Finding a New Home In Brighton & Hove, East Sussex 

How to Choose a Property in Brighton & Hove

Regardless of how far you have to move, finding a new home requires more than simply visiting estate agents and selecting properties. A good starting point is gathering the family together to establish what is important to each individual member. Consider commuting times, local transport, schools, shopping facilities, etc.

Having done this, establish the potential properties in your price range by buying copies of the local newspapers. Selecting the area is then much easier and you can begin your search for the right home at the right price by contacting estate agents.

Any agents that you contact will review your requirements and then send or give you details of properties that meet your needs. Once you have looked at all the details, you will be able to select which properties to view.

Viewing Properties

You should always take time and care viewing the properties you have selected to visit. Whilst a surveyor can provide a more detailed report later in the process, your vigilance in spotting obvious defects will help to avoid costly mistakes.

Watch out for:

Structural problems such as a sagging roof line, bulging, stained or cracked walls and cracking brickwork. Insufficient insulation in the loft and elsewhere. Ask the owner for an indication of average gas and electricity bills.

Possible problems with central heating, particularly if the house is empty. Consider having the central heating tested by a qualified engineer. Poor condition of the electrical fittings and wiring. Creaks and uneven floor boards, a possible sign of rot and rotting window frames. Look at the other houses in the street; if they have different windows these will not have been fitted without good reason. Low water pressure is not uncommon, try all the taps, water pressure isn't always rectifiable.

Parking difficulties in a busy street or access to the garage. Community centres, pubs, schools, churches in the street can also provide noise and parking difficulties.

Properties without guarantees for damp and timber or if the home is less than 10 years old, ask the owner whether it has an National House Builders Confederation (NHBC) guarantee. Ask about the home's construction. Consider timber frame or pre-fabricated structures carefully. Evidence of subsidence in the area which may have damaged the property. Cracks in walls, uneven floors and badly fitting doors and windows can be an indication of subsidence. Noisy traffic and neighbours. Return to the property at different times of the day and week. Most areas are quiet on a Sunday morning but not necessarily on a Monday!

Leaks. It is advisable to view when wet. Properties can look very good in sunshine. When wet, any leaks will become evident particularly in loft space.

Ask what the neighbours are like!

As a general rule, be careful of properties that:

• Are not fully mortgageable.
• Check whether the lender would be prepared to advance between 90%-95% of the offer price regardless of whether you need it or not
• Are situated on a contaminated site or has problems relating to radon or methane gas.
• Have a history of structural defects, or are located in an area known to have structural problems and there are difficulties obtaining insurance.
• A qualified surveyor advises against buying.
• Are less than 10 years old but do not have an NHBC guarantee, or architects' certificate.
• Have less than 75 years to run on a lease.
• Have defective legal title.
• Have been subject to a National Coal Board claim for disturbance or subsidence as a result of mining activities. 

If you would like to purchase a home that falls within one or more of these categories, we would recommend that you consider the implications very carefully.

Making an offer

Once you have decided on your new home, you should make an offer 'subject to contract and satisfactory survey' to the seller's estate agent. Most people will consider an offer that is below the asking price. However, before deciding on a figure, check:

Why are the current owners selling?

• This may reveal local factors that will not appear on any formal search.
• It may also indicate that the sellers are not really serious about selling and are just testing the market
• How long has the house been on the market? Obviously this can be an indication of overpricing, adverse survey reports, or a pointer to future difficulties in selling the home. There may, equally, be a very genuine reason such as a collapsed sale.
• Have there been any price reductions? If not, the sellers may want the property to remain on the market until they receive an offer of the asking price. However, if they have found their new home, check whether they are in a chain and whether they are in a hurry to exchange contracts.
• Finally, gather any information that you can on comparable properties for sale or under offer in the area. With this information you can make an informed judgement on how much to offer.

Once your offer has been accepted, try to ensure that the agent and the seller agree that higher offers will not be entertained (gazumping). Try also to avoid costly 'contract races' where the seller accepts several offers and the first buyer to exchange contracts gets the house. Your solicitor will tell you if there is a 'contract race' on a property.

The Solicitor

Once you are satisfied with the property survey, your solicitor will manage the conveyancing to enable you to purchase the home.

What Will My Solicitor Do?

When you are purchasing your home, your solicitor will:

• Consider the draft contract sent by the seller's solicitor Raise preliminary enquiries about the property with the seller's solicitor on issues such as boundaries, fixtures and fittings etc.
• Send 'searches' to the local authority to find out whether the property will be affected by road widening, compulsory purchase etc.
• Investigate 'searches' in more detail, if necessary. Approve the draft contract.
• Receive the mortgage offer from your lender.
• Arrange for you to sign the contract and fix a date for exchange of contracts with all parties concerned.
• On the day of exchange of contracts, arrange payment of a deposit (normally either 5% or 10%) to the seller's solicitor.
• Confirm proof of good title to the property as submitted by the seller's solicitor and carry out final official searches.
• Prepare the transfer document.
• Completion of purchase.
• Arrange for full payment in exchange for the title deeds and keys.

