HOUSE
HUNTING HOW TO FIND JUST WHAT YOU ARE LOOKING FOR
Your first
step is to decide where you want to live if you are not re-locating
you will already be familiar with the best areas in your town,
and have a rough idea of the prices of property in your chosen
areas so your task is slightly easier. Apart from the obvious
of looking in the local paper at the property advertisements,
you can register with a few estate agents. Try to register with
the agents that are situated close to the area you would like
to live. We have mentioned before in our sellers guide estate
agents tend to be geographical and some estate agents concentrate
on specific areas, if you know exactly where you want to live
they could be you best bet.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR AND QUESTIONS TO ASK WHEN VIEWING PROPERTY.
Ask
the vendor or estate agent which rate band the property falls
under?
Does
the property have a water meter, and the average price of the
utility bills?
Ask about local convenience shops, local schools and access routes?
Ask
about the neighbours and the likelihood of disturbance in the
area? you may not get the right answer on this one, so do some
detective work visit the area at different times of day at rush
hour and late in the evening to check out what the area is like.
Ask as many people as you can about the area and check the crime
rate figures.
HOW TO NEGOTIATE SUCCESSFULLY
With house
prices on the rise in the UK your scope for negotiation may seem
narrow. But don't give up, sellers although they want a good price
may compromise for a number of reason, a reliable buyer who can
assure the seller that the transaction will go through smoothly
may succeed where others fail.
Make
yourself the ideal candidate
Make sure you have a mortgage offer already agreed this will impress
the seller and adds to your negotiating power. Try to make sure
you are not in a chain if you are a first time buyer you have
the advantage here. If you have property to sell make sure it's
on the market and you have either sold the property or have some
good feed back from your estate agent about it's sale ability.
Make sure you have a good solicitor one that you know works quickly
this will impress the sellers. Portray yourself as the most attractive
potential buyer sellers are more likely to negotiate with people
they like, so be thoughtful when dealing with them.
It
will help if you can be flexible and move when the seller wants
to
This may
sound as if you are going out of your way to please the seller
well you are. You may feel that the ball is in your court because
he wants your money, but remember you are trying to negotiate
a good price for yourself and the seller will be more obliging
if he likes you and thinks you're a good buyer.
When
it comes to making an offer
Check out
the current market trends and prices of similar properties in
the area. If there are any problems with the property find out
how much it would cost to put them right before you make any offer.
You should make informal enquiries about fixtures and fitting
to be left in the property when viewing rather than waiting until
the negotiating stage, asking for concessions during negotiation
can come across as confrontational and won't help you get the
best price. If you have minor dislikes of the property such as
décor, keep them to yourself whatever you do don't offend
the owners your final offer should reflect more pressing concerns
such as the ageing central heating faulty double glazing etc.
The
chances are you will be negotiating through the estate agent
Remember
the estate agent works for the seller and not for you, don't reveal
too much about your self don't offer the maximum you can go to
at the star of the negotiations. Estate agents are very clever
at pressing out your best offer at the start of the negotiations.
Explain exactly why you think your offer is a good one and what
you think is letting the property down. Estate agents must by
law inform their clients of all offers they receive. Never give
the estate agent or owners of the property the advantage by revealing
the date you have to move or exactly how much you can pay.
Compromise
Good negotiators
always make all parties feel as though they have compromised and
come to an amicable agreement. If one-side feels that they have
made two many concessions it could cause resentment and the negotiations
could become confrontational. So don't be afraid to make some
small concessions during the negotiations.
|
