Top 10 TIPS for Buying

Tip 1 - Research Is The Key To Discovery
Home sellers won't call you with an offer to buy a maintenance-free home with a wonderful mortgage. You have to find the gems yourself! Only by reading available materials, talking to friends and experts, and spending time looking at different homes, schools, and neighbourhoods will you end up with your Gold Coast North Shore dream. Avoid the nightmares by learning how best to buy and maintain a home.

Tip 2 - Finance
Ensure that you have your Finance in place. Knowing your limit means you will be only looking at properties you can afford. This guarantees you won't be disappointed by becoming attached to a property you can't afford. Make sure you allow for all extra legal costs involved. eg. Stamp duty and conveyancing.

Tip 3 - Research your Desired Area
It is imperative to do your homework and research prices and those preferred areas that you would wish to live in. Using your local paper or Lambert Smollen we can assist you in finding your dream home and preferred location. Inspect every property in your preferred area so you have a feel for the price. Attend all open houses and auctions in your desired area.

Tip 4 - Use a good Agent
Develop a relationship with an agent specialising in your preferred area. The agent will be able to offer additional advice and also alert you to new listings before they reach the media. Contact us for a Sales History Report on the street you are thinking about. This ensures you know what local properties are worth and whether they are in your price range.

Tip 5 - Find a property
When you find a property that suits your requirements, ask your agent to send a copy of the sale contract to your solicitor or conveyancer. Following your solicitors or conveyancers advice on the sale contract you are now able to make an informed decision to proceed with an offer on the property through the agent.

Tip 6 - Put Yourself In The Seller's Shoes
You are about to make one of the most important decisions that will affect both your life and the life of the seller. If you take time to understand the reasons the seller bought the home, their reasons for selling, and the home improvements they have or have not made, you'll be in a better position to evaluate the home and negotiate a better deal. In the end, the home buying process excludes the professionals and comes down to the individuals buying and selling the home. A closer look at the seller may help you in deciding whether and for how much to buy a particular home.

Tip 7 - Inspections
Lambert Smollen recommend that you arrange a building and pest inspection to make you aware of any major defects and pest concerns eg: white ant, termites. This can be added as a condition to the contract if the property owner hasn't had reports done.

Tip 8 - Making an Offer
Once negotiations have been finalised, you will be required to sign the sale contract and pay a 10% deposit. Your deposit will be held in trust in an interest bearing account until settlement. Interest is normally equally divided between you and the vendor. The vendor will sign their sale contract and the solicitor/conveyancer or agent will exchange the contracts.

Tip 9 - Settlement Day
Your solicitor or conveyancer may request that you have a pre-settlement inspection before settlement takes place. This is to ensure that the property is in the same condition as when you last inspected it and that all the inclusions are as per the contract you signed.

Tip 10- Moving In
Please go to moving tips