Scroll through our selection below and feel free to contact us, whether it is available or under offer. Our team can assist in helping you find your dream home or investment.
Buyer Guide
Below is a brief overview of the steps to buying your home. For further advice check out our FAQs or contact us and we will be happy to assist.
Use this handy mortgage affordability calculator to get a rough guide but make sure to contact us for links to financial professionals.
Make an offer.
Getting the right solicitor is important. Communication is key in what can be one of the most stressful buying processes. This is not the time to save money when buying what could be your biggest ever purchase. Speak to us to help and advise you. Learn more about the conveyancing process here
Speak to your broker (if you have one) or direct to the lender to do this. If you have yet to arrange financing please speak to us and we can point you in the right direction. However, your agent should have already handled this before the offer.
At Elliot Leigh we provide an end-to-end service. We will help progress the sale from start to finish by liaising with yourselves, mortgage brokers, solicitors, other agents that may be in the chain and anyone that may be involved in the process. Without this most sales stall and can even fall through.
This is when the sale is legally binding. Timelines can vary on a number of factors. See our helpful conveyancing process of a buying solicitor to get an idea of what is involved.
This is the day you pick up your new keys from us. Relax, the stress of the move is nearly over!
Conveyancing process
Conveyancing Process Flow Chart (Buying solicitor)
Receives Memorandums of sale from Eliiot Leigh Residential with details of sale
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Confirms instruction with Letter of engagement & copy of terms of business
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Requests your ID and proof of funds
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Receives contract pack from the seller’s solicitor/ licensed conveyancer
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Raises searches (on receipt of you sending money on account)
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Raises specific enquiries with seller’s conveyancer following receipt of contract pack
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Receives search results; checks them, investigates any issues & raises enquiries
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Receives mortgage offer (if applicable), checks condition and satisfies where necessary
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Receives satisfactory answers to all enquiries raised and checks made
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Sends you a conveyancing report summarising key findings and any concerns
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Negotiate completion date with seller’s conveyancer and write date into the contact
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Send you final agreed contact, transfer of title document (TR1) and draft completion statement.
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Receives agreed deposit (usually 10%) and your signed documents
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EXCHANGE
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Carries out pre-completion checks.
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Request mortgage monies from your lender to arrive the day before completion
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Issues you with a final completion statement
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COMPLETION
FAQs
This isn’t the worst place to start!
Contact us and we can point you in the right direction and put you in touch with the necessary property professionals. Essentially you need to work out your budget. We have excellent financial experts available to us. If you want a rough guide try this useful mortgage affordability calculator.
The following link will help you with this request https://www.helptobuy.gov.uk/ However contact us to ascertain whether this would be the best option for you.
This is a very common question and we see people fall into the same trap over and over. Even as property professionals we have been guilty of it ourselves!
Our suggestion would be to get your property on to the market first before actively viewing properties to buy. This is not an easy thing to do. Quite often a quick Rightmove or Zoopla search is the nation’s favourite hobby and it is very easy to fall into the trap of finding a property before you have even thought about selling yours. There is no harm in casually searching and scoping an area. However, quite often you will be down the bottom of the list of viable buyers unless you have an offer on yours. Many sellers think about their potential buyers too much. As a seller you need to be a little selfish and let a buyer wait for you to find a property rather than you falling in love with a place and then rushing to sell yours. All that will do is add undue pressure for you to sell quickly and compete with other buyers. This in turn could even mean achieving less on your property. As long as your selling agent is open and transparent about your position a buyer will not have a problem. Our handy valuation tool will give you a rough idea on your property value.
The old adage how long is a piece of string applies here. There are a number of factors and moving variables involved. On a straightforward freehold purchase with a mortgage then it can be fairly swift at around 4 weeks, assuming no chain. However, leasehold properties require a lot more information and enquiries to be exchanged between solicitors and mortgage lenders. Assuming everything runs smoothly then it can be approximately 8-12 weeks. Our handy conveyancing flowchart maps the solicitor’s process.
Use the following Stamp Duty Calculator to work out your cost.
The freeholder of a property owns it outright, including the land it’s built on. Most houses are therefore freeholds.
