Buying in Scotland

Looking to buy a home in England & Wales? Click here.

1. Get your finances in order

• Firstly, you need to check how much you can borrow, how much your deposit will be, and get a mortgage agreed in principle.
• Don’t worry, this doesn’t tie you to anything. You can always choose a different provide later.

2. Find a solicitor 

• You will need a solicitor to take care of all the legal aspects of the home-buying process.
• Remember to shop around for the best rate and make sure the one you choose specialises in Scottish conveyance (preparing the property transfer documents).

• Traditionally, in Scotland, you need to find a solicitor right at the beginning of the home-buying process, as they will make offers on your behalf.
• One of our sales advisers can put you in touch with a local solicitor if you need any help with this.

3. Find your new home

• Now you know what kind of price range you can afford, you can start the exciting bit.

start your search

4. Get the home report and survey

• In Scotland, you will receive a Home Report from the seller. This consists of three documents:

• The Single Survey – an assessment of the condition of the home and a valuation
• The Energy Report – an assessment of the energy efficiency of the home and its environmental impact
• The Property Questionnaire – extra useful information such as Council Tax banding

• Your mortgage lender will probably ask for a separate survey to be commissioned and submitted too.

5. Reserve your property

• In the traditional home-buying process, this stage is similar to the ‘make an offer’ stage.
• Once your home is reserved, no-one else will be able to reserve it.

6. Arrange your mortgage

• There is a lot of choice when it comes to choosing your mortgage – which lender to go with, how you’d like to repay your mortgage, how you’d like the interest calculated and which offers to take advantage of.

• Do plenty of research online or through a mortgage broker – our sales advisers can put you in touch with one if you’d like.

7. Complete the contracts

• This is when your solicitor steps in to officially transfer the property from the seller to you – known as ‘conveyancing’.
• Amongst other things, this involves making sure you’ll have complete ownership of the property and that there aren’t any local plans afoot that may affect the value of the property.

8. Complete settlement and disposition

• The final part of the conveyance step is the exchange of contracts.

• This is when you pay your deposit and means both you and the seller are committed to the deal.

9. Move in

• The best bit! Before you move in we’ll invite you to your New Home Tour and Demonstration.
• We’ll demonstrate your new home to you, ensuring that when you move in you know where everything is and how it works.

• Then the keys are yours and you can move in!
  
  
  

Help to Sell

If you’re looking to start your next adventure, but are worried about the hassle of moving, we have a range of schemes available to help you sell your existing home.

Part Exchange

We could be your guaranteed buyer, so no stress or fuss, just an easy move for you and your family. 

Low Deposit Offers

If you have a low deposit, we have a variety of schemes available to help make moving more affordable.