THE EASIEST STEP TO HELP YOU SAVE TIME, MONEY & STRESS WHEN BUYING PROPERTY FOR SALE IN LONDON

Acquiring the finest property for sale in London

If you are like our members you are successful, busy and time is your most precious commodity. Therefore you do not want to make the mistake that the majority of buyers make, which is to launch into looking for a home or investment without having a defined strategy and plan. This is a recipe for stress, frustration and huge amounts of time being wasted on pointless viewings.

Therefore you need to follow the boy scouts motto - be prepared.

STEP 1:      Hone Your Criteria

This may sound obvious to you, but too many buyers, including many of our members before they join us, waste a huge amount of time because their criteria are too broad. Ultimately they have only a vague goal or objective - Unfortunately, if you don't really know what you want, you can't ever expect to find it. Therefore, you need to think carefully about what you really require.

You, no doubt, think this is common sense and you would be right. However, have you really honed your criteria to a suitable level? Simply saying a six bedroom house in prime central London with a garden and parking for £11 million is not enough.

You need to have specific criteria without becoming overly prescriptive.

For example you will need to consider:

Type of property for sale in London:

• House or flat - Modern, mansion block, period conversion?
• Detached, Semi-Detached or Stucco Terrace?
• Do you want a listed building?
• Do you require a lift?
• Which floor do you want? If a house over how many floors?
• How many bedrooms & bathrooms?
• Do you require a porter or concierge service?
• How important is a garden or terrace?
• Do you require off-street parking?

Tenure:

• What is the minimum lease you will accept? (Do you need guidance on lease extensions or enfranchisements?)
• What is the maximum service charge and ground rent you will entertain? Especially important when considering an investment property for sale in London.

Location:

• What are your preferred addresses?
• Do you need easy access to an airport, gym, boutiques?
• Is location more important than the property itself or vice-versa?

Condition:

• Realistically will you carry out a full project of works?
• Will you carry out cosmetic refurbishments or do you need a turn-key solution?

General questions:

• What are the five most important factors for you?
• What do you absolutely loathe and want to avoid at all costs? During a new member's initial consultation we cover a wide range of topics, but this last question is often the most revealing.

Ultimately there are numerous other factors to consider, but these questions should give you a start. If you have a clear and concise picture of what you want and that you can give to the estate agents you will find that this will help save you wasting time looking at countless properties that do not suit you.

USEFUL TIP: If someone else is involved in the purchase, for example your husband or wife, you should write your wish lists separately. Then compare and discuss. This process will be very revealing and it is best to discuss any differences in opinion at this early stage.

STEP 2:          Assembling Your “Buying Team”.

Once you have agreed your criteria for buying a house or investment property for sale in London in London, you then need to put your “buying team” together. This needs to be a team of specialists who know the London market intimately. For example, if you instruct a solicitor who is not a specialist in the London property market, you will be making a huge mistake.

The speed at which you can act may well be the difference between you securing an excellent property for sale in London and losing out to another buyer. If you have a solicitor who is not familiar with Grosvenor leases or the vagaries of short leases then delays will be inevitable - this will lead to unnecessary stress, wasted time, expense and ultimately the difference between success and failure.

All this can be avoided by putting in place a small but efficient team. We arrange all this for our members but you must ensure you have appointed a specialist solicitor (please ensure that yours is a member of the Law Society). Just as importantly your finances must be in place and your financier, be it a private bank, mortgage broker/company, must be prepared to move swiftly when the time comes.

We also ensure that our surveyors, plumbers, electricians, drain specialists etc, are on standby in case we need an in depth survey completed at short notice.

None of this is glamorous, but it is essential. If you want to run the risk of missing out on the finest residences because you haven't made these simple preparations then that is your choice. You may get lucky. Alternatively you may lose out to another buyer who is more organised and ready to act.

One final point: On several occasions we have had offers accepted by sellers despite the fact that they had received higher offers from other parties.

This is partly because of our reputation in the market, but it is also largely to do with the fact that we ensure that our members are in a position to act more swiftly than anyone else. This fact alone should encourage you to spend an hour making the necessary arrangements.

If you are too busy to make the necessary preparations and would prefer to have the entire buying process handled for you, you may want to consider using a property finder. Please click here (Erik, please insert link) for information on employing a property finder.

Alternatively if you would like us to help you acquire a property for sale in London please fill in the form below. Please note that your details will never be given or sold on to another party.

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