If you’d like to be in your new home before Christmas, then now is the time to act! With only a few months go to until the day, make sure you follow these steps to help move the house buying process along as quick as possible.
Review your finances
Reviewing your finances should be your number one priority when it comes to getting everything in order. It is important to remember to take the price of your new property plus the cost of utility bills, insurances and food into account. Doing so, will help to give you an accurate overall cost for your new home, meaning you won’t receive any nasty surprises over the festive period.
Brighten it up
First impressions are everything, so it’s important your house is looking its best.
Make sure any rooms are brightened up with a fresh lick of paint, mow and weed the garden and discard of anything you no longer use. Decluttering your home will help to create more space and make rooms seem more spacious, which is all attractive to potential buyers.
Consider where to advertise
These days, most property searches are made online. With this in mind, it is important to consider your estate agent carefully. Going with an agent who advertises properties on popular websites will increase its visibility to potential buyers and could help you find a buyer for your home more quickly.
Make sure the price is right
Make sure you set some time aside to do some research. Don’t just put your house up for sale with the estate agent who prices it the highest as it may not reflect what it is actually worth. Look around at similar houses to yours, in similar areas to see what price they are selling for as it can be a good indicator to judge the estate agents valuation by.
Get to know your buyer
It may be valuable to find out a little bit about your buyer. Are they first-time buyers or part of a chain? A first-time buyer may be more attractive as they have the potential to move quickly, therefore it may be a wiser option. Do they have a mortgage decision in principle secured or are they cash buyers? Either of these positions will be ideal for a quicker sale.
Look out all your documents
Make sure you have looked out all your documents to show your mortgage adviser. If you have to apply for a new mortgage or reapply for your existing mortgage, it is important you have your documents to hand so you can get through the process as quickly as possible. These documents will include the latest three months of bank statements, latest three payslips, checking your credit score etc.
Keep in touch with your solicitor
Make sure you try to build a good relationship with your solicitor, sometimes they can be difficult to get a hold of and the process on their end can take some time. Before you settle on a solicitor, you need to ask the right questions to ensure they can accommodate you. For example, can they work within your time limits? Doing so can set expectations from the start which is important if you have a deadline.
Completion date
Be honest with your buyers and tell them when you want to complete by, so you are all working from the same page and can hopefully exchange keys around your chosen time.
So, you better start planning where your Christmas tree can go, and fingers crossed you’ll be settled in just in time to enjoy the comforts of your new home over the holidays!
For further information call: 0800 652 6649
Email: [email protected] or visit: mortgageadvicebureau.com/scotland
Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage.
There will be a fee for mortgage advice. The actual amount you pay will depend upon your circumstances.
The fee is up to 1% but a typical fee is 0.3% of the amount borrowed.