How to find property in London.

If you want to find property in London you have one goal:

“To find and buy the best home within your search criteria on the best terms possible”.

Unfortunately the majority of homebuyers fail to do this. Every week we see properties being bought, when we know that there is a better property for the same price or less literally just a few streets away. You do not want to make this mistake.

The problem for the average homebuyer or investor is that they adopt a scatter gun approach when they are trying to find property in London. They register with a handful of estate agents and then call them on an irregular basis. This is a recipe for failure for a number of reasons:

• You will miss out on the best properties because you will not be perceived as a serious buyer
• You will miss out on the best properties because you will only see a small percentage of the market
• You will be totally unaware of exclusive “off market” properties
• You will get frustrated when you see your perfect property on a website only to discover it has been sold.
• You will waste enormous amounts of time and energy trying to find property in London because your approach is unfocussed.
• You may make a poor acquisition because you become fed up or because an average property will seem fantastic compared to the inferior properties you have seen

When you are looking to find property in London you must treat your search like a business, because you will be in competition with other buyers. They will also be looking to purchase the best home their money can buy. Therefore you need to stack the odds in your favour by having a system to find property in London.

Here are some essential guidelines to greatly increase your chances of success:

• Register with every estate agent in your target area – They can only show you the properties on their files, so you are shooting yourself in the foot if you only register with twelve agents when there are eighteen in your target area. (Agents in central London do share properties, just not the best ones. There are over 100 agents in Kensington and Chelsea alone.) To get a list of agents in your target area visit www.yell.com. You should also look at property websites to see who has properties in your area – www.findaproperty.co.uk, www.primelocation.com. You may also want to search for properties at auction. In which case i would recommend subscribing to www.eigroup.co.uk

• Do not rely on websites – Some of the websites are very good, but the finest properties are rarely featured. Owners may want a discreet sale or they could be worried about security. In many cases properties are sold before the details are even uploaded on the site. However, it is worth looking at websites like www.primelocation.com, www.propertyfinder.co.uk, www.globrix.com and www.rightmove.co.uk to give yourself a rough idea of what is available and what the asking prices are.

• Do not rely on email – It may end up as spam or indeed it may just be ignored.

• Position yourself as a great buyer – you must be on the agents’ preferred buyer lists – For more information on this please download your free copy of our report “The Seven Biggest Mistakes London Property Buyers Make (... and how to avoid them)”. Simply fill in either the form in the top right hand corner or bottom of this page.

• Do not always dismiss a property before you have viewed it – Initially it is worth seeing as many properties as possible to get a feel for what is out there and to make sure you haven’t inadvertently discounted a potential style of property. You will also quickly learn how to read between the lines of the agents’ details.

• Question the Agents before you view – When trying to find property in London, don’t blindly believe the agents or the details they send you. Remember that the agent is employed to sell their client’s house. You are not the priority. The best way to avoid the frustration of pointless viewings is to ask a few pertinent questions to find out if the property at least meets your basic criteria.

• Always be polite and punctual – The agent may not be, but this is business and you want them to be on your side. Also try to be flexible on viewing times and do not repeatedly cancel, because this will give the impression you are not serious.

• Ask pertinent questions – the length of time the property has been on the market will be more useful information for the negotiation than the age of the boiler.

• Don’t judge a book by its cover or its contents –Look past the hideous garden, peeling paint and curious furniture to see if the property suits your needs. A property can often seem smaller than it is simply because of the number of people or the amount of furniture in it. Try to imagine what it will be like with your furniture. Conversely don’t be swayed by the “developer’s finish” or the smell of fresh bread that they just happen to be baking.

• When trying to find property in London, always take your list of criteria on viewings and always take notes – These will be invaluable when comparing properties you have seen. (It is also advisable to take a notebook and tape measure with you because the agents may not always bring the details with them).

• Maintain a poker face – and ask anyone accompanying you to do the same. If you enthuse about a property in front of the vendor or estate agent, it will make the negotiations harder.

• View the property at different times of day – It is always wise to view a property more than once and it will give you a chance to get a better feel for the surrounding area too. Walk around the neighbouring streets to make sure you feel comfortable in the area and knock on the neighbours’ doors. They will be able to tell you about the area and you will also learn something about them.

 

These ideas may seem like common sense, but it is amazing how many people do not sign up with every agent and keep in regular contact with them when trying to find property in London. I suppose they hope that they will get lucky and find their ideal property. What is more worrying is that the majority of people who do this think they have bought the best property, whereas in reality there is a much better house or flat just around the corner for a better price. On the plus side this makes it a lot easier for you to find the home available.

If you would like further information you should complete the simple form below to receive your free copy of our report: “The Seven Biggest Mistakes London Property Buyers Make (... and how to avoid them)”

Confidentiality is essential for our members. Your details will never be passed on to third parties. Our reputation depends upon it.

To the top of "Find property in London"