Here at Middletons we aim to make the buying process easier so we have put together a list of frequently asked questions about the process.....

 

When should I arrange my mortgage?

Having your proof of mortgage, before you offer on a property can set you ahead of other buyers and help you to secure a property.  You can use anyone you wish to arrange your mortgage and there are plenty of advisors out there who will arrange a mortgage for little or no charge.

 

Whilst there is no rule that says you must have your mortgage in place before you offer, if you are serious about buying and want to beat other buyers to the best properties, then get this sorted before you start viewing.  If a seller has more than one offer and someone else can prove their mortgage, they may choose not to wait for you.  So help yourself by getting this sorted early.

 

At Middletons we concentrate solely on selling and letting properties and as such do not have an in-house advisor, however if you need help with your mortgage, we can refer you to a local Independent Mortgage Advisor with an excellent reputation, who can offer you access to a whole range of mortgages. They offer a totally Fee Free service.  Middletons may receive a commission for the recommendation if you take up a product with this advisor, but we would like to assure you that you pay no fee for the service and the products offered will be no different whether you have been referred by us or go to them directly.

 

When can I view properties? 

Some properties are lived in and the viewings are done by the seller and sometimes they are vacant and we do the viewings.  This means that sometimes you will be offered times within working hours and others with the owners may be out of hours.  Try and be as flexible as possible when offering your times to view.   It is a big purchase so if you need to take time off work to view then it may be worth doing, rather than missing out on your dream property by not being available.

 

How do I make an offer?

Once you have found a property, putting an offer in is straight forward.  Simply speak to us and we will do the rest.  We will ask you not only to tell us about the figure you wish to offer, but also your situation, are you selling or renting, what your chain is like, do you have funds in place, what is your timescale. Please answer honestly so we can put your full position to our seller, so that they can decide whether they wish to accept.

 

In order to fully accept your offer and remove a property from the market not only will we have already asked for your proof of funds, but we will also need to see your ID documents and get details of your solicitor/conveyancer.  It is worth shopping around for quotes for solicitors before putting in offers so this doesn't cause delays in getting the property removed from the market once accepted.  Once we have all this information that is when we would remove the property from the market as sold subject to contract. 

 

What happens next? 

Once we have written to solicitors to confirm the sale is taking place there are many more steps that need to happen before you can complete your purchase.  If there is a chain, each agent in that chain is responsible for getting their seller ready to sell and their buyer ready to buy.  This means we will stay in touch with you and your seller to ensure each key stage stays on track.  Other agents should be doing the same with their part of the chain too.  Alongside this mortgage advisor and solicitors have a big part to play too.  This is why it can take 3 or 4 months for a transaction to complete.  Your solicitors will discuss completion dates with you once all parties in the chain are at the final stages and then the day you can collect your key will  be arranged.

 

The team at Middletons we are here to help, so if you want to ask a question about any part of the process please contact us on 01664 566258 or email info@middletons.uk.com