Get Your Dream Home With These 7 Simple Steps

Speak to a Local Estate Agent

Even if you’re not planning to buy your dream home through a traditional estate agent, it can be useful to speak to one once you’ve got a broad idea of the area you’d like to move to. This is so you can make the most of their knowledge of the local housing market.

A local agent will help you to get to grips with the local market and get an understanding of things like:

• School districts: if you’ve got kids (or want them in the future) the quality of school districts should be a priority. Even if you don’t have children you should be mindful of the fact that the quality of school districts that your house falls into will influence the value of your dream house.
• Local Amenities: a local agent will have a great knowledge of what kinds of local amenities there are in the surrounding area of your dream home. Things like great restaurants, bars, and cultural attractions not only transform your quality of life when living in an area but also have a huge influence on property price.
• Transport Links: if you’re working in a city and you’re planning to move to a dream property somewhere in the country then transport links will be important. Find out from an agent whether your property is located near convenient routes and fast train links. Again, even if you’re not going to use them to get to work they’re still going to have a huge impact on property value. A local agent will also likely know whether there are any planned transport links, which could have a positive influence on the price of your dream home in the future.

Buy Somewhere with Potential

It can be hard to meet all of the requirements of your dream home with one property. A great way to think about how to meet so many preferences is to buy a property that has the potential to be transformed into the house of your dreams. When you’re thinking about whether a property has potential you should consider:

• Planning permission: if your target property has planning permission for an extension then it could be a great bargain. The cost of building an extension is typically cheaper than the cost of buying a house of the equivalent size. So by creating the home of your dreams from a property with potential, you could also be adding value and profiting in the long run.
• Potential to renovate: perhaps you’ve found a property that’s the perfect size and layout but the style isn’t to your tastes? Consider buying properties that have an older interior design and renovating them to your liking. This can be a great way to save money on the purchase price and have a really bespoke house that’s styled just the way you like it.
• Run-down properties: look at properties creatively when conducting your search. If you can spruce up a property to make it more attractive, you could grab yourself a bargain at the same time as snagging yourself your dream home. Check our our guide on how to improve your home.

Get a Home Inspection

Do your due diligence on your dream property. Getting a professional survey of your target property is an important step and can uncover any issues that might not be apparent to the naked eye. There are a few different types of surveys that you can undertake on a property which have increasing levels of rigour. Condition reports are the cheapest option and designed for newer and conventional homes. Homebuyer reports are a little more expensive and provide you with a property valuation. It also advises on property defects which might influence the value of the property in the future or incur expenses at a later date. This can be particularly useful if you have any concerns about the state of an older property and how much it could end up costing you in the future. Finally, if you’ve cause to be worried about the structural integrity of a building then you can instruct a structural survey. This report is the most comprehensive and will give you information on maintenance options, defects and repairs, and is also essential if you’re planning to buy a larger property or carry out any major works on a property.

Close the Deal!

So you’ve defined your dream home, completed your property search, been flexible with your requirements and conducted a detailed home inspection. You’re ready to make your purchase but first you need to close the deal! When negotiating the purchase of your dream property here are three handy tips to bear in mind:

• Know your market: make sure you’re armed with knowledge of recent sales of comparable properties in the area. This will help you anchor your price with the vendor.
• Find out why the vendor is moving: if the seller is moving because they need to downsize or they are after their own dream home, they might be more inclined to negotiate on price.
• Don’t be afraid to walk away: try not to become too emotionally involved with the purchase. If you’re prepared to walk away, it increases your power in the negotiation and makes it more likely that you’ll be able to get a price reduction.

If you’ve found your dream house and you still need to sell your home, SmoothSale can help. Our cash house buyers service is designed for those who need to sell their house quickly for cash in as little as seven days. We also offer an investor marketing service if you need to sell your house fast but are prepared to wait a little longer to achieve a higher price. Contact us today on 0800 368 8952 for more information or Get a Cash Offer now!