Buying Guide

Before you start house hunting, it is important to think of what kind of house you really want. What features are most important? Are there any you could live without? By constructing a list now, it will not only help you rate houses when viewing, but also help put your ideals into perspective when you come to make the big decision.

When viewing a property think about what you want to ask the current owners. Its always a good idea to engage in conversation with the current owners. Try and find out how, why, when, where - what their plans are, they may not have found a house yet, or maybe they want to wait until the summer holidays to move, if you are in a hurry to move this will have an affect on whether you make an offer or not.

Gazumping a EUROS gazumping is being outbid by rivals at the last minute. There is no way of preventing gazumping unless you're live in Scotland where there are laws to protect the buyer. Under the Estate Agency Act, estate agents are obliged to pass on all offers they receive. There are ways to lessen the chance of it happening, or at least reduce the impact if it does:
a EUROS Offer the full asking price and request that the property is removed from the market if your offer is accepted.
a EUROS Be flexible with the vendor.
a EUROS Be clear you're willing to complete on their timescale.
a EUROS Be nice to the vendor - if you've established some kind of relationship with them, it will be harder for them to let you down.
a EUROS Take out insurance - you must do this before you instruct your solicitor, but then if you're gazumped, you can be refunded the cost of your various fees.