Rachel's Story
We wanted to get onto the property ladder, and in fact we worked out our mortgage could be cheaper than renting anyway, so it made complete sense to buy.
Our mortgage is discounted for three years and, being a tracker, the payments were lower than many other mortgages.
Rachel's thoughts
Get the seller's phone number and establish a rapport with them. It can certainly speed things up and can even prevent things stalling when everyone, including the solicitors, are waiting for everyone else to be doing something. It's also reassuring if things go quiet which, when you're buying a house, sometimes happens inexplicably.
It's hard to avoid worrying as the sale is going through, but don't be put off by the impenetrable, slightly negative-sounding jargon the legal people use, especially in the survey. In reality all the terms are standard, and you'll know about any problems without having to imagine them!
As a final thought I'd criminalise gazumping. Houses are such big, important things to buy, it's shameful that buyers can be treated in such a cavalier way over them.
