First Time Buyer Solicitor

Services Provided by our First Time Buyer Solicitors in Sheffield, Barnsley & Rotherham

The house-buying process can seem confusing, especially if you’ve never bought a property before. Even once you have had an offer accepted on a house, there are many procedures and checks to be carried out before the sale is finalised and contracts are exchanged.

Our Property & Conveyancing Solicitors will help with:

• Reviewing the terms of the contract issued by the seller’s solicitor and the title information
• Deal with any disputes regarding the sellers contract
• Prepare a property report
• Deal with all paperwork with the property transaction
• Handle the deposit for the property
• Check the details of your mortgage offer
• Manage your completion date
• Exchange contracts with the sellers solicitors
• Deal with payment of the stamp duty
• Record your ownership with the Land Registry

Our specialists can support with a range of services such as creating a Will. Whatever you need, we are here to help.

Contact us or call us on 0114 2743 481 to book your appointment today.

First Time Buyer Advice

We know there are so many things you need to consider when purchasing a new property. Below we have outlined some initial advice to help you with your first purchase.

Applying for a Mortgage

Before you start looking for a property you will need to speak to either an independent financial adviser or your bank/building society and then you can determine how much you can borrow. You will then receive an ‘agreement in principle’ which estate agents will want to see if you place an offer on a property.

Finding a Property

Once you know how much you can afford on a new property, it’s best to start approaching estate agents and viewing houses.

Making an Offer

When you’ve found your chosen property that you are interested in buying, you need to make an offer. This is where you will be expected to make a verbal offer to the estate agent handling the sale.

Being a first time buyer puts you in a position of strength. For a seller or their estate agent you are the ideal buyer as you are not involved in a chain. Chains can fall apart at the last-minute leading to abortive transactions. Also, because you do not have a property to sell you are usually in a position to move quickly, which can be very attractive to sellers.

Once your offer has been accepted the sale becomes ‘subject to contract’, and a property and conveyancing solicitor can be instructed.

Surveys

Before buying a property, you may want to get a surveyor to look at it to assess any potential problems with the property. There are different types of survey you can get, but most will look at things like rot, damp and structural problems in the property. This will ensure your purchase runs smoothly, and there will be no surprise bills for remedial works.

Valuation Report – This is a basic survey carried out by your mortgage lender to ensure the property is suitable to borrow against and is worth the risk.

Building Survey – This more detailed survey should pick up any significant faults with the property and highlight any areas that could need work in the future.

Homebuyer’s Survey – Often referred to as a ‘full structural survey,’ this most thorough of investigations is the most expensive but is recommended if you are buying a very old property, one in need of refurbishment, or you want total peace of mind.

Insurance

A mortgage lender will require by law, that you have home insurance on your new property. Although mortgage lenders may offer you their own home insurance, it is recommended that you shop around.

Costs to Consider

When purchasing your first property, you will need to budget for the following:

• The deposit of your property
• Conveyancing fees – see how much using our free conveyancing quote
• Stamp Duty Land Tax (you are now exempt if you are buying under £250,000)
• The monthly costs of the mortgage
• Home insurance costs
• Removal costs
• The cost of buying any new furniture or white goods
• The cost of a surveyor

How Much Are Solicitor Fees for Buying Property

Our Property & Conveyancing Solicitors offer a range of flexible pricing solutions across all conveyancing services, and we are transparent with all of our costs. You can find a full list of our fees here.

Free Online Conveyancing Quote

Our handy online calculator will give you an instant quote for our legal fees and an estimate of the other fees you’ll need to pay.

Click below to open up the free conveyancing quote calculator.