Guide to buying with Locate

Arrange your mortgage

There’s little point in looking at Bradford properties for which you can’t get a mortgage, so step 1 is about understanding what your financial limits are, and then finding the ideal property for your budget. Find out how much you could borrow with our Mortgage Services.

Plan your search

It’s easy to become distracted from what really matters when you are searching for a new home. So before you begin, take time to explore what really matters. Jot down the essentials that any property must have, then move on to the ‘nice-to-haves’, your wish list of features that would move a property up your list of personal preferences, but aren’t essential.

When you start searching (you can explore our Bradford properties for sale here), stick to your list – that way you’re sure to end your search with a house that matches your needs.

Talk to us

You don’t have to carry out your search alone. Contact us and tell us what you’re looking for. Give us your list of essentials and ‘nice to haves’ and we’ll search all our properties to find the ones that match.

Do your research

Location, location, location may be a home buying cliché, but it’s also true. Far better to own a property that needs work in a good area than a pristine property in a poor area. What constitutes a ‘good area’ can vary depending on your personal needs – so consider schools, transport links, distance to work, local amenities, shops, restaurants, bars.

If you can, visit the area. Drive or walk its streets in the day and again during the evening. Look at the general condition of the properties, the cars on the street, the amount of litter and the level of pedestrian traffic and noise. They can all help you build a picture of the area and its people.

Arrange your solicitor

Once you have found a Bradford property you love you’ll want things to move as swiftly as possible. That’s why it makes sense to instruct a solicitor to act on your behalf now, so there’s no delay when you find your ideal home. If you don’t have a solicitor, we can arrange one for you. Just contact us.

Viewing the property

A good property in a good area is unlikely to hang around for long. Arrange a viewing as soon as possible. If you would like to view a Locate property, please call 01274 720900.

At the viewing, consider the following:

1. Don’t view alone. Take a friend, or family member whose opinion you trust, with you.
2. Take time to fully view the property (rather than going through the motions). Buying a property in Bradford is a major investment, so make sure you leave the viewing with as many of the following issues covered as possible.
• Flick switches to make sure all lights work
• Lift rugs and mats to ensure there’s nothing hiding beneath
• Check the water pressure – turn on the hot tap and make sure it a) gets hot and b) isn’t a trickle
• Look up – check for cracks in the ceiling or mouldings that may show signs of movement or water damage
• Look down – check under windows and in corners for signs of damp
• Follow your nose – bad smells (especially musty ones) need investigating
• Check the number of power sockets – will plugging in your various devices require more power points?
• Look outside – check walls, drainpipes and gutters for cracks
• Check your phone – are you in a mobile blackspot?
3. The more questions you ask, the better the picture you will build about the property. Asking questions could also give you information to help negotiate a better price. Consider asking the following:
• How long have you lived here?
• How many viewings have you had?
• How long has the property been on the market?
• Why are you moving?
• What are the service charges or ground rents (if any)?
• What changes/renovations have you made to the property?
• When was it last rewired?
• Do you have/can I see the Energy Performance Certificate (EPC)?
• What fixtures/fittings included in the sale
• Do you get on with the neighbours?

Making an offer

If you like what you see, make an offer. It’s important to remember that the first offer you make is unlikely to be the final sale price. Counter-bids, mortgage valuations and surveys can all affect the price you actually pay, so your offer is really an opening position, rather than a last word. Even so, it’s important to ensure the first offer is a realistic one. You don’t want to alienate an owner by making an offer they feel is much too low – because that can make negotiations more difficult.

Start at the asking price and then consider what issues might enable you to reduce it a little. If you have a mortgage agreed in principle; if you are a first time or chain-free buyer; or if you have spotted repairs and renovations that will need carrying out, you may be able to make a realistic deduction.

Tell the seller’s estate agent how much you would like to bid, and wait for the answer.

Response to your offer

If your offer is refused, resist the temptation to automatically up it immediately. Consider what you can realistically afford, what you genuinely feel the house is worth, and whether there are some factors that are so important to you (eg a great local school, a sought after area) that they make increasing the bid worthwhile.

Once your offer is approved, instruct your solicitor to arrange a survey, and begin finalising your mortgage.

If the Bradford property you are buying is a being sold via Locate Homes, we will prepare a memorandum of sale and write to all parties to confirm the agreed price.

Surveys

Your mortgage lender will ask a surveyor to carry out a mortgage valuation, but it’s important to understand that this isn’t a full survey, and it isn’t being done for your benefit – it is for the benefit of the lender.

A survey is carried out on your behalf and is designed to provide you with information that will either:

• Confirm that your decision to buy, and your offer, are reasonable
• Identify issues that may lead to a renegotiation of the offer price
• Help you avoid a costly mistake

There are three types of survey:

• Choose a Condition Report where the Bradford property you’re considering is modern, in good condition and with no obvious defects.
• A HomeBuyer Report gives greater detail (it will highlight things such as damp or subsidence). Choose this survey for properties of any age in apparently reasonable condition.
• Choose a Building Survey for old or unusual properties in Bradford, or where you suspect that work will be needed.

Exchange of contracts and moving In

You can read more about the final stages of buying your Bradford property on the Sales Progression page. There’s a handy Moving Checklist here.