Buying or selling your home can be a stressful time, even for professional landlords and developers. If you choose A&E Property we will make sure it is a stress-free, exciting and quick process from start to finish. We ensure that our rates are competitive and our commissions are low for vendors as well as ensuring we offer a wide choice and fair rates to prospective buyers.

Please see our Buying and Selling guides:

Buying Guide

First things first, you have to think about exactly what you are looking for! You might want to think about things like whether you want a house or a flat, a new build or a period property, how many bedrooms you want/need, if you want a garden/parking etc

If you are looking for a buy to let investment, put yourself in the tenant's shoes and think about what they would want. For example, if you were to rent to young people/students, is the property near to transport links, nightlife, shopping? Or if you were to rent to a family you may want to consider proximity to local schools, supermarkets etc.

The best way to do this is to make lists of what is important and what you feel would just be a bonus. It is also wise to list the areas/postcodes or road names you would be interested in... do you want to be right in the middle of the hustle and bustle of the city, a quiet residential neighbourhood or somewhere in between? While you are thinking about the areas you would be interested in, think about what else is around the area - transport/restaurants/shops/schools. etc.,

You need to make sure your finances are in order and bare in mind it's not just the price of the property you need to cover so think about the following too:

- Agent’s fees
- Solicitor’s fees
- Valuation
- Stamp duty
- Land registry
- Local authority searches
- Bank transfers
- Mortgage fees
- Insurance
- Removal fees
- Disconnection and reconnection of services
- Essential rebuilding or redecorating
- A contingency fund to cover any unexpected costs is a good idea too.

Once you’ve found the place of your dreams, it's time to get the ball rolling and make an offer. Let A&E Property know how much would you like to offer and for which property the offer is for in writing so that we can put the offer forward to the landlord as soon as possible. If the landlord is happy with the offer and accepts it, we’ll confirm it to you in writing and it is then subject to certain terms and conditions.

Next you will need to get a formal mortgage application, to check that your lender is willing to lend on that specific property. You will also need to instruct your solicitor at this point and if you don't have one, we can recommend one for you. They will check the HIP (home information pack) and lease for any problems or inconsistenciesand check the contracts. The seller's solicitor will get copies of the HIP (home information pack) which includes the property’s title deeds, searches and other relevant documentation e.g. lease and prepare a draft contract of sale. Once all of this has been done, assuming there are no problems and your solicitor has your mortgage offer, your deposit and a signed contract, they can exchange contracts and set a completion date.

Before your mortage lender makes you an offer, they’ll need a mortgage valuation to check that you’re not borrowing more money than the property is actually worth. Buying a home is a massive investment, so you might also want a homebuyer survey or building survey. This provides a far more detailed assessment of the condition of the property. Once your mortgage lender is happy, they’ll send your mortgage offer, including details of the terms, to you and to your solicitor.

The formal exchange of contracts agrees the terms of the sale and makes them legally binding on both you and the seller. Before the formal exchange, you’ll need to finalise and sign your mortgage documents, send your deposit to the seller’s solicitor and sign your contract.This is also the time to sort out the practicalities of your move. Have you organised a removals company and/or storage? Have you arrange buildings and contents insurance? Have you arranged for the utilities to be connected ready for the move? Will your pets need looking after during the move?

Once the exchange has happened, you can look forward to the completion date when the money gets transferred, and the property legally changes hands. This is normally four weeks later, but you can choose to exchange and complete on the same day if you need to. The terms of the sale are now legally binding, which means that your deposit is non refundable if you change your mind. Equally, the seller is obliged to sell to you at the price you’ve agreed.

FINALLY, you can move in.... On or just before the day of completion, your solicitor will pay what you owe to the seller’s solicitor. Once you’ve had the call to confirm that the money has been transferred, the transfer document and title deeds will be yours so you can now pick up the keys from us.

