Title registers and plans are £3 each to download direct from the land registry, it’s v easy.
I also found higher LTV mortgages available from Chelsea building society and Virgin on the MSE Best Buys tool, and the Chelsea online AIP was straightforward (it says they would lend us a very worryingly unaffordable amount of money to be honest!). We’re planning on sticking to 85% though tbh, way more affordable in an uncertain climate. Loads of mortgages available at that level, at least in our salary range etc.
So we’ve seen 4 properties this weekend. Only ruled 1 out! It’s so difficult. We’re leaning towards the biggest/highest asking price one and putting in a slightly cheeky 10% below asking, emphasising our very proceedable position, the work it needs and crossing fingers. They have a new build ready and waiting for them, already had a buyer fall through and very keen to go, so I guess it would just come down to numbers. I think 10% below is pretty fair given all the uncertainty at the moment, and that place needs 2 new bathrooms, windows in the loft need replacing, garden needs fencing in, and that’s just for starters. Everywhere else we’ve seen has needed much less work and is on for less, but this one’s location for our lifestyle and size of garden is winning. If they reject, we’re not keen to up the offer, I think we’d look at one of the other places we’ve seen (or keep looking, more coming on all the time!), increasing means a massive stamp duty jump and would eat our contingency fund before we moved in, and it needs work.
So scary to spend 20 minutes somewhere, all slightly pressured with gloves/masks on, vendor giving all the sales pitch, and then decide whether that’s where you want to live for the next few decades/possibly forever!!!