Keeping The Purchase Going

Once your offer has been accepted and you have instructed your solicitor to act on your behalf, you would be forgiven for thinking that you had done all you needed to do to achieve a speedy exchange of contracts on your purchase.

Unfortunately, the legal process can be lengthy so your solicitor will keep you regularly informed of progress. If you need more information then you should telephone him/her.

If you have met the vendors, then it is also a good idea to keep them personally up-to-date on the purchase so that they are quite clear that your interest is being maintained and you are anxious to proceed.

Just before exchange of contracts, you will be asked to agree a date for completion of purchase. The standard period is 14-28 days after exchange, but there is no reason, as far as legal procedures are concerned, why this cannot be quicker. Solicitors need at least 7-10 days to release the necessary funds. Obviously, the shorter the period, the more administrative arrangements you will need to have sorted out before exchange.

To protect your interests, you should confirm with your solicitor that the property is insured from the date of exchange. If vacant possession will occur before completion, you must inform you insurers that the property will be empty and we suggest you also inform the police.

Commissioning a Survey

There are several types of new home survey:

Mortgage Valuation

Your lender will almost certainly require a mortgage valuation to confirm that the value of the property covers the mortgage advance you have asked them to provide. Whilst this valuation is prepared for your lender, you may be able to obtain a copy. The survey is usually only a brief visit but may result in recommendations from the surveyor. They will advise on improvements (if any) that they feel are necessary for the property to warrant the mortgage advance. The surveyor may recommend (or your lender may insist) that this work be carried out within a specific period after purchase. Alternatively, your lender may retain a portion of the finance required to purchase the property until the works have been completed.

We would not recommend that you rely solely on the results of the lender's mortgage valuation when you decide to purchase a property, as it does not report on defects with the same thoroughness as other types of survey.

Homebuyer's Report

More thorough than a mortgage valuation, a Homebuyer's Report includes an inspection of structural aspects, like damp and subsidence. It will include information on the immediate surrounding area and an opinion as to the appropriateness of the offered price. The report will also highlight the main problems found or suspected and may recommend further specialist surveys.

Full Structural Survey

Included in a full structural survey is all the information detailed in a Homebuyer's Report and an indication of the home's construction. The report also recommends how to rectify any defects and gives a very detailed assessment of the condition of the home, but does not usually give an opinion of valuation.

Unless your intended purchase is brand new and covered by a NHBC guarantee, we would recommend that you commission a Homebuyer's Report. The results, will not only give you peace of mind but may enable you to re-negotiate the purchase price. For older properties (pre 1900) you should seriously consider commissioning a full structural survey.

In addition, check with your lender before you instruct a surveyor, as most will allow you to combine the instruction with their own mortgage valuation, which could well reduce the cost to you. If your surveyor recommends commissioning further specialist surveys for damp etc., or a full structural report, we would recommend you carefully consider the purchase of that property.

If, after a full investigation of the house's faults, you wish to continue with the purchase, consider re-negotiating the sale price to take account of the defects. The vendor may accept a reasonable reduced offer based upon the cost of the remedial works. You may submit this offer either through your solicitor or directly to the vendor's estate agent yourself.

Moving In

Once the day of completion has been set, you should agree with the sellers a time of day for moving in and then make arrangements for the removals. The move in time is usually after 1pm to allow time for the seller to move out and for completion monies to reach the seller's solicitor.

To ensure the removal company is available on the day you require, we would recommend you alert them to your forthcoming move before you know the exact date. This is particularly important if you are moving a long distance, in a holiday season or if you expect the packing and move to take more than one day.

Read through the removal company's small print on insurance eg. there may be a claims period of only one week after the move, so you will need to check everything very promptly.

Don't forget to:

• Make special arrangements for moving pets.
• Most removal agents will not carry animals
• Arrange the transfer and reconnection of gas, electricity, water and telephone.
• Make arrangements to collect keys from the seller's estate agent.
• It is well worth telephoning the estate agent to check that he is able to release the keys before you go to collect them.
• A last minute hitch in completion could prevent you moving in.
• For security reasons, consider changing the locks after moving in.
• Arrange an overnight stay if your move will take more than one day.
• Remember not to allow your overnight bag to be packed in the removal van!
• Consider what you want unloaded first from the removal van (e.g. the vacuum cleaner and a box containing the kettle, teabags and mugs) and ensure this is loaded last.

The Process of Buying

The simple flow diagram below highlights the main factors of home buying illustrating the structure of the whole process.

For Help in Buying a Property in Brighton and Hove Read our City Guide