Put yourself in the best position to land your dream property!

It’s no secret that the past 12 months have been turbulent for obvious reasons however, the property market has been surprisingly buoyant and at Benjamin Stevens we have worked very hard to keep in constant contact with our clients and keep our stock of properties high, whilst working safely under Covid safe guidelines. 

There are certain properties which attract significant attention. It is not uncommon to have double-digit levels of viewing enquiries on a new property.

The most important piece of advice we can give to buyers is to work on your ‘position’ and helping buyers understand what that looks like.

So, what is a good position?

In short, being proceedable, is what matters. A buyer who can proceed is one where they are able to provide evidence of how they would fund a purchase and that arrangements are all in place with thorough detail available.

So, for example, someone is selling their property and that property is under offer to a first-time buyer. In that instance providing as much detail at the time of booking a viewing about the name of the selling agent, mortgage broker’s details etc are absolutely critical as, in the event there are 20 other people also viewing the property, there is a real risk of going in unprepared and finding the sale goes the way of someone more prepared.

Seller’s don’t want to hear 20 stories of best intentions of how a purchase will be funded, rather they want reassurance from us we have been provided all the detail we have requested ahead of discussing sale prices with them.

How can a buyer get themselves into a good position?

- If you need to sell in order to move: Get on the market and get under offer! Without a buyer and being chain complete it is not possible to offer on a property. If you live locally we can assist in a valuation and marketing advice and even if you live out of the area we have links to agents all across the country via our membership of the Guild of Property Professionals. We can use this to put you in touch with a quality agent in your area.

- If you are buying and under offer: Provide the agent you are viewing through as much detail as possible even at the time of booking a viewing. Buyers who do this are seen by agents in a different light as being really serious and well prepared. Provide the name of your selling agent, who to speak to in that branch plus your mortgage broker’s details and your solicitor’s details. It is also worth knowing which surveyor you would wish to use so this can be locked in ASAP once your offer has been accepted.

- If you have no dependent sale/living in rented/cash or first-time buyer: Provide the agent with proof of funds and mortgage broker’s details plus solicitor’s details. It is also worth knowing which surveyor you would wish to use so this can be locked in ASAP once your offer has been accepted.

By taking the actions above you can turn a ’potential buyer’ into a real ‘person of interest’ to the agent and subsequently the seller.

There is no luck involved in buying a property as a buyer has complete control over whether they take the above actions. Buyers who do take the above actions are the ones that most swiftly secure the properties they want and start the next chapter in their lives.

As a local agent, Benjamin Stevens are able to assist with recommendations or ‘pointing in the right direction’ of mortgage brokers / solicitors / surveyors etc so feel free to give us a call for advice.

Let Benjamin Stevens help you find your way home.