Agree Terms
Once you've found a property that you're interested in buying, you need to make an offer. Set yourself a spending limit which takes into account all the additional costs of buying a home. Make sure you don't go above this.
Then decide what your initial offer will be - this will depend on the asking price, your confidence in your bargaining ability and the level of interest in the property. Having a pre-arranged mortgage offer, a surveyor and a solicitor in place will show that you mean business and are ready to go ahead with the purchase.
If your offer is rejected, you'll need to consider whether to increase your offer. Once an offer is accepted, the property may be advertised as Sold Subject to Contract or Under Offer. This means that unless there are any unforeseen problems, you've agreed to buy the property. You're not legally committed to the sale yet and can pull out if you should you decide not to go ahead with the purchase.
The next step is to pass on details of the property to your surveyor, solicitor and mortgage provider. Keep in regular contact with all three to ensure your file stays at the top of the pile and they deal with it swiftly. You will also need to lodge your deposit with your solicitor.
Your surveyor will carry out the necessary surveys. If the survey you commission highlights any problems, you can renegotiate on the results of this report.
Your solicitor will begin the conveyancing. This includes organising searches at the local authority and dealing with the results, receiving mortgage offers, and preparing the contract.