Flying the nest: A guide to your first home away from home

If it’s time to spread your wings and fly the nest, you will need to make sure everything is prepared for the journey ahead. Use this handy guide to help you buy your very first home.

Build up a deposit
Gathering a deposit will be the lengthiest part of the process, but the payoff will be worthwhile if you’re persistent and self-disciplined. If you have been prudent and opened up a ‘Help-to-Buy’ ISA, you will be able to deposit up to £200 a month, and the government will help you out by subsidising a helpful amount towards your overall savings when you’re ready to put down your deposit. If you don’t have an ISA or you wish to save over the £200 threshold, you can open separate savings accounts either through your bank or via a mobile banking app. It should be noted that while cutting back is essential, it’s important to decide on realistic savings goals and pace yourself.

Check your credit score

Once saving up for your deposit is well underway, it’s time to check your credit score. You can do this online or through your bank. Mortgage lenders use you credit score to decide whether they can rely on you to repay the loan on time each month, so if your credit score could use some improvement, you will need to do some work to get it in the right margins. It should be noted that building up your credit score takes time, so the sooner you start, the better.

Get pre-approved for a mortgage
Before you begin looking at properties, you will need to be pre-approved for your mortgage. Mortgage lenders will assess your financial background, and inform you what monthly payments you can realistically afford. This will help you decide on your target price range for properties.

Go house hunting!
Even if you aren’t quite ready to buy yet, there’s no harm in seeing what the market has to offer! Searching for your first home can be overwhelming, so it’s best to start as early as you can and get a good feel for what you really want out of your first house purchase. Make sure to narrow down your search by including key features and price brackets – this will help you find what you’re looking for a lot faster!

Make an offer

Think you’ve found the one? Don’t waste too much time pondering; if a home feels right and is offering everything you need, you should put in an offer as soon as possible before someone else snatches it up.

Get a house survey
A house surveys is an expert inspection of a property’s condition, which identifies problems to a prospective buyer so that you can avoid discovering issues later down the line. Most issues can be easily resolved as long as they’re highlighted early into the process, which is why a house survey is essential.

Closing of the deal
All involved parties must close the buying process before you can receive the keys. You will have to pay all parties the fees you owe, then you will be able to move into your new home!

Find Your First Home with The Guild

Ready to search for your first home? The Guild are here to help. Our team of trustworthy professionals will guide you through the process whilst offering as much help and advice as possible.

Financial Services

Contact a specialist from Aston & Co Financial Services for help with finding the right mortgage.

Read What Our
Customers Say

Jodie Skinner

From the beginning, our experience with Michael and Rhys has been brilliant. Whenever we had a question to ask or needed some additional information, they were both just a phone call away and were always happy to provide us with an answer. As first time buyers, they made us feel ...

Sue Smith

We can’t fault Aston and co in Syston, for their handling of the sale of our property. We were kept up to date weekly and nothing was too much trouble. Both Micheal and Rhys were approachable and very professional. I would definitely recommend using them for an efficient and hassle ...

Andy

Having had issues with other agents, we came to Astons who gave us an honest appraisal of our house – not overpricing it like others to gain business. Michael and Rhys are a great partnership and Rhys being local was able to provide viewers with information that other agents hadn’t. ...

Andy Freer

Recently sold our house with Aston & Co. We honestly could not have asked for more. From the moment Michael came to value the house, to the day to day communication from Rhys we have not had to chase them once. Michael and Rhys are a great partnership and a ...

V Pears

We chose Aston & Co in Syston to handle the sale of our property. We were kept up to date regularly and Michael and Rhys dealt with all matters efficiently and quickly.We would definitely recommend using them for an efficient and hassle-free move.

Gareth Mueller

We bought a house from a vendor who used Astons & Co as their agent. Rhys was helpful and professional from start to finish and regularly kept us in the loop with how things were progressing. Communication was efficient and swift all the way through.

Julie Pearson

From the first visit to value our property to the final phone call informing us of completion Rhys and Michael at the Syston office have been brilliant, down to earth, realistic with valuation very easy to get in touch with.Making everything less stressful.Regular updates were very reassuring . I would ...

Charlotte Hings

The team at Astons are great. They’re really down to earth, take time to listen and help resolve anything they can for you.Their communication is excellent as they always keep you in the loop with what is happening with your sale. They keep both seller and purchaser happy.Fees are reasonable ...

Julie Perkins

We have recently used Aston & Co to sell our property. At all times we received regular reports from them on interest and following viewings . When our property sold Astons managed the chain keeping all parties fully informed and I believe that without their input our sale would have ...

Tina Poole

Michael and Rhys handled both our sale and purchases. They had good local knowledge, their valuation turned out to be on point. Our sale viewings were nearly all on the same day and we accepted an offer very quickly. We were kept up to date regularly with that and our ...

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