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First Time Buyers

In the UK a First Time Buyer is someone who is buying a home for the first time. It means you are buying your main residence and have never owned a Freehold or Leasehold property before.

Most houses are Freehold which means you own the whole home and the land within the legal boundaries. The legal boundary is shown as a red line on the legal plan, which your Solicitor will receive as part of the purchase pack from the seller. A Leasehold usually applies to apartments, where you buy a number of years ownership and do not own the land. You may need to purchase additional years as the Leasehold comes to an end.

Most lenders require a 5-10% deposit to be paid to the developer at exchange of Contracts. Exchange of Contracts takes place once your Solicitor has completed all their pre- purchase checks. Your Solicitor will explain all the details of your purchase before you exchange Contracts. Take a look at our Buyers Guide – Legal, for more information.

Most lenders will accept a ‘Gifted Deposit’ from a buyer, both your Solicitor and Lender must be aware of this.

You will need to talk to an Independent Financial Advisor. They will arrange to meet you, or have an initial chat on the phone, and will look at both your income and out-goings and which Lender will offer you the best mortgage to suit your personal circumstances, and will then be able to tell you how much the monthly repayments will be. To find out more about our panel Independent Financial Advisors, take a look at our Financial Buyers Guide.

It’s important to have a Solicitor who is experienced in new homes purchases. This is because buying a new home is different to buying a second hand home. The legal process is the same but there are additional procedures when buying a new home. You will need to appoint a Solicitor when you reserve your new home. The timeline for an exchange of Contracts is set by us and experienced Solicitors will be able to meet these deadlines. Take a look at our Buyers Guide – Legal

Yes, at reservation all buyers are required to pay a reservation deposit to secure the home they have chosen. Our reservation fee is £1,000. Reservation fee terms & conditions are detailed on our Reservation Forms.

*please make sure you read the information concerning reservation fees before signing the Reservation Form.

To find out more about Stamp Duty Land Tax take a look at our Buyers Guide – Stamp Duty Land Tax.