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First Time Buyers
Looking for a new home can be a time of great excitement. However, it can also be a time of great anxiety, with many people to deal with and unfamiliar procedures to be followed. It?s little wonder that the whole process can often seem daunting. We have produced this guide to assist you during the process and hope you will find it of value as you begin the search for your ideal home. We wish you every success.
Choosing A Property
Different people have different tastes and ideas, but most people want to live in the right area for travelling to work and for schools, shops and other local amenities. When it comes to choosing the property itself, you will decide on the age and style of property you want and how easily you could sell if you have to move again.
Here are a few things to remember. You should pay attention not only to the general appearance of the house, but also look closely for potential structural problems both inside and outside.
- Remember to ask questions and don?t feel obliged to commit yourself after the first viewing, after all, buying a home is probably the biggest investment you will ever make.
- Don?t get taken in by extravagant features such as a designer kitchen.
- Such features may put a premium on the price of a property, but remember a kitchen is a depreciating asset. Will you get the same premium on the price when you come to sell in a few years time?
- Any furniture, appliances and features included in the price are only real incentives to buy if they are to your taste.
- Always go back and see a property in daylight before committing yourself. Have a close look at the surrounding area, the street in which the property is situated and, if a flat, the tenement in which it is located and make a point of visiting the neighbours.
Having chosen the property that best suits your taste and meets all your requirements you then need to take both legal and financial advice to get the purchase underway.
Don't forget to look at the Home Information Pack for the property that you are looking to buy. This will provide you with some useful information which may help with your purchase decision.
With a number of important financial decisions to make, seek advice from an independent financial adviser. There are all sorts of mortgage types to choose from and it is all to easy to get confused and make the wrong decisions, which may cost you dearly in the long term.
An independent financial adviser will provide you with the advice you will need to make an informed decision on the mortgage product best suited to your individual circumstances.
Remember - an independent financial adviser is not tied to any particular company, so they can recommend the mortgage best suited to you. Unlike many other ?tied? financial institutions an independent adviser will provide you with information about all mortgages currently on offer in the
BHP Home can assist you by putting you in touch with an independent financial adviser at Blackett Hart & Pratt who are regulated by the Law Society and authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority.
If you have a solicitor, you will need to approach them to act on your behalf to undertake the necessary legal work in connection with your purchase but of course we would be happy to help and will refer you to Blackett Hart & Pratt.
If you don?t have a regular solicitor, ask around and speak to your friends and relatives and get them to recommend one. Your solicitor or conveyancer will take care of all the legal technicalities involved in your house purchase. It?s important that you involve them as early as possible so that they can advise you as you go along, saving you alot of time and trouble. Witb our inclusive package we can combine all of these services together hopefully saving you both time and money.
As you may have gathered, buying a house is a fairly involved process. We hope that this guide has been of help.