of the property.
Making an offer
As soon as you've found the perfect property for you, we'll put your offer to the seller, verbally and in writing. We will normally put your offer on the same day. The offer will be subject to a contract being signed and there are no legal obligations on either side until this is done.
Legal
The Vendor's Solicitor will prepare a Contract of Sale. You will need to appoint a Solicitor to examine this and raise any queries based on the title deeds and related property matters.
When your Solicitor has replies to enquiries; a completed satisfactory local search; a copy of a mortgage offer; a signed contract and a deposit cheque, they can proceed to Exchange of Contracts. A deposit cheque is normally required for 10% of the purchase value of the property.
Completion can be on the date of exchange or can be anything up to 28 days later, dependent on your requirements. On completion your Solicitor hands over the remainder of the purchase money to the Vendor's Solicitor and you can move into your new home. Keys will be handed over to you by us. |
