I Want To Buy A House... A Guide To Get The House Of Your Dreams

Making Buying A House Easy

• This helpful guide will give you hints, tips and tricks to get yourself on your way to a buying the house of your dreams.

Getting Your Foot On The Property Ladder • Are you looking for a house to buy? • Whether you are on your own, with a partner or

upgrading, there is a property out there to suit you. All you need to do is find your dream home and buy it!

• Getting on the property ladder can be difficult in bad financial times, but if you can gather enough money for a deposit on a mortgage, you will be on your way to rise up that property ladder soon enough.

Know Your Budget

• Perhaps the first thing to consider before buying a house is deciding on a budget.

• See if you can get a mortgage on your wage and find out what sort of budget you have to spend.

• Get your mortgage sorted before you start looking for a house so you know exactly what properties you can look at.

• Estate agents and house sellers will also take you more seriously as a buyer rather than a browser if you can go to them with an budget price range.

Know The market

• Take a look at the house prices in the area

you want to buy in and find out what you can get for your money. If the price of the house is out of your budget, you may wish to consider other surrounding areas of that particular location and upgrade again to your ideal location later on.

Going Round The Houses

• View the properties you are most interested in. • Take a notepad with you to list any pro’s &

con’s of the place and any other key information that the seller might have about the property.

• Take a camera or camera phone with you when you go around the houses, you may want to take some pictures for reference or take pictures of issues like damp and bits you find as you walk round.

Property Search

Here are some tips on finding the property for you: • Go to your local estate agents. • search in an estate agents directory. • Visit the location you are most interested

in and visit their local estate agents. • Use a Property search engine online to find

houses in the area you are after. • Look in local newspapers of the area to

see what’s available. • Take a drive around the area you are

looking at and look out for property “FOR SALE” boards.

• Use other property search engines such as GumTree.com

Try-out the local area

• With a view to move into a specific area, if it

is a long way from home then a suggested try before you buy technique would be a good idea to get to know the local area and see if its right for you.

• Find a local hotel to stay in for a weekend and test the local shops, restaurants, attractions and areas you are most likely to use when you live in that area.

Key Questions To Ask Sellers

Check out: • Schools • What the area is like in the snow • The neighbours. (Ask if it is

Neighbourhood watch area?) • Nearest Shops & Local Attractions • Issues with the property • Extensions & work done on the house • Ask how much interest there has been

with the property and see how many people have had a look

• Ask if anyone has made any offers yet.

Find out what is available in the local area and ask the people selling their reviews on specific elements of the local community.

A Pre-offer Check list to find out before buying…

• Check if the property is free-hold or leasehold.

• Agree the fixtures and fittings that are included within the price.

• Check if the house has any planning permission for extensions.

• Check for any new developments in the local area, such as new roads and houses being built.

Know how to negotiate

• When negotiating it is important to know what you are talking about and show that you know it.

• Negotiations go down better in person rather than on the phone as you can adjust to responses accordingly.

• Keep cool and do not look overly too keen. If the seller sees how much you love the property, they are likely to keep the price higher.

• Never rush into making an offer. If there is time, Take a short while to properly think about it.

• Stay polite, Aggression will not get you anywhere with negotiating a sale.

Putting In An Offer

• Know how to get the best bargain. • Check the house is worth the price you are

putting in for it. • Find out what other houses have gone for

in the local area and develop a price guide to follow.

• If the house is within budget and you love it, you may wish to consider going in with the asking price straight away to ensure you buy it and do not get out-bid.

• Go in lower than the asking price and work you way up to your absolute budget price.

Buy The Home Of Your Dreams!

• Good luck in finding the home of your dreams!

• If you have any more tips to buying a home, please add them to the comments below, I am always happy for comments.