It’s time to get stuck into house hunting!
How To Find a House
The big property websites, like Rightmove, Zoopla and OnTheMarket, are great for getting a feel for the types of properties that are available in your area and their asking prices.
However, they all charge high fees for listings, and estate agents will do what they can to get a sale before they even get to the stage of listing the property.
***TIP*** The high cost of listing on a property website means many homes never hit the website listings, particularly in fast-moving markets. Instead, you will need to use other methods of finding out what is on the market.
Tactics To Make Sure You’re in the Know
Get to know the local estate agents, so that they get in touch with you as soon as they are engaged by a seller. The more you can demonstrate to an agent that you are ready to buy, whether that’s by agreeing a mortgage in principle, showing that your home has already sold or is about to, or advising them that you’re a cash buyer, the more eager they will be to market their properties to you. Keep checking in with agents too, especially if the market is busy – keen buyers are preferred, because it means agents get their commission quicker!
Other tried and tested tactics include dropping notes through the letterboxes of houses you are interested in, explaining a bit about who you are and telling them that if they’re thinking of selling you would be very interested. This can be really appealing to anyone toying with the idea of selling up because it means they will avoid costly estate agency fees – if you’re lucky, they will share some of that saving with you too and you’ll pay a bit less than a comparable property down the road.
Similarly, spreading the word that you are looking for a home in an area can be very effective. People you meet at the local pub may know others who are looking to sell soon, or you could even knock on a few doors to get the lowdown on the local housing market.
“Word of mouth should never be underestimated.”
In particularly competitive markets, you could also consider using a buying agent. These people make it their business to know which properties are about to come to market, and find out about people looking to sell ‘off market’. They will do the leg work, searching for your ideal property, and can advise on negotiations too. For this reason, they can also be helpful for anyone who is time-poor or lives a long way from the area they want to buy in. This help can be invaluable but does, of course, come for a fee!
