For first-time buyers and home movers
Know more before you buy
Research the area, look properly at the house and understand the paperwork before you commit. Start with the part of the move you have reached.
A house can look right before the facts are in
Property particulars are there to attract attention. This guide helps with the slower questions: what the street is like after dark, whether the rooms work for your life, what a crack or damp patch may mean, which documents matter and when insurance should begin. Use it alongside your own solicitor, surveyor, lender and insurer.
01Look beyond the listing
02Work out what fits
03Understand what you may be buying
Check the building
Faults worth noticing before you buySurveys and valuations are not the same thingCracks, damp and signs of movement during a viewingChecking the roof, chimneys and gutters before buyingChecking boilers, electrics and plumbing before you buyChecking extensions, loft conversions and altered roomsChecking boundaries, drains and trees around a propertyBuying a leasehold flat without overlooking the buildingBuying a new-build home before it is quite a home
04Offer with evidence
05Keep the moving parts together
Complete the purchase
The costs first-time buyers need to allow forThe home-buying process, in a sensible orderWhat your conveyancer and searches are checkingExchange and completion: the important differenceWhen should home insurance begin?Selling one home while buying anotherPlanning moving day without creating new problems
Before exchange
Home insurance may be needed before the keys
For many freehold purchases in England and Wales, buildings cover is arranged from exchange. Flats and purchases elsewhere in the UK can work differently, so ask your conveyancer for the correct date.