Our 12 step guide to buying your home

1. Register with us

Our negotiators have a good knowledge of the local area - as well as the latest information on new properties coming to the market. It's very important to register as soon as possible, otherwise you may miss out by solely relying on the internet.

2. How much can you afford?

Before you begin searching it is advisable to arrange your finances and, if required, have a mortgage agreed in principle. Our preferred mortgage broker, Mortgage Advice Bureau, has access to the entire market, as well as exclusive deals and rates to help find you the best mortgage available.

3. Are you selling too?

If your move will involve selling your current home it is advisable to advertise your current property before looking for a new home. Being ready to sell means you are less likely to miss out on your dream home.

4. Find the right property

With hundreds of new listings each week, we'll help you find the right property. We can also keep you constantly up-to-date via email and text alerts, even before properties get listed on Rightmove and Zoopla.

5. Viewings

Book your viewing with us, so that we are on hand to answer any questions immediately and advise where necessary.

6. Instruct a conveyancer

A successful purchase relies on an efficient and experienced conveyancer. Our Conveyancers have been hand-picked for their expertise, speed and efficiency.

7. Making an offer

Once you find your perfect property you can make an offer online or with your agent. Let us know if there any special conditions of the offer and we'll communicate this to the seller. At this point you may need to demonstrate that you can proceed by providing evidence of your mortgage in principle and conveyancer details. There are no legal obligations on either side until contracts are signed.

8. Offer accepted

Once you get an offer accepted, we will do the following: prepare a memorandum of sale, confirm the agreed price with all parties, confirm your conveyancer & mortgage details. You will need to instruct your conveyancer to proceed with the conveyancing process and your mortgage broker to proceed with your application.

9. Conveyancing

As part of the conveyancing process your conveyancer will do the following: raise any enquiries on receipt of the draft contract from the seller's conveyancer, request their own local searches, agree on a date for exchange of contracts. We will assist your conveyancer and negotiate throughout the process, keeping you informed every step of the way.

10. Mortgage Valuation and Offer

A valuation of the property will be carried out on behalf of your mortgage lender. After the mortgage valuation report is received, a formal mortgage offer will be sent to you and your conveyancer which you will need to sign before it is returned. There are no legal obligations until contracts are exchanged.

11. Exchange of contracts

Exchange of contracts occurs when all enquiries have been confirmed and agreed. Once the contract has been signed by both parties the deposit (usually 10% of the purchase price) will be transferred online or paid in the form of a banker's draft from your conveyancer to the seller's conveyancer. The completion date is then set by mutual agreement.

12. Completion

Completion is when the residual monies (usually 90%) are transferred from your conveyancer to the seller's conveyancer's account. We will release the keys once the money has cleared in the seller's account. Congratulations, you are now the legal owner of your new home!