The Surrey property market is notoriously competitive and expensive, with prime property getting snapped up very fast. This makes it hard for both local Surrey residents and for anyone wanting to move to Surrey from elsewhere in the UK or overseas.
However, there are ways to increase your chances of finding the perfect home, and getting your offer accepted. Here I share my top tips.
Make Yourself Attractive To Sellers!
I don’t expect you to get a new haircut or a makeover – although if you turn up looking scruffy for a viewing it could count against you, as people do make assumptions about others based on their appearance. However there are other ways to make yourself more attractive to sellers that don’t involve your physical appearance.
Actually the first people you need to impress are the local estate agents. They’re the ones who have the ear of the Seller so if you can make a good impression with them, they’ll help you get taken seriously by sellers.
There are three key areas estate agents and sellers will be interested in:
Finances: can you afford the property and do you have the finances in place?
Circumstances: do you have a property to sell, are you constrained by any other factors?
Flexibility: are you prepared to compromise and be flexible? Whether that’s waiting until the Seller has found a property to buy as well, to compromising on completion dates etc.
So what will appeal to sellers and estate agents?
Cash is king so if you’re a cash buyer you stand a good chance of getting first pickings on any Surrey homes in your price range. Next up are those people who only require a small mortgage, for example investment buyers looking for a buy-to-let or property to do up and sell on.
If you do require a mortgage you probably won’t get through the door of most properties currently on the market without having a mortgage ‘agreement in principle’ (AIP). No one wants to waste time with buyers who haven’t tested whether they can get a mortgage. If you want to see if you can, contact me here to find out.
If you’re a first time buyer you’re very attractive as you won’t need to sell a property and any chain starts with you. If you do need to sell your current home, buyers who are prepared to sell and move into rental are also attractive as they have the potential to be the start of the chain too. Failing that, a buyer who already has accepted an offer on their property is the next best thing, although any chain your side could affect your desirability.
Feeling attractive?
When contacting estate agents it’s really important to make sure they can see your positives. Property experts like Kirsty Allsop even recommend outlining these qualities as bullet points on a record card and giving them to the agent.
Having demonstrated that you’re a great buyer, local estate agents should be getting you in to see lots of suitable properties shouldn’t they? Perhaps not. It’s a competitive market in Surrey and there are lots of other house hunters equally or more qualified than you looking for that elusive home. So don’t sit back and expect them to contact you.
Register on Rightmove, Onthemarket etc. to ensure that you get properties arriving in your inbox when they get added, register with individual estate agents, and be prepared to move fast when they have something to see.
Be open-minded too. If they send you details about a property that doesn’t meet your requirements, give them the benefit of the doubt. This is an opportunity to show your commitment to your search, so that hopefully when something more suitable does come up they will get you in quick. It’s also a chance to build relationships with local agents by chatting about your needs, and it will also help you get your ‘eye in’ when viewing future properties.
House hunting inevitably calls for compromises. By viewing plenty of properties you’ll get a better idea of what ‘must haves’ and ‘nice to haves’ are important to you, and where you’re prepared to compromise.
When you follow up with an estate agent after seeing somewhere you’re not interested in, it’s a good chance to highlight your requirements again and any changes. For example, if the house wasn’t right but the area was, make sure you say that you like the area and you’d be keen to see other properties in that neighbourhood. You may then be the first to know when a new property comes up in that part of Surrey.
Often compromises can turn to your advantage. Many towns and villages in Surrey are very affluent and house prices are high. But sometimes neighbouring towns and residential areas are not as pricey, and these can benefit from the ripple effect as wealth spreads to these areas too. While bargains may be hard to find in Surrey, you could still snap up a property that will see above average growth as the area becomes more desirable.
For more affordable places to buy in Surrey, read this blog.
Finally when you do find a property you want to offer on, make sure you highlight those attractive qualities again. If the Seller has more than one offer this is your chance to differentiate yourself from others. If you’re prepared to offer some flexibility on completion dates etc., now’s the time to make sure the agent conveys these positives to the Seller.
However flexibility is all very well, but money talks. The most important thing you need to do to help your offer get accepted is to make sure your finances add up. If you haven’t yet got a mortgage agreement in principle (AIP), now is the time to do it before starting your search.
To get started call me to chat through your attractiveness! If you need a mortgage to buy your Surrey home an AIP won’t cost you anything, but it’s essential if you want a chance at finding the right property.
Contact me today to get started; call 01252 759 233 or email info@thesurreymortgagebroker.co.uk