A Step-By-Step Guide To Purchasing Your Dream Home

Planning A Move To Your Perfect Property Begins Today

Whether you’re a first-time buyer, or already on the property ladder and looking for a new home, it’s never too early to start planning your dream move.

Brits move to a new house approximately three or four times in their lives, so you’ll want to make sure you’re moving to your dream home the next time you up sticks. A dream home doesn’t have to mean luxury living with an unrealistic price tag. It’s all about picking a property that is ideal for you at this stage in your life, which provides you with everything you could possibly need and puts a smile on your face when you return home. That might be a riverfront apartment, a 5-bed detached house in the suburbs, or a charming 2-bed cottage in a quaint hamlet. Whatever you have in mind as your property dream, this step-by-step guide will help to get you the keys!

Property Size

Begin by working out the size of accommodation you’re looking for. You may want to look for more bedrooms than you actually need, particularly if you’re planning on starting a family or would like the extra rooms for a study, playroom, guest room, gym or any other type of hobby. Of course, as you’re looking at a dream home, you may also want to search for properties with multiple reception rooms or perhaps something a little extra such as a garage converted into a studio or an annex suite.

Check Out The Area

If you have a new area in mind, then it’s important to spend some time there to work out if you’d actually like to be based there. Conduct some research to find out what your daily commute will be like – is there a station nearby for example? You’ll also want to get a feel for the neighborhood and find out if it’s a safe place to live.

Register With Local Estate Agents

Once you have an idea of what and where you’re looking for, it’s time to speak to some local experts to help you search for that dream property. For example, if you’re looking for a property in the CM13 area, then it’s best to register with Brentwood estate agents who will be able to give you fantastic location-specific advice and present you with the best pick of properties in the area. Remember that some properties never even make it on the market before being snapped up by registered buyers on an estate agent’s books, so it pays to speak directly with professional agents and let them know exactly what you’re looking for.

Determining Your Budget

Your estate agent will want to know what budget they’re working with to help you find your perfect property. So sit down with a mortgage advisor and crunch the numbers. You should provide details of your income, including any regular bonuses or secondary income such as freelance work. You can also let them know what savings you might have for a deposit and also if you have any other opportunities available to you such as family who are willing to help out either with a down payment or acting as guarantors for a mortgage. Remember that obtaining a mortgage in principle will make you a more attractive prospect to a vendor when you get to the offer making the stage.

Viewing Properties

When you start viewing properties, take note of how much work you’re likely to need to do to the accommodation. Are there any cosmetic updates such as decorating or new flooring that need to be taken care of before you can transform this into a dream property? Perhaps you can see the potential in a slightly smaller home that has space for an impressive extension.

When you’re confident you’ve found the home of your dreams, it’s time to put an offer in. You may want to negotiate slightly to get some money off the asking price, but if it’s a popular property then offering as close to the guide price as possible will give you a better chance of being accepted.

Shopping for your dream property can start as early as today. Begin by working out what you’re looking for, and then speak to the necessary professionals to help you get there!