Feedback recorded at the property is worth something. Feedback reconstructed on Friday is a guess with a landlord waiting on it.
To buy this
Asking price$248,000
Deposit, 10%$24,800
Stamp duty$1,960
Legal feesAbout $1,400Estimate
Survey$400 to $1,200Estimate
MovingAbout $800Estimate
Total to findAbout $29,500Not $24,800
Then every month
Mortgage, 25 years at 4.8%About $1,280
Service charge$142 a monthVerified
Ground rent$18 a monthVerified
Council tax, band CAbout $148
Deposit is the number people plan for and about $4,700 of the rest is the number that catches them. It is on the listing rather than in a conversation three weeks in.
Leasehold, 84 years
Years remaining84Fine
Below 80 yearsExtension gets expensiveIn 4 years
Service charge$1,704 a year
Last 3 years$1,410, $1,560, $1,704Rising 10%
Major works plannedRoof, 2028, estimated $4,000 a flatKnown
The roof is known about and is four years away. A seller does not have to tell you and this agent does, because finding it at the survey wastes everybody six weeks.
When
Saturday 13 September10:00, 11:00 or 12:00
Tuesday 16 September17:30 or 18:15
Ask for another time
Second viewingEncouraged, no limitFree
Second and third viewings are encouraged. An agent who makes you feel rushed on a first viewing is selling their Saturday rather than the flat.
Your notes
14 Ashgrove CourtViewed 6 September
Your ratingLiked it
NotesSecond bedroom smaller than photos
Photographs you took4
Kept for you and not shown to the agent or the seller. Notes an agent can read are notes people write differently.
Offering
Asking$248,000
Your offer$240,000
Your positionFirst-time buyer, no chainStrong
MortgageAgreed in principleYes
ConditionsSubject to survey
Position matters as much as price and often more. A first-time buyer with no chain at $240,000 usually beats a chain at $248,000, and this screen puts both in front of the seller.
14 Ashgrove Court
$240,000Sent 6 SeptemberWith the seller
Other offers1, higher, in a chainTold
Seller decidesUsually within 48 hours
If rejectedYou can offer again
You are told there is another offer and roughly what it is. Agents who say nothing and let people bid against themselves make more money and this one does not do it.
What it looks like
YouFirst-time buyerNo chain
The sellerBuying a house in SelbyOnward purchase
Their sellerProbate, no onward purchaseEnd of chain
Length3 linksShort
Likely time10 to 14 weeks
Three links and one probate at the end. Probate can add months and it is on this screen at the start rather than as a surprise in week nine.
Roughly
Deposit you have$30,000
Income$42,000
Likely borrowingAbout $189,0004.5x
Likely budgetAbout $215,000Honest
This property$248,000Above
This flat is above what those numbers support. Saying so on the listing costs the agent a viewing and saves the buyer a fortnight of hope.
Around 14 Ashgrove Court
Station12 minute walk
Primary school0.4 miles, rated good
ShopsNorthgate Row, 5 minutes
Flood riskVery lowChecked
BroadbandFull fibre availableChecked
Worth knowing
ParkingOn street, permit neededPermit
NoiseNear a pub, closes at 23:00Honest
Planning nearbyFlats approved opposite, 2027Known
The last three are the ones an agent usually leaves out. Somebody finds them in week four and pulls out, which costs everybody more than saying so now.
Your searches
2 bed, under $220,000, Northgate4 new this week
Anything with a garden, under $250,0001 new
AlertsOnce a day at mostDaily
One alert a day at most, whatever comes on. An agent who messages the moment a property lists is training people to view in a panic.
With your agent
Aoife BrennanThe seller has another offer · 6 SepNew
YouIs the roof work confirmed? · 5 Sep
Aoife BrennanEstimated, not yet voted · 5 Sep
Messages go to one named agent rather than to a shared inbox. You get the same person for the whole purchase and they answer within the day.
14 Ashgrove Court
Offer accepted8 SeptemberDone
Solicitor instructed10 SeptemberDone
Survey booked22 SeptemberBooked
Mortgage offerWaiting, about 3 weeksWaiting
SearchesOrdered, 4 to 6 weeksWaiting
ExchangeEstimated late November
Searches take four to six weeks and nothing anybody does speeds them up. Knowing which delays are normal is most of what makes a purchase bearable.
Everything so far
Memorandum of saleIssued 8 September
Lease84 years, full copy
Service charge accountsThree years
Survey reportWhen it arrivesPending
Energy certificateRated C
The lease and three years of service charge accounts are here before an offer rather than after. They are the two documents that change minds and they are usually the last two to arrive.
A fair comparison
Similar flats to rentNorthgate, 2 bed$980 a month
Buying this oneMortgage plus charges$1,588 a month
DifferenceBuying costs more monthly+$608
ButAbout $420 of it is repaymentYours
Buying costs more each month here and part of it comes back. Both halves of that are true and an agent usually only says the second one.
A saved search has something newOnce a dayOn
A property you saved changes priceOn
Your agent messages youOn
Something moves on your purchaseOn
Properties we think you will likeOff
The last one is off. Guessing what somebody wants from what they clicked is how people end up looking at the same three streets forever.
Ines DuarteFirst-time buyer
Looking
Saved4 properties
Saved searches2
Viewings2 booked
Can you afford itAbout $215,000
Buying
Your offerWith the seller
Your purchaseSurvey 22 September
Documents4
Messages1 new
Alerts4 of 5 on
Common questions
What will this actually cost me
How long will it take
Is 84 years a problem
Can I offer below asking
Should I rent instead
The last one is a real question and this agent will answer it honestly, including when the answer is yes.