Finding the Right Home
"Home is where the heart is", so rushing in to buy the first thing you see may not be the best way to go about buying your new home.
Take time to look carefully and consider every aspect before you put in your offer. Utilise your lunch hours, or make a detour on the way home from work. If there are two of you buying and you have children to consider, one of you should be chief viewer to weed out all but the most likely candidates. It's also important that the estate agent regards you as a serious applicant. So show willingness and be eager to view and you'll be at the top of the list when something new comes on the books!
It's human nature to try and strike a deal. But if you find your ideal home and it seems to be priced correctly, you should consider an offer of the full asking price. It means you will be taken seriously, there won't be any time wasting and it will lessen the possibility of another interested party stepping in.
However, most vendors realise that their asking price will very likely be negotiated, so they may be prepared to accept lower offers. All offers should be made with the stipulation of taking the property off the market. Some vendors will want to see a survey first to see a firm financial commitment. If this is the case, hurry the mortgage valuation along or instruct your own immediate personal survey. Getting a sold board outside is a good way to dissuade others from looking and also to stop the vendor from considering other offers. To make sure that the property really is off the market, get a friend to make enquiries at the Estate Agents!
To put yourself in a good buying position and to have your offer taken seriously, your own property should already be on the market. Therefore, get your house signed up with an Estate Agent as soon as you can. If you get an offer, it will remove the pressure of having to sell when you find somewhere special. Don't worry about ending up homeless because you can make it clear from the start that you're not moving out until you've found a new home. If the buyers are serious about wanting to buy your property, this will not worry them. Also, once you've accepted an offer on your home, you'll know how much you have to spend on the new one!