Buying a house can be stressful time consuming and more than a little confusing, especially if you have never done it before, which is why it is important to go into the process with your eyes fully open and a fee handy tips and tricks under oyur sleeves. After all your house is likely to be the biggest purchase you ever make. Dom without further ado…
Ensure you can afford it first
Buying a house id the goal of many, but it is important that you make sure you are in a good financial position to do so first. So, sit down, look at your finances and ensure you can truly afford to pay the mortgage, oh and maybe check out decent mortgage quotes to ensure you are likely to get the money you need from the bank, first, too. Buying a house isn’t necessarily somethign you need to do right now if thr timing isn’t right.
Get a lifetime ISA
If you aren’t at the buying stage yet, it is worth knowing that in the UK, you can open a Lifetime ISA and save up to £4000 towards the cost of buying your first home. Why bother? Because the government will top up anything you save by 25 percent, which means it could make homeownership a whole lot more affordable for you.
Make use of free tools
The whole process of buying a home used to be very expensive, and that’s before the actual cost of the property was taken into account. These days, you can make it much more reasonable by making use of free tools such as Zoopla and this Free house valuation guide, which will give you a better idea of what you’re doing, what the market is like, and sometimes even cut out the middle-man so you can save a little cash, too.
Survey the neighbourhood
Before you buy a house, it’s a really good idea to survey the neighbourhood to ensure that it has everything you need, it’s also a good idea to check out plans for any future developments in the area because if a place is up and coming, you can often swoop in and get it for a great price before it rises. No matter how great the house may be, be sure to check out the surrounding before you make an offer.
Take photos
Taking your own photos of every house you view will stop the details blurring into your mind so you can really take your time to work out if the property is right for you or not. These days, we all have a passable camera phone, so it has never been easier to do this and it will really help you to make the right choice. Estate agent photos are great, but they are often limited and taken to make the space appear as good as possible, your own photos are likely to be much more accurate.
I hope you find these house buying tips useful, and I hope you find the perfect home for you and your family to move into.