Williams and Donovan, Benfleet

Why Buy Through Williams and Donovan?

Williams and Donovan recognise that the purchase of your home is perhaps the most important and expensive transaction of your life.

From our list of available properties we are sure that with our local knowledge and expertise, we will be able to find you a property to suit your needs, be it a straightforward move or a 'Buy to Let' investment. 

We are an independent estate agent specialising in Benfleet , Hadleigh, Canvey Island, Thundersley, Bowers Gifford, Hockley, Rochford, Ashingdon, Rayleigh and the surrounding villages of Canewdon, South Fambridge and Stambridge.

We believe our local knowledge and expertise is second to none. To enable you to unravel the complexities of buying your home, we have set out below an overview of the various procedures involved:

Registration

At Williams and Donovan, we aim to carefully match your specific requirements to ensure that you are not inundated with unsuitable properties. Using the latest software, we will alert you via your chosen medium of text message, email or post and will phone you regularly to constantly monitor the service that we provide. Our Directors, Managers or Sales Consultants will keep you fully informed of the transaction and our entire team is dedicated to making the process of finding your new home as smooth and enjoyable as possible.

Viewings

Our friendly team are available to arrange those all-important viewings of your selected properties.  Our new Benfleet office  opens seven days a week and has extended opening hours. The opening times are 8.30am to 7pm Monday-Friday, 9am to 5pm on Saturdays and 10am to 2pm on Sundays. Every effort will be made to arrange appointments outside these hours where possible.

Mortgage

In order to speed up your house buying process, we recommend getting the mortgage agreed in principle before any final decision on your new property is made. This has the advantage of providing you with a clear indication of what is affordable and the fact that you have a mortgage agreed in principle is also attractive to sellers.

Making Your Offer

Once you have located your ideal property, your offer will be submitted by us to the vendor for their consideration. This will be done both verbally and in writing. NB: Please note that all offers are "subject to contract" and therefore neither party is legally bound until the contract is actually signed. As soon as your offer has been accepted by the vendor, you should instruct a solicitor to act on your behalf. Your solicitor will handle all legal requirements of your purchase (property conveyancing). At this point, you also need to formally proceed with your mortgage application and instruct your mortgage consultant/broker accordingly.

Survey

The next step is to obtain the Mortgage Valuation if you need one. This will be carried out by a Chartered Surveyor acting for your Lender. The report is to provide a valuation to determine whether the amount to be loaned is secure and it also deals with the basic condition of the property. Since you, as the buyer, are also provided with a copy it allows both parties to evaluate the findings prior to entering into a commitment to purchase. There are two types of survey available:

Home Buyers Report  

This is the mid-range option as it is more expensive than the Mortgage Valuation but less than the Building Survey (see below). It is a basic service and therefore more appropriate to properties in apparently good condition and conventionally constructed. The survey's purpose is to highlight any pressing or significant defects and problems which are likely to have an overall impact on the value of the property. The objective of the Homebuyer Survey is to provide a more in depth report which will assist the buyer in making an informed decision whether to proceed with the purchase and also whether the agreed price reflects the actual value. Moreover, the professional opinion of the surveyor as contained in his report will also set out particular features of the property which may possibly have an effect on the present value and potential future marketability.

Building Survey 

Unlike the Homebuyers report, this is suitable for all types of property whether conventional or unconventional. The term "unconventional" encompasses properties that have an unusual construction, are historic or Listed Buildings, have been extensively altered or where major work is planned. The Building Survey is comprehensive and lists full technical details of the construction, materials and condition. It highlights the full spectrum of defects from the more serious down to the insignificant and the terms of the survey are therefore tailored to fit the client's specific needs. However, it should be noted that this does not include a valuation and is only conducted by prior agreement.

Searches

These are conducted by the buyer's solicitor who submits a Local Authority Search to the local Borough Council. The purpose is to ascertain if there are any planning consents previously granted on the property or any other matters that affect the property or may do so in the future.

Draft Contracts

The draft Contract is drawn up by the seller's solicitor and is forwarded to the buyer's solicitor for consideration. Any additional queries or questions will be asked and answered and the Contract amended accordingly, subject to final approval.

Mortgage Offer

Once the Lender is in possession of a satisfactory survey and valuation report and provided all references and checks have been conducted satisfactorily, the Lender will approve the mortgage application. A formal mortgage offer will then be sent to the buyer and their solicitor.

Exchange of Contracts

Once the Contract has been signed by both parties, a deposit (normally a small percentage of the purchase price) is paid by either bank transfer or banker's draft. At this stage, the parties agree on a date for completion.

Completion

Completion usually follows a few days or weeks after exchange of Contracts. The balance of the purchase price is transferred by the buyer's solicitor to the seller's solicitor and the keys released.

 - Congratulations! You are now the owner of your new home!