Selling:
If you had to postpone selling due to the lockdown and you are wanting to sell now, here is some helpful advice.
Choose your conveyancer with care:
Due to furloughing, many solicitors were badly affected, slowing down the rate in which you may sell your house. Especially as they have busier due to the rise in enquires after the lockdown, you want to make sure that the process is efficient as possible. The estate agent you are selling with should have reliable conveyancers to recommend which will allow an organised and speedy process.
Don’t be too pushy on price:
Try not to be overambitious with your house price, a great idea is get your house valued by the professionals to get a realistic assessment. With that said, don’t be in a rush to accept the first offer you get, and don’t settle if you aren’t satisfied! However it would be unrealistic to expect a housing-boom, and keep in mind that the offers on your property next month could be lower.
Buying:
If you are a new time buyer or planning on your first house move, here are some handy tips:
Sell first and go chain free
A way to significantly increase the chance of buying your dream house quickly and at a price your happy with is to put some money in the bank by selling your previous property (if applicable). In the meantime you can either live in a rented property or if you have friends or family you can stay with, there will be further reduced costs. This makes you a much more appealing buyer to vendors, and makes the sale much less complex, ensuring that you will have a successful sale.
Choose your conveyancer carefully:
Alike to selling, do yourself a favour and pick a well staffed company to make sure you wont have to endure irritating delays.
Gather as much as you can for your deposit:
Try all you can to rinse your savings, as this will allow better mortgage deals, resulting in savings during your purchase and a reduced chance of negative equity if there are price drops.