An idiot’s guide for a first time buyer

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Hello I need a bit of practical help with buying my first property. I honestly have no idea of the process. I’m a grown up, educated professional but not knowing all this makes me feel a bit of a fool! Help need!

Offer was accepted 10 days ago. We have a agreement in principle and our mortgage broker is working on finding the best offer. He has all our documents and proof of funds for deposit (this is a sizeable amount). I have instructed a solicitor this week and they too have all our documents and we’ve paid their first fee. I’ve also found a surveyor to undertake that. The broker/ solicitor both have each other’s details. I have informed the EA who our solicitor is and that they have been instructed (they recommended them anyway)

What do I need to do next? Do these people magically start talking to each other or do I need to do something else?
I will talk to the broker Monday to see where he is with the mortgage but other than that… I’m stumped!
A handhold/ walkthrough the process would be so helpful. I honestly feel I should know this as a 41 year old professional.

Yep, the estate agent will send a sale memo to your solicitors and all balls start rolling :)

Following as at the same stage as you.

Thank you. And then do I just let it putter on and do it’s thing?
Do I need to push / organise anything? Do the solicitors sort the registry/ searches etc?

(I honestly feel so stupid having to ask!)

The professionals take over and send you paperwork to complete - things that leave in the property, surveyors report - anything untoward you may need to get some quotes for the work and renegotiate on the price.

When everything is signed you get give a moving date to organise the removals.

The solicitor will speak to the vendors solicitor and do their "enquiries" and also do the searches required. They will also send you a lot of paperwork to complete!

If you instructed a survey separate to the lender's valuation then the lender will need to have someone value the property (they often do this as a drive by or even use local prices) before they make you a formal offer.

Once you've had the formal offer for your mortgage, enquiries and searches are done and you're happy with the survey then basically a date for exchange and completion will be arranged.

Are you in a chain? Obviously you're a ftb but are the people you're buying off buying from someone else?

I'm in Scotland so it's a different process but my solicitor just did everything and emailed/called when they needed something from me. Usually involving a particular bank statement which required walking miles to the only branch of my bank for a print out . Then emailing two days later for some other statement. Then emailing for another thing! I walked to that bank goodness knows how many times in the final weeks before completing! And i had nothing shady or complicated!

Congratulations on your new home! I hope it all goes smoothly for you.

Thank you! There is no chain. We are in rented and it’s a family owned home they no longer need. The sister has been ‘squatting’ there for a couple of years whilst they’ve been trying to get her out.
She has wrecked the place. There are conditions of exchange we want in place- the downstairs cloakroom is clogged and flooded (with human waste on the floor!), the house is full of mouldy crap, the garden has two old motorbikes in it and the garage is piled high.
For it to be totally empty and the cloak cleaned is a massive sticking point for us.
We will discuss that with solicitors.

Not scared if the work it needs- my partner is a trade with connections to all others so we can turn it around and stay in our rented until it’s done. We have some money behind us too.
It’s just the actual process that confuses me!

You've done the hard part. Now solicitors will plod on with it. Make sure you check in with them every 2 weeks though. Make sure when you get the fixtures and fittings you go through it with a fine tooth comb and make sure you tell the EA and Solicitor the deal breakers you mentioned.

Mortgage broker should be on it, so you want to be hearing about that soon.

Only other thing you need to do is talk to a protection adviser about life insurance, income protection, wills, etc.

Hi OP, congrats on buying your first home, it is really daunting and I know we got a bit of a shock when we bought ours, because you don't know what you don't know, and yet everyone expects you to know!

I found this really helpful
hoa.org.uk/advice/guides-for-homeowners/i-am-buying/the-hoa-step-by-step-guide-to-buying-a-home/

You sound really organised - and brave re the state of the place!

You can let the professionals do their work now I think you’ve done everything you need to by the stage you’re at

Lots of great advice thank you. Feel a bit calmer now. Will contact the broker Monday to see how he’s getting on.

We’ve jumped on it for a few reasons: it has toe four bedrooms that we really need, it’s within a 5 minute walk for both my children’s schools, there’s bus stops opposite and train stations within a 15 minute walk, it’s about 10 minutes walk to a beach and it’s around £50k cheaper than any other 4 bed detached on the market. It also has a garage, massive garden and off road parking for two cars.
I am not ‘in love’ with it- nor is it my dream property, but it works on so many practical levels