We text notification of a new instruction immediately, which is then followed up by an email.

Details are quickly loaded up to our Website www.astons-estates.co.uk and then

Rightmove, Zoopla, Prime Location and many many more.

• Are you prepared?

  Before you start viewing properties, you should know what you can afford and have an idea about the cost of buying. If you have a property to sell, have you had it valued?

• Finance

  This is the area where a lot of people get caught out. Since the Mortgage Market Review in April 2014, borrowing has become tougher, with stress testing and affordability criteria. You should seek out the services of an independent mortgage advisor, who can offer advice and compare rates. Going direct to a lender, in our experience, can be slow and they can only discuss their products with limited advice. We can recommend a very experienced mortgage broker if required. You need to know how much you can borrow, but if you make an offer, you will need to show proof you can borrow as much as you say you can.

• Your property

  If you are dependent on selling a property, you must get it valued. It is a very important part of the math's, but will also have an important impact on how seriously you are considered as a buyer.

  Acting in our clients best interests we are always going to favour the applicants in the strongest position. So, whilst everyone thinks their property is salable, if you haven't got a buyer, you may miss out on a great property, because other buyers are in a better position.

  If you are local, we can value your property. As the agent who sells more property every year than our competitors, we can give you an accurate and realistic valuation.

  Cost of moving
  

• Do you know how much solicitors charge, how much the new stamp duty thresholds will cost you, removal costs etc....? We can point you in the right direction to get firm quotes and give you an estimate of the costs.

  Knowing your financial position and how much you can afford is vital.

• Viewings

  We organise around 75 viewings a week accompanied. Weekends are very busy and often completely booked by Thursday. To avoid disappointment, try and book an appointment as soon as you can and don't leave to the last minute. Because we often have a very tight schedule, try not to be late and if you are running late please let the office know. We can't wait too long at a property. Most viewings are between 20-30 minutes and longer for larger properties.

• Open houses and block viewings

  Where we have a popular property, to give as many people as possible a chance to see the property, we often organise an open house, where we open the property up for a set period, of, say, 1-2 hours, and people can turn up within that time. We like to know who is coming. It can get crowded, but it is the best way we can show a lot of people around without turning away some. Block viewings are where the property is open for a set period of time but with firm appointments booked one after the other.

• Change of requirements

  Often you start out with certain ideas of what you would like to buy and as you gain more information about the market, your ideas can change, e.g.; you want a period home with a big garden and find out there is a lack of period homes and you then decide to consider more modern homes. Please let us know of any changes in price range area you are looking in, anything that can help us find you the right property.

• Making offers

  To make an offer you need to be able to make the strongest case for your offer. Are you a cash buyer, not dependent on selling, a first time buyer, have a property to sell, or sold subject to contract?

• Due Diligence

  We will need to carry out due diligence to ensure that our client is confident that the offer we put forward is a good proceed-able offer. Our clients demand and expect that we have thoroughly researched a person's ability to proceed and purchase a property.

  We need to know when you have to move by.

  If you are dependent on selling, who you are selling through and an idea of the chain.

  If you need finance, we need to see a decision in principle. We need to know who your broker is and who you are borrowing from. You need to have spoken to a broker within 1 weeks of making an offer. It is not all about the best rate, it is about affordability.