With a leasehold, you essentially own the property but not the land it sits on. Therefore you have a lease with terms to adhere to, one of which is the length. Once it expires the property then transfers back to the freeholder unless you extend the term. Most flats and apartments are leasehold properties. You will usually be expected to pay some form of yearly service charge or ground rent so be sure to budget for this.
Another common form of ownership is a share of freehold. You can buy the freehold from the landlord along with other leaseholders – for example, other people living in a block of flats. This gives you more control on how a block is managed.
Sellers Guide
Not sure where to start?
This isn’t the worst place. Below is a handy guide on what you should be looking to do and also looking out for when selling your property.
Prepare your property for marketing
A common question is “should I do work on my property before selling?”
On the whole it is not usually worth spending a great deal of money changing things like a kitchen or bathroom if you are not going to enjoy them yourself. Focusing on first impressions is the keys. A lick of paint is usually a cost-effective way of brightening up a property. Kerb appeal is also very important. Is the front garden in good shape?
Are the windows clean?
Internally it is always prudent to keep the property as clutter-free as possible. That doesn’t involve clearing out all of your furniture but tidying up and possibly hiding clutter to make sure the space is as presentable as possible…just don’t open that storage cupboard!!
When our valuer visits they will be more than happy to advise you further. Click here to book a valuation.
Valuation
On the valuation we will run through all the comparable evidence of similar local property either listed or sold to determine the best possible. Our valuer will give you an overview of market conditions and how it will affect your sale. It is always advisable to get at least two or three valuations but remember, a good valuation is not always the highest price. We will advise you on the optimal price to help you achieve the best possible return. Ultimately how you market will be your decision and will be based on your time-scales but we are there to guide you.
Agree on an agent
This one is easy. Just choose us….next!
Seriously though, just because one agent is cheaper than the other doesn’t mean you will get the same service. Equally the most expensive may also not be the best. Choosing an agent should be based on who you think will perform best for you and that could depend on a number of factors. Ultimately you are going to be working with this agency or person for what could be a quarter of a year or more from start to finish. Therefore you need someone knowledgeable, approachable and trustworthy. Make sure the person you like and meet on the valuation is still accessible after you instruct them. Quite often a big agent will pass you on to another member of their team that you haven’t met or built a rapport with. At Elliot Leigh Residential we like to put our money where our mouth is, offering a performance based sliding fee as an option. This has been well received. Contact us for more information.
Selling Process
Often people think an agent is there just to advertise your property on the portals and deal with the enquiries. This is just the tip of the iceberg. A good agent is there to advise you, keep you informed throughout and showcase your property in the best possible light. We accompany all viewings and give you feedback without fail. We then negotiate the best price for you. Once a sale is agreed we don’t stop there, this is where the hard work starts and where many agents fall. Our dedicated team will help progress the sale from start to finish. Quite often a sale left to progress through the solicitors can drag and fall through if not managed property. We will liaise with everyone involved to give you the best possible chance of reaching that completion as swiftly as possible.
What do we offer?
We could shout about our professional photographers, floor plans and how we advertise on Rightmove and Zoopla but quite honestly all agents should do that as a minimum. Any agent taking photos on their phones or not listed on the major portals should be avoided at all costs. Fundamentally we are marketers so why settle for less?
We utilise social media and are not afraid to spend on attracting a targeted audience for your property. Most importantly though, one thing that has been lost since the proliferation and greater reliance on the internet and property portals good old-fashioned proactivity from the agent. We won’t just wait for the buyers to come to us, we try to make things happen. A large proportion of buyers don’t end up buying in the area they first searched in or even for the budget they first thought. Recognising that means we can use our database to help open up a buyers eyes to a different area. Having a number of bases and experts from the City Fringes to West Essex means we can do that. Staying in touch with buyers is also key. Many change their search and budgets but won’t call all the agents they have dealt with to let them know. Keeping abreast of their developments can be essential in offering your property to a buyer that may have not been previously suitable.
The most important thing of all is trust and honest straight-talking advice. Check out our Instagram page here where it shows we are not afraid of being transparent with our clients.
