When starting your home buying journey in North London, you might feel excited. You might also have feelings of apprehension or even overwhelm.
The first time you buy a property there is a lot to take in, as with any new experience. If it’s been a little while since you last moved, there may be parts of the process that have changed or that have slipped your mind.
This is where we come in.
Having an experienced hand to guide you through the whole buying process ensures you’re not on your own with this complex and important transaction.
Starting The Home Buying Process in North London
One of the first things we all tend to do nowadays, whether we’re looking for a home or a product, is look online. This is a good way to get a vague idea of what sort of properties are available in your area.
The next thing that’s really important to do is to check your numbers. Too many people we have dealt with over the years have ended up broken-hearted because they thought they had found The Perfect Home. However, when it came to it, the numbers didn’t work out because they hadn’t checked them thoroughly first.
We know the best people to help you in the North London area because we deal with this all day, every day. Get in touch and we can connect you to the best North London financial advisor for your circumstances.
Stage Two of Buying a North London Property
Once you are very clear on the budget you are working with, contact the local, experienced estate agents who work in the areas you’re looking to buy.
Great estate agents will take your details and get to know you, your wants, and your needs when it comes to your property purchase. This helps us to pair you with your perfect property; it’s like match-making.
Depending on the market forces, the economy, and the time of year it can be a case of looking at a few homes before you find the right one. Don’t get disheartened if you find yourself looking at more than one or two before you fall in love.
Stage Three of Buying a Home in North London
Once you’ve found a place you really like, you might go back for a second viewing and then you need to put in an offer. This is something very few people do in their day-to-day lives and can feel like a dance you don’t know the steps to.
There are some old-fashioned pieces of advice online suggesting that offering 10% less than the asking price is the right way to begin negotiations. It all boils down really to “How much do you want the house?”.
You can see a lot of information online about what things have sold for in the past but this data does go out of date quite quickly. This is because it’s only published once a transaction has been completed and this can take months sometimes. The market can shift in that time dramatically so use it as a guide only.
Stage Four of Buying North London Property
Once your offer has been accepted, the paperwork begins. This is when two solicitors (or conveyancers) work through the legal side of the transaction. You, as the buyer, will instruct someone and the seller will too.
If you’re not sure which solicitor or conveyancers to use, get in touch and ask us. We know the best in the local area for all sorts of circumstances. If you’re buying an ex-council property, one with a share of the freehold, or one with a leasehold, they all have different idiosyncracies. We know the best people to help you depending on the property and your situation.
This to-ing and fro-ing between the solicitors can take weeks, sometimes even months. Be patient, it’s normal. It’s also frustrating when you’re excited and want to get on with the move. But that’s the UK system and it’s not likely to change anytime soon.
We will do everything we can during this time to liaise with the solicitors and the seller to keep you in the loop as much as possible. We are also solution-focused so if unexpected things arise in the paperwork, there is very little we haven’t already seen and dealt with in the past.
You’ll be in safe hands.
Once exchange of contracts has happened, the property is legally yours. There are then usually another couple of weeks before ‘completion’. This is when the keys are given to you and the previous owners will have vacated the property.
This is when you can start the process of moving in and turning your new house into your perfect North London home.