first house

[robunibumuk]

hi, im looking at buying my first house with my fiancee, can anyone give me any tips whether large or small. thanks.

[archiestaffy]

DONT DO IT......lol just kidding

I got my first house 4 months ago. It is tough. Firstly find out how much you can afford. See a mortgage advisor (they are helpful, ours did almost everything for us and found the best mortgage for us). Start looking in estate agents and on the net. Be prepared for dissapointment though as we put an offer on a house and it all fell through right near completion (we were on holiday at the time too) and ended up costing us double the soliciters fees.
Hope this helps get you started

[Toureman]

If this is the only thing to think about then It depends on how much you have to spend.

Little-buy small.

Lot-Buy Big

[jedimistress]

Bear in mind the council tax bands too.

[jake-the-peg]

As a first time buyer you are in a good position as you don't have a house to sell yourself. This makes you very attractive to sellers - use this make an offer under the asking price and make sure you emphasise that you have no chain.

Do not let yourself fall in love with a particular house you may be disappointed and you may pay over the odds.

If you are buying an older place get a proper survey done, the Mortgage company one just confirms that they can get back what they lend you if push comes to shove, the "homebuyer" is not an awful lot better. I know a structural survey can be expensive when you're starting out but �1000 or is not a lot as a percentage of what you're spending and if they come back with a major nasty it could save you from a very expensive mistake

[EllyD]

Try to find a good local conveyancer. I made the mistake of going in-house with the Estate Agent who are in the Countrywide Property Group. It has been a nightmare. Go with a firm you can deal with eye to eye. Elly.

[WendyS]

Do not overload yourself with debt, either by extending yourself with the mortgage, or running up large credit card bills to furnish it. However hard it is, try and keep a small emergency savings fund at all times in case things go wrong. Remember that the bank rate may well increase another .25% in November which will make life even harder for those just moving onto the housing ladder.
Just buy the basic essentials. Do not expect to furnish your first home initially with all the stuff and to the standard which your parents eventually acquired after many years of married life. As long as you have a bed to sleep in, something to cook on and a table and chairs to sit on, you have the basic essentials of life.
If you have parents or friends who are prepared to help you view properties, take advantage of their advice and experience. They may know a lot more about buying properties than you and may help you from suffering some of the pitfalls of the inexperienced. And don't become disillusioned if at first you cannot find what you are looking for. House hunting can be a disappointing experience and the perfect house is impossible to find, unless you are wealthy enough to design and build it yourself., Just make a list of desirables: i.e. number of bedrooms, location, near to shops, etc. and be prepared to keep looking.

[earthakitten]

Hi there ... I think once you have found one you like you should go and visit it at different times of the day and weekends etc. to see how the noise level and parking are. I live close to a football ground and whilst it does not affect me, on certain evenings and Saturdays locals cannot park within 100m of their house ! Is the local pub noisy at night ? Someone I know isn't bothered by noise but the constant smell from the kitchens, something they didn't think of at the time. Some roads are quiet but you try getting out of your drive when schools out !
Don't let this put you off but I do think it's important to check the surroundings for when you are likely to be at home. Good luck and go for a smaller/cheaper house so as not to overstretch your budget. No point in having a big house if you can't afford to do anything or go anywhere. xx