What are the stages of buying a new home?
The reservation appointment
What is the reservation appointment?
The reservation appointment is just what the name suggests, it is the exciting day when you reserve your new build home! During this appointment, as exciting as it will be, there is also a lot of legalities to go through including:
- the agreed sale price
- the house type
- Terms of the Purchase
- Restrictive covenants
- The exchange deadline
The reservation appointment is extremely important and the first step of owning your own new build home. This process is your opportunity to ask any questions about your chosen home and ensure you have all of the information to make an informed choice. After the reservation appointment, the things you do can affect how quickly and smoothly the purchase of your new home goes.
Instruct a solicitor or conveyancer
Following your reservation appointment the very first thing you need to do is instruct a solicitor or conveyancer of your choice. To get the process moving quickly, we always advise to do this within the first 48 hours.
Complete mortgage application
If you are purchasing your new home with a mortgage, your finance advisor or mortgage advisor will need to submit your application within 7 days of your reservation appointment, so act quickly!
You may also be required to pay for your surveys at this point.
During the mortgage application meeting your mortgage lender will confirm your eligibility to gain a mortgage against your chosen property.
Documents and paperwork
Within 3-4 weeks, your solicitor should have received the Contract of Sale and all other paperwork required for the sale. You will also receive some paperwork yourself, in order to keep the process moving it is essential you return this to your solicitor as soon as possible. You will need to maintain regular contact with your legal and financial advisor. They will be expecting you to call them asking for updates and this will help speed up the process.
Property valuation survey
Typically during week 3-4 of your purchase the mortgage lender will send a surveyor to value your new property. This is to secure your mortgage against the suggested value of the home. In a nutshell, it confirms that the sale of the price is what the property is worth. You don’t need to do anything to instruct this survey, it is always worth ensuring that your mortgage lender has instructed this survey to take place.
Weeks 5-7
Mortgage Offer
Your mortgage offer should be issued around week 6. But if you have provided all of the evidence and documentation early this process should speed up. Your mortgage offer can only be made after the property valuation survey has taken place, but is often back within 72 hours of this valuation taking place.
Enquiries
Enquiries are raised by your solicitor or conveyancer, they are a set of questions which will be asked direct to your housing developer; Cyden Homes. This can cover anything from asking around any covenants in the contract, adoption of roads and sewerage and any potential environmental issues. Once the questions and report have been finalised it is down to you to read and understand the document and confirm with your solicitor you are happy. Your solicitor will help with any terminology as this stage can be quite technical.
Contracts and deposits
Once your enquiries have been satisfied, you’re ready to complete your Contract of Sale.
At this point, you must have read and fully understand all enquiry reports, conveyancing reports and agree to the Terms of Sale. You will be invited to sign the contract and transfer the agreed deposit based on your mortgage value. Prior to this appointment it is essential that you have moved any funds for your deposit into accessibly accounts so they can be sent direct to your solicitor to secure the sale.
Exchange of Contracts
Exchange of Contracts is the point where you are legally obliged to complete the purchase of your new home. Cyden Homes will ask you to exchange contracts ‘on notice’ of completion or on a fixed date.
Prepare for completion date
Your solicitor will prepare a final account, you will need to make sure that you pay any balance due to your solicitor as soon as it’s requested to complete you purchase.