Guide to buying property

We accompany every viewing, with appointments available 7 days a week, including evenings and bank holidays. We take security seriously and always make contact before attending.
During the viewing, we'll show you around and answer any questions. We know there's a lot to take in — and that not everyone feels comfortable speaking freely in front of the homeowner — so we're always reachable by phone and email afterwards.
Once you've had time to digest what you saw, we'll follow up for your feedback. Communication is essential: even if a property isn't right, knowing why helps us find the one that is. Your priorities may shift along the way, and the more you share, the better our chances of securing your ideal home.

Once accepted, your offer must be confirmed formally in writing and is subject to terms and conditions. All offers are subject to contract, meaning you're not legally bound until signed contracts are exchanged.
Placing a deposit as a gesture of good faith is wise — it demonstrates your commitment, reassures the vendor of your intentions, and may persuade them to take the property off the market once your offer is accepted. These steps help guard against the risk of gazumping.

With your offer accepted, it's time to instruct a solicitor or conveyancer to handle the legal paperwork, arrange searches, and liaise with the vendor's solicitor. The conveyancing process begins once an offer is accepted and both parties have exchanged solicitors' details.
We can recommend a trusted firm, based on consistently good client feedback. Their conveyancing solicitors advise on:

Residential and commercial conveyancing, and investment property
Home-ownership matters, including co-ownership, cohabitation, and declarations of trust
Taxation, estate, and succession issues relating to property transactions
Preparation of tenancy agreements
Lease extensions and freehold acquisitions by tenants
Remortgages and buy-to-let mortgages
Changes in ownership
Planning and building regulation issues
Easement and covenant advice
NHBC Buildmark guarantee

Both solicitors now communicate directly, following standard conveyancing guidelines. A brief overview of the process:

Exchange details. Once your offer is accepted, you and the seller swap solicitors' details. Your solicitor contacts the seller's solicitor and requests the draft contract.
Receive the draft contract. This sets out the price, the two parties, deposit details, and information from the seller's title deeds. At the start, the seller's solicitor provides a package including:

the draft contract
copies of previous title deeds (registered or unregistered)
a property information form covering key details (saving many preliminary enquiries)
a fixtures, fittings and contents form, showing what's included in the price and what will be removed

Negotiate. Your solicitor checks the draft contract, makes pre-contract enquiries, and negotiates terms with the seller's solicitor.
Review it yourself. Agree with the seller exactly what's included, and make sure it's recorded on the form. It's wise to read the draft contract yourself in case anything has been missed — such as agreements made with the seller — so ask your solicitor for a copy if you haven't received one.

Your solicitor applies to the local council for searches, checks the title, contract, and papers, and raises any queries with the seller's solicitor. Once all this is done, the contract is negotiated, agreed, and a completion date set.

There's often a fair amount of correspondence between the two solicitors, so finalising the draft contract can take time — make sure yours knows about any agreements you've made with the seller.

The completion date (when the deal is finalised) must be agreed before contracts are exchanged. It typically takes around two weeks from exchange to completion, though this can vary. Some arrange for both to happen on the same day, but that isn't always possible. If you're part of a chain, the date will likely need agreeing with more than two parties.

Remember to book your removal vans as soon as possible, especially if you are moving on a Friday at the end of the month, or near to a Bank Holiday, as these all tend to be popular times for other people to move who will obviously require the same services.

You should notify the Electricity and Gas Boards of your planned departure date so that final readings can be taken on that date, and the apportioned account can be sent to your new address for settlement.

On arrival at your new property, the vendor should have done likewise, as they will no doubt be unenthusiastic about continued responsibility for your heating bills. Last, but not least, make sure that for obvious practical reasons you actually know the whereabouts of the meters, fuse boxes, etc.

Contact the Royal mail to have your mail redirected.

You will probably only need to find the stopcock to the property in the event of an emergency such as a burst pipe. They are usually carefully concealed and it is probably better to look at your leisure and when there is little furniture in your house, rather than when the water comes over your ankles.

Dockside will release the keys, once we have been notified by the vendors solicitor that completion has taken place.

Most people for security reasons prefer to have the locks changed, just for peace of mind.

Any property is a major asset, and is legally yours only by way of having promised to pay back a substantial loan over a number of years.

If you haven’t already arranged the following through the Lender, please contact us and we will happily provide you with a quote.

Buildings insurance helps protect you and the lender against damage to the property in the event of anything happening to it.

Storm or flood damage and the repairs involved could cost you thousands without the appropriate insurance, something worth bearing in mind.
Contents insurance protects all possessions within your home including the fixtures and fittings.
Life assurance helps protect your dependants from having to meet the responsibility of your mortgage if you die.
Protection products give you some protection in the event that you become unable to meet your mortgage repayments if you become ill and/or unable to work.

Remember to contact British Telecom (or other provider) to arrange for a full account to be rendered on the completion date.

Please also remember to notify them of the new address and number you wish to take over as you may find that the Sellers will otherwise ask for the other telephone to be disconnected, in which event it could be costly for you to arrange re-connection.

Also, remember that if you are moving within the same dialing code area you may be able to transfer your number, but you should obviously make your application to do this sooner rather than later.

If you have pets you may consider boarding them for a day or asking a friend to look after them.

Keep handy personal toiletries, light bulbs, matches, torches, an assortment of tools, fuses and cleaning equipment. Also remember to cancel milk/newspaper deliveries at your old address.

Do not pack your tea, coffee, milk, sugar and kettle where you cannot get them quickly, and you will surely need them later.

People to advise you are moving

Schools
Bank
Building Society
Clubs
Doctors
Dentists
DVLA
AA/RAC
Employer / HMRC
Insurance Companies
Mobile Phone Providers
Local Authority
Vet
Friends & Family
Utility Companies

We hope that you have found this guide helpful but please remember we are here to help, so feel free to contact us with any further questions you may have.