New year, new home: Make 2023 the year you purchase a property 

The new year leads most of us to reflect on the past year and think about our goals for the future, whether that’s to exercise more, drink less or move home. If you want to move house in 2023 but don’t know where to start check out our top tips on how to make moving house as hassle-free as possible. 

Find a solicitor estate agent 

To buy a home in Scotland you need a solicitor. ESPC has a network of solicitor estate agents who are experts in the local market with access to the latest ESPC sales data. 

If you opt for an estate agent, you will still need a solicitor for the legal part of the process, but they will come from another firm. Solicitor estate agents are a one-stop shop when buying or selling a home as they can take care of both the conveyancing and the estate agency side of things.   

Solicitor estate agents are also duty bound by the Law Society of Scotland to give you the best possible service with regards to any legal aspects of the buying or selling process. 

A specific benefit of using an ESPC solicitor estate agent to sell your property is that they can advertise your home on the ESPC website which receives hundreds of thousands of visits per week. 

Consider your mortgage options  

Buying a home is a long-term financial investment so it’s important to understand your budget and your limits.   

How much can you afford to pay on a monthly basis? This is based on your income minus your monthly commitments, such as regular loan repayments, car finance, credit card balances, maintenance and, for some providers, childcare costs may be factored in.  

Finding a home can be easier if you’ve already got an agreement in principle. You need to work out exactly how much you need to borrow and how much of a deposit you can put down.  

When looking at your budget, make sure you include extra costs such as removals and Land and Buildings Transaction Tax (LBTT). 

All of these factors will impact how much you can afford to borrow and repay on a monthly basis. Make sure you understand your commitments fully to ensure that you make a sensible offer on a new home.  

Speak to an independent mortgage advisor to ensure that you set the right budget – affordability is key. 

Find your dream home  

When you have decided what area you’re interested in, write a list of requirements you have for a property and work out which ones are must-haves and those you could live without, then arrange some viewings. Use ESPC’s explore areas tool to find areas that may work for you. 

You can also sign up to My ESPC to save your searches and get email notifications of properties that suit your needs as soon as they come to market. 

Attend viewings 

Before going to view any properties make a list of the things that you want it to have. Be strict about splitting the list into the things that are essential and those that are desirable, then take the list along with you to viewings and use it as a checklist as you go around the property. 

For more tips on viewings read our viewing etiquette article here. 

Make an offer 

When you’ve found a property you like, you need to tell your solicitor. As a buyer, your solicitor will make a formal offer to the seller's solicitor which will include the name of the purchaser, the property address, the price, date of entry, items to be included in the sale and other legal terms. 

Finalise your mortgage  

When your offer has been accepted, the next step is getting your mortgage approved – an independent mortgage adviser can help with this. 

Conclude the missives 

After you’ve had an offer accepted, the conveyancing process will begin. If your offer is verbally accepted, your solicitor will discuss the acceptance with you and negotiate on your behalf with the seller’s solicitor. 

The offer, acceptance and any subsequent letters, which are intended to be part of a legal contract, are known as the “missives”. 

When the final acceptance letter is issued, missives are said to be “concluded”, meaning the purchaser and seller have entered a legally binding contract and cannot withdraw from it without penalty. 

Your solicitor will advise you when the missives are concluded and send you a copy of the full contract. 

Don’t forget to download our printable moving house checklist PDF or copy our spreadsheet to your own Google Docs, so you know who you need to contact to let them know you are moving home. 

When you have organised the above it’s time to move into your new home!