If you are purchasing for the First Time, moving to a larger home, relocating or downsizing from a larger property, this will be a significant and very important time in your life.
Whilst this should be a fun and exiting time, it can be a stressful one. Our experienced staff have the know-how to overcome common problems, offer good advice and inform you of the purchasing procedure.
If you need a mortgage, you should get an agreement in principle from your lender known as a 'Decision in Principle' (DIP), or an 'Agreement in Principle' (AIP). A mortgage in principle is a certificate or statement from a lender to say that 'in principle' they would lend a certain amount to a prospective borrower or borrowers based on some basic information.
Sellers will take your offer more seriously if you have this in place, so it puts you in the best position from the outset. Should you need some mortgage advice, we can help.
Please ask our team about a mortgage advisor.
You should appoint a solicitor to act on your behalf.
It's crucially important to get a good solicitor to represent your best interests. We are happy to recommend solicitors should you require one. (We are not affiliated with any solicitor practice)
Your viewing will take place with either the owner of the property or a member of Stewart Estate Agents.
You can make an appointment with our office on 028 9261 2121. Please be kind and let the agent know if you are running late or need to cancel the viewing. Feel free to ask as many questions about the property. Should you wish to make an offer, please speak to the negotiator at Stewart Estate Agents.
After a viewing, we'll be in touch with you to ask for your feedback.
Your feedback is very valuable to the owner of the property.
If you wish to make an offer, just call our office on 028 9261 2121.
We will need to ask you some questions which will help us to put your offer forward in the best light. If your offer is accepted by the seller, you will need to go through some identity checks and also provide your mortgage agreement in principle or proof of cash funds.
We can issue a Memorandum of Sale. Once the memorandum is issued, we will usually update the property as 'sale agreed'. The memorandum is sent to all parties outlining the proposed terms of the transaction for solicitors to start conveyancing.
Your solicitor will guide you on the next legal steps. The solicitor will request the deed of title from the lender if they have one and then forward the deeds together with a draft contract to your solicitor. These will all be reviewed, with questions going back and forth (known legally as 'enquiries'), until your solicitor is satisfied with the information that they have. They will then report their findings to you and ask you to sign the contract.
If you are getting a mortgage, your lender will require a Mortgage Valuation Report.
Completion is the agreed day when the property ownership is transferred and your solicitor transfers the remaining balance of money to the sellers.
We will arrange for keys to be handed over to you once we have confirmation from the seller's solicitor that completion has taken place and the house is legally yours.