If you are staring down the barrel of buying your first place and feeling totally overwhelmed, you are not alone. The house buying process can seem like a massive mystery. I didn't have a clue where to start when I decided I wanted to buy! But now, on the other side of the process, I wanted to break down exactly what my house buying journey looked like in a chain-free sale on a freehold property to hopefully make things much easier for those who want to learn but have no idea how this whole thing goes!
January 6th: Finding a Mortgage Advisor
The very first thing I did was look for a mortgage advisor. Some people might sniff at this, but I actually found him on TikTok! Hear me out though. I watched different mortgage advisors go live and answer first-time buyer questions religiously for about two months before making my decision. I went with someone I thought was highly knowledgeable, and I really liked his approach to the whole mortgage process.
January 12th: The Mortgage in Principle
I contacted him and filled out all the relevant paperwork. He then sent me my Mortgage in Principle a few days later. Getting that agreement in principle is the green light you need, and that is exactly when I started ringing up estate agents to book house viewings.
January 16th: First House Viewings and a Rejected Offer
I organised to see two houses in one afternoon. I went and saw them both and put an offer in on the very first one I saw. I know what I want lol. The offer was rejected, and it honestly pissed me off. My Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria was popping OFF. I felt much better once I did some research and found out the house was in an area that floods frequently. Ha!
January 30th: Second Viewings and Offer Accepted!
I booked my second lot of viewings and found my house on the second visit. The estate agents were literally around the corner from the property, so I went and put my offer in face to face. My offer was accepted in 20 minutes!
January 31st: Instructing Solicitors and Lender Valuation
Then my mortgage advisor instructed conveyancing solicitors on my behalf (see, this is exactly why I chose him). I also officially applied for my mortgage. I paid the solicitors £550 to get the ball rolling with the legal work. The mortgage lender valuation was also successfully completed on this day.
February 12th to February 20th: Mortgage Offers, Searches, and the RICS Survey
- Feb 12th: I received my official mortgage offer (yay!).
- Feb 13th: My solicitors requested the local authority search packs. It took them a little while to get the car started on this one. My mortgage advisor also set up the RICS house survey on this day, and I paid £586 for this to happen.
- Feb 17th: I received my mortgage deed in the post.
- Feb 19th: The RICS survey came back. It was so many pages! It was full of scaremongering and talks of "potential" issues just to cover their backs. Long story short, there was nothing majorly wrong with the house, just some remedial things and some electrical work. I also signed the mortgage deed and sent it back to the solicitors. I paid about £12 for postage because I wanted it recorded and signed for the very next DAY.
- Feb 20th: I received the property search pack from the solicitors, and thankfully there were no issues.
February 21st to March 10th: Raising Property Enquiries
- Feb 21st: My solicitors started the query process, sending all my property enquiries to the seller. I had minor questions about the removal of furniture and plants because I did not know if they were cat safe. I also asked for some certification around the electrical and gas work.
- March 10th: All of my questions had been officially answered.
The Waiting Game: Delaying Completion
I could have completed the property purchase around this time. However, I asked for my completion date to be moved to June 1st so I could save up an extra couple of thousand pounds to cover the electrical work needed. The seller actually agreed to this. The estate agent tried to say she might not be happy about having to pay an additional couple of months of council tax. They quickly changed their tune once I highlighted this would surely be preferential to me pulling out of the house sale altogether. We move.
May 20th to May 21st: Transferring the House Deposit
- May 20th: I signed all the final completion documents and sent them back to the solicitors. It was also time for me to send over the big money to them! I was terrified of making a mistake, so I transferred exactly £2.76 and then rang them to quiz them on how much I had sent. I just needed to verify I was sending my life savings to the right place.
- May 21st: Once confirmed, I sent over the remaining £21,000 to cover my house deposit and the final solicitor fees combined.
May 30th: Exchange of Contracts
Exchange day! This is when the house purchase becomes legally binding.
June 1st: Completion Day
Completion! The money officially transferred, and I picked up my keys.
This process can look completely different from sale to sale, but hopefully this gave you an idea of the kind of process you can expect when purchasing in a chain free, freehold situation. Happy house hunting!
