Picture the scene – you’ve been through the lengthy process of searching for your dream home, and you’ve finally found a property that perfectly fits the bill. You’ve done your sums, and miraculously it’s within budget – so you take the plunge and make an offer. Negotiations are made, counter offers are discussed and a
So, you’ve found a property that ticks all (or most of) the boxes and it even comes in roughly on budget, congratulations! But now comes the scary part, putting in an offer and parting with the most significant amount of money you are ever likely to spend. So how do you go about securing your
In a perfect world all home purchases go smoothly and home buyer surveys don’t throw up any issues. Unfortunately the results of a survey aren’t always perfect, and buyers can be faced with a logistical nightmare if they find defects or problems, particularly around structural integrity. Luckily, if you’re concerned that the cost of putting
As a homebuyer, you will more than likely fall in love with one (or more!) of the homes that you view. However, all properties – even your ‘dream’ home – have a top value so try not to get too carried away. No matter how much you think ‘it was meant to be’ you should
The market for online estate agents has increased dramatically in recent years, going from virtually nothing in 2008 to accounting for 7% of the property sold on the UK market in 2017. But, what are online estate agents, and why should you care?
Homeownership is now seen as an achievable possibility, with millions of people owning homes across the world. It wasn’t always like this, and it wasn’t until building societies started to spring up in the Victorian era that everyday people could own homes. These building societies created secured loans, but they came with a catch: you only paid the interest for 3 to 5 years, and you paid the principal (the amount of money outstanding) at the end of the loan.
The process of “conveyancing” is the preparation of legal documentation and the formal transfer of ownership in relation to a property sale. You will also need to undertake conveyancing for a remortgage or the extension of a lease on a leasehold property. A solicitor or conveyancer will undertake this legal work on your behalf
The short (and obvious!) answer to ‘what do estate agents do?’ is that they sell your house and/or find you a new one to buy. Of course, that’s just a generic description of their role – in reality, there’s a lot more to it. An estate agent wears many hats, from advertiser to negotiator. These
It’s fair to say that nobody loves paying estate agency fees, especially as you’ll also have to pay for stamp duty, legal costs, removal fees, and all those other essential bits and bobs. There’s always the option of selling your home without an estate agent, but it’s time-consuming and difficult, and you won’t get the
It can be an emotional time when you realise that either you or a loved one need long-term care. And then there’s the thorny issue of cost. In this article we consider the different options for paying for a care home and alternative care arrangements that you may wish to consider. How are care homes
France is a country celebrated for its relaxed pace of life, rich culture, and world-renowned cuisine. From inspiring countless songs to shaping culinary traditions across the globe, it continues to captivate those looking for a change of scenery. But what does it really take to make the move? In this article, we explore the key
Now updated to reflect the changing stamp duty thresholds effective from 1 April 2025. Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) – or stamp duty as everyone usually refers to it – applies to any property or piece of land that you purchase in the UK, albeit with slightly different rules and terminology depending on whether you
