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| How to buy a home through estate agents |
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What do estate agents do?
Estate agents market and sell property. They also deal with paperwork, monitor the chain (of buyers selling their old home and sellers buying their new home), liaise with your solicitor and negotiate with buyers and sellers. Estate agents do not deal with surveys – you will need a surveyor for that, but they might have partnerships in place to recommend a surveyor to you.
Estate agents and fees
If you are buying a property there should be no estate agent fees involved. If you are selling, you will usually pay 3.5% of the selling price to your estate agent. Again, shop around, and negotiate once you’ve found an estate agent that you would like to work with. Check that the fee includes VAT or you’ll need to add another 20% to the price of the fee.
Questions to ask
When a property catches your eye, don’t be afraid to ask lots of questions. Bear in mind that asking the right questions now may save you quite a lot of money in the future. Estate agents have a duty to be truthful so grill them for details. This is not a time to be shy. Ask questions such as:
How long has the property been on the market?
What will be included in the sale? (Curtains? Light fittings? Furniture?)
Are there any works expected on the property?
Making an offer
Subject to contract (STC) – the final sale takes place only when lawyers have exchanged legally binding documents
Subject to survey – this allows for the cost of any faults or issues to be taken into account once your surveyor has checked the property out
Once your offer has been accepted, make sure the estate agent has taken the property off the market and is no longer advertising it for viewings. If someone else is interested and views it, you risk someone else coming in with a higher offer, which is known as gazumping.
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| Tuesday, Apr 26, 2016 |
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| » RENTALS |
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| Apartment |
€ 205 |
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| Location: |
Veliko Tarnovo |
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