Buying a home is a very complicated transaction that takes a lot of time and effort. If you do things wrong, you can end up making bad decisions and spending way too much money than you intended.

So, here are our six useful tips to make home-buying a lot easier:

 

1. Always negotiate the price

Never pay the face-value of a property. Remember an asking price is just an asking price! People set house prices as high as they can to try and get as much money as possible. More often than not, they will be willing to sell for a lot less than the price tag. According to Zoopla, the average discount you can achieve is around £25,000 – if you don’t ask, you won’t get. So, make sure you negotiate the price and make counter-offers to try and get the cheapest deal possible.

 

2. Be ready for a long ride

Our second tip is to understand how long it can take to buy a home. Things won’t be over in a couple of days or even a couple of weeks. These things can take months to finally go through due to all manner of legal issues and complications. So, be ready for a long ride, keep relaxed and most importantly prepare yourself and those around you for it. Read this step by step home-buying process guide by The Money Advice Service for more info.

 

3. Take into account additional costs

When buying a home, you need to think about the costs outside of the usual house costs. On top of the price tag, you should add the estate agent fee, surveyor fee, mortgage fees and stamp duty costs, plus any additional repairs you may have to make once you move in. This gives you a more accurate view of the costs and ensures you don’t get suckered into buying a house that seems cheap but actually costs a lot. Have a read of this great Which? article about the ‘real’ costs of buying a home.

 

4. View the recent purchase prices

A great tip to see if you’re getting good value for money is to check the recent purchase prices of homes on the same street or nearby. This allows you to see, on average, what similar houses are selling for in the local area. So, if the seller is demanding a price for their home, but you see an almost identical house that sold for much less, you can pull this up and tell them they’re asking too much. If they still don’t budge, you can walk away and not overspend on a home. Why not use Rightmove price checker to see what other homes have sold for around the area.

 

5. Check the boundaries of the home

It’s very important that you request copies of the deeds to a home so you can check the property boundaries of the property. Sometimes, you may see a property and think you’re getting a lot of land for your money, only to find out the boundaries are far more restricted than you thought. It’s always useful to check these important documents beforehand signing contracts. This will ensure you get a more accurate view of what you’re actually buying.

 

6. Don’t move out too early

Our final tip is to stay in your current home for as long as possible during the buying process. Don’t move out as soon as you submit a bid as things can easily still fall through. Wait until the official exchange of contracts before you start setting things in motion and moving out. This ensures you aren’t in a sticky situation where you’ve given your notice to your landlord, started moving out, only to find the seller has decided not to sell and you’re left homeless. Sometimes these situations can’t be avoided but it’s important to set contingency plans, such as moving in with parents, just in case!

 

There you have it, follow these six useful home-buying tips if you want to make the home buying process a lot easier. They’re all very important and can help you avoid spending too much, keep your stress levels down and help you enjoy the life-changing process as much as possible.