Buying a property can be a complex and time consuming matter and during your purchase our experienced team at Empire Estates are here to help.
After you have viewed a property and have decided it is the one for you, the next step is to make an offer. We also ask for confirmation of your financial position. If you are a cash buyer, you will need to provide evidence of the money required in your accounts. If your home is under offer or on the market with another estate agent we will ask for their contact details and will call the agent to confirm the position. If you are getting a mortgage, you need to speak to your broker or lender and ask them to sort out your mortgage application.
You will then need to give them paperwork that clearly shows your income and any other outgoings you have.
If your offer is accepted by our client we will then require details of your solicitor so that we can prepare and send out the memorandum of sale. This is a document that will be issued to all parties involved in the purchase. The sales negotiator will aim to agree potential timescales for the purchase to proceed to exchange of contracts and completion at the point of sale. It is normal for a mortgage valuation survey to be completed on the property that you have agreed to purchase within 14 days from the date of the memorandum of sale.
Your quick guide to buying a property
Once your offer is agreed the process below starts.
- Instruct your solicitors and provide us with their contact information
- The memorandum of sale is prepared by Empire Estates and sent to all parties by email
- The sellers solicitor will write to your solicitor asking for confirmation that they have instructions
- The title deeds applied for by sellers solicitor
- The sellers solicitor will send the draft contract to your solicitor
- You should at this stage have applied for your mortgage, if a mortgage is required
- Your mortgage valuation survey is completed
- Your solicitors will apply for searches from the local council on the property
- Initial enquiries are raised by your solicitors
- The searches come back to your solicitor
- Your solicitor raises further enquiries if applicable, after reading the searches
- The mortgage offer is received by your solicitor
- Your solicitor will raise any final enquiries, if necessary and these are answered
- Your solicitor completes a report on title to you about the findings of the enquiries and searches
- Organise your buildings insurance in preparation for exchange of contracts
- Sign your purchase contract
- Dates are agreed in principal for completion
- You pay your deposit to your solicitor which is normally 10% of the purchase price
- Your solicitor will not exchange contracts until you provide cleared funds into their client account
- Exchange of contracts takes place
- Completion date takes place