The property market is a strange beast at the moment, that is no secret. Things are more complicated than they once were when searching for that dream home. Mortgages were pretty chaotic for a few months at the end of 2022 and beginning of 2023 and are still recovering now, although things are looking much better. The property market has also been in a state of flux since 2022 too, with property prices going up dramatically then down significantly.
This was due to several things, the end of stamp duty holidays, the cost of living crisis, the mortgage rates fiasco, and the end of schemes such as help to buy. A combination of mortgage rate increases and a strange property market has meant that many new buyers have been left a bit in the dark about how to find a dream property.
How To Find Your Dream Home
If you are a first time buyer, this process will be completely new to you. Chances are that you might have experienced parents or friends purchasing a home in the past, but you will not have gone through it yourself. So it is completely natural and understandable if you are feeling a little clueless about where to begin. Likewise, if you are purchasing you are not a first time buyer, chances are that the market is now completely different to the last time you bought, and you will still need some help and guidance.
The two best ways to start your search for that ideal home are to speak to a qualified and experienced mortgage advisor and to also speak with a qualified and highly skilled property consultant or estate agent. By speaking to these two key industry professionals before doing anything else, you will quite literally put yourself in the best possible position to purchase a dream home when it comes around.
Speak To a Mortgage Advisor To Find Your Dream Home
Speaking to a mortgage broker is normally the first port of call for most people looking to buy a new property (who will need a mortgage). Mortgage advisors know everything there is to know about home loans and the property market, and they will be able to advise you on the best route forward both with getting a mortgage and finding and securing the ideal home. Mortgage advisors normally offer a free of charge initial mortgage consultation which can be over the phone, via zoom or in person.
In this consultation they will be able to chat with you about your finances e.g. income/outgoings/deposit, and from this will be able to let you know how much mortgage will potentially be available to you, what property price you could purchase up to, and also give you a good idea of how much this would cost you per month. It is a mortgage advisor’s job and duty to help you to secure a property that is perfect for you and a mortgage that is beneficial, affordable, and manageable for you. Once you know exactly how much you could borrow for a mortgage and the maximum purchase price of a property you could afford, this will put you in a great position to move on to the next step in the property purchase process.
How To Find Your Dream House
Now that you know what you can afford and you have a good idea of how much mortgage you can get, the next step is to actually find your new property. There are three ways to go about this. Speak to a property consultant at an estate agents, search for a property online or drive around and see what you find. Let’s look at how a property consultant can help you first.
What Is a Property Consultant
A property consultant is a professional who helps sellers market, list and sell their properties. They also help buyers to find the perfect home based on their circumstances, wants and needs,. Normally working through an estate agency, although not always, a property consultant is a great person to speak to when you haven’t got a particular home in mind yet.
What Does a Property Consultant Do?
A property consultant will be able to sit down with you, similarly to a mortgage advisor, and will talk to you about what exactly you are looking for and what your budget is (based on your discussion with a mortgage advisor). Once the consultant finds out exactly what you want (e.g. a 2-bed semi detached house), what your maximum budget is (e.g. £280,000), and the area you are looking to purchase in, they will be able to start their hunt for your dream home.
If you are lucky, the property consultant may already have a property that matches your requirements on their sales books, in which case they would arrange a viewing for you to see the property at your earliest convenience. If they don’t already have a property in mind, they will start searching for people selling homes that match your needs and will be able to let you know as soon as something comes on the market and will help you to arrange a booking too.
Searching For a Property Online
The internet is a wonderful thing. Nowadays you can search for properties for sale online very easily. Through property listing databases like Rightmove and estate agent sites, you can easily search for homes on the market and filter the results so that only the properties that match your requirements show up. Most of these properties will be listed online by estate agents, so if you see a home you like the look of and want to organise a viewing, all you need to do is contact the listed estate agent and ask to book a viewing.
This is a particularly effective way of searching for a new home as it means that 99% of the time you are finding properties that tick the boxes that you require, rather than accidentally viewing properties that are out of your budget or don’t meet your needs. These websites also provide you with key information about the property upfront, such as leasehold remaining, energy performance ratings, ground rent and service charge, sale history, that you might only find later down the line otherwise.
Finding a Property On Your Own
The most traditional method of finding a property by far. Yes, you can still just drive or walk around an area that you are interested in moving to and see if there are any properties for sale that could match what you need. This method can be very good as it will allow you to see the property in person first hand. See the area that it is in. See if there are any cosmetic issues or structural issues with the home….or any bad neighbours!
This method can also be less productive than the others because it can be quite time consuming and, as we have mentioned before, without knowing the specifics of the house and only seeing it from the outside, it might not match your needs. If you do find a house while out and about, you can call the estate agent who is listed on the for sale board and discuss the property with them in more detail.
You could also find a property through a friend or family member who is selling, which can be very beneficial for you. If you know someone who is selling a house and you think that it might be something that you are interested in, then you can speak directly with them. The person selling the property will probably also be using an estate agent for the sale, so you will probably need to speak with them too. But, there is no reason why you wouldn’t be able to view the home through your friend/family member and ask them any questions that you want to know.
Start Your Property Search Today
Finding a property is a difficult process in most cases, so don’t feel disheartened if you are struggling to find that dream home. Our job as mortgage professionals is to help take away a lot of the stress with both the mortgage stage of the purchase, but before that too by helping you to understand what you can afford and what exactly you are looking for in a home. Call our team today to book in your initial mortgage consultation with one of our specialist mortgage brokers. We are here to help.
