From start to finish, buying your first home can take months and involves lots of steps. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed and like you’re in a bit of a muddle when it comes to planning your move.
This checklist will make sure you don’t miss any vital steps in the process. Tick them off one by one until you reach your goal of moving day!
Seek mortgage advice
The very first thing you need to do is find out whether you’re likely to be accepted for a mortgage – and if so, how much you’ll be able to borrow.
Speak to an expert mortgage adviser in Lincoln for advice about your options. They’ll guide you through the mortgage application process and help you to find a suitable mortgage deal for your personal circumstances.
A mortgage adviser is there to provide impartial advice – but they can also help you access special deals and rates that aren’t available on the high street. This could save you thousands of pounds in the long term!
Get an Agreement in Principle
When you’ve found a lender and deal that suits you, it’s time to get an Agreement in Principle. This is where your chosen lender confirms how much they would be likely to let you borrow from them.
Having this statement is proof of affordability, something that an estate agent and solicitor will want to see before you can put an offer on a house.
Your mortgage adviser can help you to fill out your application and explain the process of an Agreement in Principle in more detail.
Make an offer on your chosen property
When you’ve found a property you love, make a formal offer via the estate agent. This is where you can negotiate on the asking price a little bit, too. There will be some back-and-forth between you and the vendor until you agree on a price they’ll accept.
Conduct searches and surveys on the property
You can conduct surveys and searches on a property prior to making an offer, particularly if the house will need considerable renovations. However, most people arrange searches and surveys after an offer has been accepted, as they cost money to conduct.
Exchange contracts
When the searches and Law Society forms have all been completed and both parties are happy, it’s time to exchange contracts. This usually happens about two weeks before the completion date, although can be more or less depending on your vendor.
When you exchange contracts, you need to put down the deposit on your house. This secures the property as your own and commits you to buying it. You’ll be provided a completion date – which is usually the same day you’ll move to the new house.
Redirect mail and update subscriptions
Arrange mail forwarding for at least six months (ideally a year) with Royal Mail. This makes sure any post addressed to you to your current home will be automatically sent to your new home after the moving date.
Make sure you also update your subscriptions such as magazines or regular deliveries. You’ll also need to make a note of your bank, phone, and other providers who’ll need your new address close to your moving day.
Book your removals company
It doesn’t matter if you’re doing a self-move with a transit van or hiring an entire team of removals experts: book them in as soon as you’ve set a completion date!
Create a full inventory of everything you want the removals company to take. They may want to visit your home to provide an accurate quote. Arrange a few quotes and negotiate the best price – but always compare quality of service over price, too. For example, a cheaper man-and-van service may not offer full insurance of your contents in transit, so if there’s an accident you won’t be able to claim.
Arrange annual leave, childcare, and pet sitting
Book your annual leave as soon as you know your moving-in date. Most people try to move on a weekend, but this can make removal costs more expensive.
Take at least a day off prior to moving if you can, to make the final packing as stress-free as possible. You may also want to arrange child and pet care for the day of your move, to keep them calm and make sure stress levels are at a minimum.
Pack up your home
After you’ve exchanged contracts, you can go ahead and start packing your non-essential items. It’s also a great opportunity for a spring clean!
When you’re a few days away from the move, pack everything else. Keep a couple of boxes handy: these will be your ‘go boxes’: the most important boxes of the move.
Fill these boxes with essentials such as mugs, tea, snacks, scissors, box cutters, a tape measure, and cleaning supplies. Use another box for essential items such as paperwork and precious jewellery, too.
Instead of loading these important boxes onto the van, take them with you to the new house yourself. This way, you’ll have everything essential to hand ready for a smooth move-in process.
Complete your purchase
Line up your funds before your completion date. Your mortgage provider will arrange for the funds to be available in time for your move.
Your solicitor will call you on moving day to confirm everything and transfer funds to the vendor’s solicitor.
Once this happens, you officially own the new house. It’s time to collect your keys and move in!
Find out more about our Mortgage Advice service in Lincoln
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