Define Your Goals: Determine why and where you want to buy a property. Are you looking for a primary residence, an investment, or a holiday home? Drive around the areas and get to know them. Decide what are the most important things to you. Be prepared to change those requirements and be flexible as through the search you may find you may need to compromise a little. Speaking to us at an early stage will help us understand your needs and we can guide you to the best properties and areas. We even have a VIP buyer list and service that you may find useful.
Assess Your Budget: Understand your financial capacity by reviewing your income, savings, and credit history. Determine how much you can comfortably afford as a down payment, monthly mortgage payments, property taxes, insurance, and other potential expenses. Get in touch with one of our independent mortgage advisors. We work with those who can look at the whole of the lending market for you and will obtain a pre-approval from a lender to know exactly how much they are willing to lend you. This will give you a clear idea of your budget and strengthen your position when making an offer.
Get out viewing properties: Too many people make the mistake of dismissing properties online too quickly. A house has a certain feeling when you find the right one and sometimes you won’t get that from photos alone. The more you see, the more certain you will be when you walk into the right one for you. Ask sensible questions about the property and the area in general.
Hot tip: Treat the agent like your friend and don’t act all arrogant, playing it cool. The agent is the difference between you securing the home or not and you will be working with them closely right up until you take the keys.
Making an offer: Be sensible and not offensive. Look at other properties locally and gauge what they sold for recently. Discuss and put over your situation in the best light and be prepared to negotiate. In most cases this will be your home for many years so be flexible, but also stick to your budget.
