Preparing Your Budget
Firstly, congrats on deciding to buy your new home! Especially so if it's your first, as I've just done myself. As a first time buyer, the process can be especially daunting at the very start, when everything is new and uncertain, and you know that you have so much to learn over the coming weeks and months. Before you even go about choosing your new home, start looking at budget. And I'm not talking about mortgage repayments, at this point you are probably already approved-in-principle for a certain amount and have a vague idea of what your repayments will be. I'm going to look at all the up-front costs involved in your new home, over and above the deposit. Trust me, you don't want to be caught short here! So let's start with the obvious ones - legal fees! You will have to work with a solicitor in order to complete your home purchase. The good news is that most solicitors should work to a fixed fee for a standard home buying process. But always ask, best t...