BUYING A PROPERTY in Berkshire, Hampshire or Surrey
Everything you need when buying a property
Whether you’re buying your first home or looking for your forever home, it should be an exciting, memorable experience. When buying through Prospect, we aim to ensure that it is.
From luxury apartments to country homes, stunning views or open fires, tell us what you’re looking for in your dream property and let us find it for you by registering with us today. You’ll be the first to know about all the latest listings, and with our dedicated buyer services, if we’re not already marketing your dream home, we’ll go out and try to find it for you!
Register with us today by clicking the button below, or call your local Prospect office and speak with one of our expert agents.
PROPERTIES FOR SALE
Are you looking for your next home?
Buying a property
We’ll help you find your dream home
Step 1
What are you looking for?
So you want to buy a property? How exciting! The first step is deciding on the size, location, and type of property you would like to buy. You will need to crunch some numbers and work out how much you can afford, factoring in all associated fees.
Step 2
Register as a buyer with us
You know what you want, so now is the time to tell us! Register as a buyer with your local Prospect office and specify your requirements so our experienced agents can start sending you potential properties.
Step 3
Speak to a Financial Advisor
Whether you’ve got a mortgage on your current home or not, it’s important to speak with an Independent Financial Advisor as they will have access to every mortgage deal available, not just ones from a specific bank or lender, and could make your deposit go further.
Step 4
Find the right mortgage for you
Fixed rate or Standard Variable rate? Repayment or Interest Only? Do you qualify for a First Time Buyer mortgage? With thousands of different types of mortgage available, you need to take the time to find the right one for you.
Step 5
Book a viewing
Now for the fun part – it’s time to start viewing houses! With online video tours available for most of our properties, you can narrow down your selection from the comfort of your home before going out to view your favourite properties in person. Book COVID-safe viewings for your favourite properties and let’s get you through those doors!
Step 6
Make an offer
Once you’ve found ‘the one’, you need to make an offer! You will need to provide proof of identity and address to comply with Anti Money Laundering Regulations. Remember that your offer will be more attractive to the seller if you are in a strong position as a buyer, for example with your mortgage ready and no chain.
Step 7
Confirm mortgage offer
Now you’ve had an offer accepted, you need to confirm your mortgage and get a formal mortgage offer. Give the lender or your IFA a call and advise them that you’ve found a property and would like to proceed with the mortgage.
Step 8
Choose a conveyancer
It’s a smart idea to get a home buyers survey on the property you’re buying, as this will show up any underlying issues. If the property is much older, you may want to go for a more detailed survey, such as a Full Structural Survey, to ensure there’s no hidden surprises when you become the new owner!
Step 9
Searches and enquiries
Make sure you have instructed a solicitor to complete all the relevant searches in good time. These searches may include local authority searches, land registry searches, environmental searches, and chancel repair check searches.
Step 10
Agree time frames
It’s time to decide a date for completion! If your purchase is part of a chain, you’ll need to agree a completion date that is suitable for everyone in the chain. If there is no one else in your chain except you and the seller, this makes finding an agreeable date much easier.
Step 11
Exchange contracts
There’s no backing out now, you’ve officially bought the property! Your solicitor will transfer the deposit monies that you’ve sent them and start the process of the transfer of Deeds, ready for your completion date. Time to book your removal van!
Step 12
Completion day
Your solicitor will confirm once you’ve officially completed, probably around 1pm. You will only ‘complete’ when the money for the property has been received in the sellers’ solicitor’s banks and keys are ready to be handed over. Let’s get unpacking!
Step 13
Settle up
Now the completion has taken place your solicitor will send you an invoice, also known as an ‘account’, detailing all the costs and disbursements. It will also confirm your purchase price and the cost of the stamp duty. Your solicitor is likely to pay the stamp duty for you, as long as you provide them with the funds. They will also advise Land Registry of the change of ownership for their records to be updated.
Step 14
Enjoy your new home
Congratulations! You’re all moved in and settled. Now all there is left to do is enjoy your new property!
BUYING A PROPERTY WITH PROSPECT
Find your next home with our award winning service
Buying a property can be confusing, especially if you’re a first time buyer. Our team of experienced property professionals will guide and support you through the buying process, making it as simple and straight-forward as possible.
Prospect has 10 award winning offices across Berkshire, Surrey and Hampshire filled with kind, professional and knowledgeable estate agents, ready to help you in your search for your next home. As an agency, we offer every property related service that you could require. From mortgage advice and expert property valuations through to solicitors, we will be there to help you with every step of your buying journey.
Whether you’re buying your first home or your fifth, our handy ‘Guide to Buying’ is a great free resource that we’ve created just for you. Explaining the home buying process, important things you need to know and giving you top tips along the way, this handy Guide to Buying can be downloaded for free by clicking the button below. You can also download your Moving Home Checklist here.
MORTGAGE SERVICES
How much could you borrow?One of the most common mistakes made by buyers is not speaking to a mortgage advisor before searching for a new property. Mortgage deals change all of the time and because many buyers simply speak with their bank for a mortgage loan and don’t explore the whole mortgage market, they are surprised by how much they can actually borrow. Speak to your local Prospect Mortgage Advisor today - you never know, you might be able to afford a larger home on smaller repayments!
PROPERTY CONVEYANCING
Let us deal with all your legal needsIt’s a shocking fact that nationally, almost 50% of property sales don’t actually complete. That’s often due to required legal processes and a lack of communication. Waiting for searches to come back and communicating with other people and solicitors in the chain can be painful. By using Prospect's conveyancing service, who work closely with our specialist Transaction Support team, you can take away that hassle and leave us to do all of the leg work.
PROPERTY SURVEYORS
Buy your home with confidenceIt’s a good idea to have an extra survey on your home, like a Homebuyers Survey. This is different to a mortgage survey, which only checks that the property is worth the value of the requested mortgage, as it looks in closer detail at the structure, roof and general condition of the property. There are much more detailed surveys available too, including Full Structural Surveys, ideal for much older properties, or if you have conversion/extension plans.
Find houses for sale in your local area
Keep up to date with latest properties coming to market
VIEW OUR COLLECTION OF STUNNING NEW HOMES AND MORE INFORMATION ON THE HELP TO BUY SCHEME
EXPLORE OUR NEW HOMES
USEFUL INFORMATION WHEN BUYING A PROPERTY
Things you might need when buying a home
BUYING A PROPERTY FAQs
Common Questions from our BuyersWe get asked questions by our buyers all of the time – it’s what we’re here for! And we’re happy to help and answer every and any question you have, even those you might think are silly! We’ve gathered all of the most common questions we get asked and answered them all here for you. Just click the image above to find all the answers to your property questions.
MOVING HOME CHECKLIST
A helpful checklist for moving homeOnce you've had your offer accepted on a property, the real hard work begins. To give you a helping hand, we’ve put together a simple check list to make sure you’ve got everything under control throughout the big move. Click below to download your copy.
DOWNLOAD NOW
GUIDE TO BUYING
Your complete guide to buying a homeWhether you’re buying your first home or your fifth, our handy ‘Guide to Buying’ is a great free resource that we’ve created to help you along your home buying journey. With a complete guide to the home buying process, including important things you’ll need to do whilst giving you top tips along the way, this handy download covers everything you need to know when buying a home.