Selling Guide

If you want to sell your home or a buy to let investment, you need to appoint an estate agent to sell it for you. You can go down two different roads:

Sole agency is where you give the job of selling your property to a single estate agent for a fixed period of time. The commission rate for a sole agency sale will be lower than that for a multiple agency sale, because that agent has a greater chance of being the one to find your buyer. Accept an offer via another agent and you might have to pay more than one fee.

Multiple agency is where you instruct several estate agents at the same time, who will all try to sell your property. The commission rate for a multiple agency sale will be higher than for sole agency. Most of our sales are on a sole agency basis. When you first meet your estate agent, they’ll give you an estimated value for your home, and a commission rate for both sole agency and multiple agency.

Once you have instructed A&E Property to sell your home you need to make sure your home looks it's best for prospective buyers. To make your home look it's best, here are some tips:

Think like a buyer – don’t overlook flaws just because you don’t mind them or you’re used to them
Reduce clutter – get rid of everything but the bare essentials
Decorate neutrally – buyers need to be able to see it as their own home (so spending a few quid on re painting might actually add value to your home!!)
Keep it light – clean the windows and use light colours
Outside and in – buyers will often walk or drive past first, and fresh paintwork and well cared for outside spaces make a great first impression

A Home Information Pack (or HIP) collects together many of the documents a buyer needs. The main elements of the pack are:

Energy Performance Certificate – assesses the energy efficiency of the property from A (best) to G (worst), and gives information on how to improve it

Sale statement – gives the name of the seller or sellers, the address of the property being sold and whether it’s freehold or leasehold

Registered title documents – details from the Land Registry of the owners, any specific covenants and a map showing the property and its exact boundaries

Unregistered title documents – some properties that haven’t been sold for many years aren’t registered with the Land Registry, though this is quite rare these days. If a property has an unregistered title, the pack must include similar information to registered properties, but it may come from a number of different sources

Search results – standard searches reveal issues that might affect the property now or in the near future, such as drainage routes, potential flooding, or any planned development

Property Information Questionnaire (PIQ) - this is issued by the HIP provider and must be completed by the seller. It provides information relating to the ownership of the property and details about services such as council tax and the utilities

Leasehold information - a copy of the lease

Whenever we have interested buyers, we will forward their offers to you and try and negotiate the best final sale price on your behalf. Here's what information we will discuss with you:

Price – how much are the buyers offering to pay?
Are they in a chain? If a buyer is still trying to find someone to purchase their home, you will be dependent on their successful sale. It can be quicker to sell to first time buyers, investors, or people who have already sold their previous place.
Your position – are the buyers able to move in time to suit your plans and timescale?
Should you accept? Ultimately the decision is yours, but we'll provide all the help and advice we can to help you make the right decision.

Once you've accepted an offer we'll pass on the good news to your buyer and start drawing up the paperwork.

Your buyer will provide us with their solicitor’s details, which we will pass on to your solicitor, so they can get on with drawing up the contracts. The next stage is where the buyer and their mortgage lender carry out any valuations and surveys on the building and check that everything is as it should be with the paperwork. It’s quite normal for a few queries to be raised, so this stage can take a little while.When this stage is complete, you’re ready to exchange contracts and set a completion date when the money gets transferred, and the property legally changes hands, the conveyancing process will be complete.

Completion is normally two weeks later, but can be earlier. It might even be possible to exchange and complete on the same day if you need to. Leaving a gap gives you time to make arrangement for moving out and tie up any loose ends.After you’ve formally exchanged contracts, you’re legally obliged to sell the property to your chosen buyer and they’re obliged to buy it from you. You should plan to move out before your completion date. As soon as you have completed the sale the property belongs to your buyer and they can move in immediately. Completing the sale is usually as simple as getting a phone call from your solicitor telling you that everything has gone smoothly. This means both parties’ mortgages have been paid off and new arrangements put in place, the conveyancers have successfully arranged the legal transfer, and the property officially belongs to your buyer.