To enable you to unravel the complexities of buying your home, we have set out below an overview of the main procedures involved.
We recognise that the purchase of your home is probably the most important and expensive transaction you are likely to undertake in life. But it’s also one that a lot of first time buyers may have little or no understanding of. While we’ll be on hand to guide you through the process, it is worth knowing the basics going in, so that you can be one step ahead.
The first step is to register your details and property requirements with us. You can do that in a number of ways, by email, over the phone, in person at one of our offices or by completing our online registration form.
Once registered, you are then in a position to receive timely updates from us via email or SMS about properties that match your criteria which we think you might like to view.
When you have found a property you would like to view our friendly team will make the arrangements. You can request a viewing directly from the property details pages on this site or by calling one of our offices. If there are multiple properties you would like to see back-to-back calling is recommended. At this point we may also suggest other properties similar to those you have chosen that you might like to view at the same time.
In order to speed up your house buying process, it is advisable wherever possible; to get a mortgage agreed in principle before any final decision on your new property is made. This has the advantage of providing you with a clear indication of what is affordable and the fact that you have a mortgage agreed in principle is also attractive to sellers.
You must pay Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) if you buy a property or land over a certain price in England. This tax applies to both freehold and leasehold properties, whether you’re buying outright or with a mortgage.
The current SDLT threshold for residential properties is £125,000. If you buy a property for less than this threshold there is no SDLT to pay. And this threshold rises to £300,000 for first-time buyers buying a residential property worth £500,000 or less
You must send an SDLT return to HMRC and pay the tax within 14 days of completion. If you have a solicitor, agent or conveyancer, they’ll usually file your return and pay the tax on your behalf on the day of completion.
Precisely how much you will pay depends on:
For example, if you’re buying a residential property there are different rates of SDLT if you’re a first time buyer, if you are purchasing an additional property, or if you’re not a UK resident.
You can use the HM Revenue and Customs Stamp Duty Land Tax calculator to work out how much you will pay.
I had a great experience purchasing through Wilkinson Byrne, both Daniel and David were very helpful throughout the whole process, the sale went through smoothly in a short period of time, with no headaches at all.
I recently purchased a property through Wilkinson Byrne and had a great experience from start to finish. I dealt with Farran and Ben who made the whole process very smooth. If I ever sell I will be coming back to the team at WB.
We viewed many properties in our search and the guys at the bounds green office went out of their way to help us secure our flat, always on hand to answer our questions and accommodated my odd viewing times. They were constantly in contact keeping the communication between solicitors flowing. I would defiantly use them again.