Our industry blog
How To Save Your Deal – With A Little Psychology
The Importance Of 'Buttering up'Achieving a successful purchase isn’t just about money and lawyers. Applying a little psychology can make a huge difference to whether a transaction succeeds or stumbles at one of the many hurdles along the way.So it’s smart to get...
Tips To Avoid Being Gazumped
How to make yourself Gazump-Proof There are a number of practical steps you can take to protect yourself from buyers going back on an agreed deal: 1. Don’t make an offer to buy until your own property’s under offer. 2. ...
Homebuying Disaster Scenario #3: Gazumping and Gazundering
Gazumped or gazundered? Here's what to do When the housing market isn't reasonably stable, with prices either rising sharply or falling, there's a greater chance that as the weeks go by one side or the other may be tempted to try and ‘renegotiate’ on the agreed...
Homebuying Disaster Scenario #2: A Break In The Chain
A broken housebuying chain - what to do? Of all the things that can go wrong, a break in the chain is the one you have least control over. The chain comprises a string of individual deals, downwards from the person who’s buying your house and upwards from the...
Homebuying Disaster Scenario #1: The Seller Pulls Out
The seller pulls out - what to do? The single most common reason for sales falling through is a simple change of mind by one side or the other. If you’re on the receiving end of such a reversal of fortune all you can reasonably do is find out what motive lies...
When things go wrong – should you still proceed?
Deciding whether to proceed You've made an offer on the property you want to buy. The offer was accepted by the seller and time has passed. You naturally assumed that it was virtually in the bag. But suddenly you've hit a major problem. The 2 big decisions you...
When things go wrong buying a property
What to do when things go wrong No matter how experienced you are at dealing in property, there’s always something nasty that can jump out and bite you. The trick is to see it coming and deal with it promptly. A lot of problems are simply down to poor communication....
Survey reports – how to read them
Interpreting surveys Surveyors are sometimes regarded as the 'Doctor Deaths' of the property world, with barely a positive word to say. But it’s important to bear in mind that the surveyor’s job is to highlight defects and flag up future maintenance concerns. You're...
Choosing a surveyor
What type of surveyor? Surveyors come in assorted shapes and sizes. Anyone can call themselves a ‘surveyor’, a title that's sometimes adopted by double-glazing salesmen for enhanced credibility. Qualified surveyors, however, are always the chartered variety and...
What does a mortgage valuation involve?
If the mortgage valuer 'downvalues' your property it could blow the whole deal out of the water. Banks and Building Societies normally appoint chartered surveyors to carry out valuations for mortgage lending purposes. This is a crucial stage because until the...