Building Regulations and Planning Permission: What to Check Before You Buy A UK Property
When buying a property, the focus tends to be on the visible. What's much harder to see is whether work already done to the property was carried out correctly, safely and properly approved. Here's what to understand and ask before you proceed.
What to Look for on a Second House Viewing: The Checklist Most Buyers Skip
If you're seriously considering making an offer, a second viewing isn't just useful, it's essential. The first viewing is often an emotional experience where important things can get missed. Here's what to focus on when you go back.
Leasehold vs Freehold: What Every UK Buyer Needs to Know
When buying a property in the UK, one of the first things your solicitor will confirm is whether it's leasehold or freehold. For many buyers this distinction can feel a bit obscure, or like legal small print. In practice it has a significant impact on what you own, what you pay and what you can do with your property.
Exchange and Completion: The Final Questions That Protect You
You've had your offer accepted, appointed a solicitor, had your survey done and navigated the conveyancing process. But exchange and completion still require attention. Here's what to ask at the final stages to make sure nothing gets missed.
Buying a Probate or Auction Property: What You Need to Know
Most property purchases follow a fairly predictable path. But probate and auction purchases come with additional complexity that can catch buyers off guard. Here's what you need to know before you proceed with either.
The Conveyancing Process: What Your Solicitor Should Be Doing
Once your offer is accepted, conveyancing begins. For many UK home buyers it's the most stressful part of the process, not because it's complicated, but because it often feels like nothing is happening. Here's what your solicitor should actually be doing at each stage.
Which House Survey Do I Need? RICS Level 1, 2 and 3 Explained
Not sure which house survey you need? If you've started looking into house surveys, you've probably come across the terms Level 1, Level 2 and Level 3 and wondered what the difference actually is. Here's what each RICS survey level covers and how to decide which is right for your property.
Making an Offer on a House: What to Ask Before You Commit
Most buyers ask the wrong questions when making an offer on a house. Here's exactly what to ask the estate agent and your solicitor before you commit, from someone who learned the hard way.
10 Questions to Ask When Viewing a House That Many Buyers Miss
Most people walk into a house viewing with a mental checklist of the obvious: how many bedrooms, is there parking, what's the garden like, how much work does it need? Those things matter, of course, but they're rarely the questions that protect you.
The Property Buying Question That Could Have Saved Me Thousands
“Buying a home is one of the most exciting things you'll ever do. It's also, as I discovered, one of the easiest ways to inherit someone else's problem without ever knowing it was there…”