Your guide to buying your first home

Buying your first home is exciting. But it can also be very scary too. It’s likely to be your biggest financial commitment that you’ve ever made and take up a great big chunk of your income. So, it really is important to get it right.

Follow our guide to buying a home in Scotland to help you understand exactly what you should do, and when.

But we know you’ve probably got loads of extra questions. We’ve answered the most common here.

1. How do I get a mortgage?

We recommend speaking to an independent financial adviser who can help you work out your budget. They will talk you through your incomings (what you earn) and all your outgoings (what you spend money on) and help you to work out a budget and mortgage affordability.

They can also handle the mortgage application for you which can make the whole process easier.

Your solicitor estate agent can help you find a mortgage adviser if you’ve not already got one. 

2. What are the missives?

Putting it simply, the missives are a collection of letters which together form a contract relating to a property.

When you make an offer on a property, this is the start of the missives procedure. Your solicitor sends a letter on your behalf and it normally includes: the price you will pay, completion date, any special conditions and a clause relating to Standard Conditions (which covers things like that the seller has all relevant documents for alterations).

There will probably be some adjustments sent back and forth between your solicitor and the sellers solicitor. Once all points are agreed on, the missives are concluded and the contract is binding!

3. How do I find a solicitor estate agent?

This is an easy one! Use the find a solicitor tool on this website to help you find a solicitor estate agent where ever you are in Scotland.

4. Why should I use a solicitor estate agent?

Only a solicitor estate agent can handle your complete property transaction. They are uniquely placed to fully understand the property market as they handle property sales every day. This ensures they know what properties are selling for, providing you with great advice on a sensible offer.

They can also hand all of the legal work for you, known as the conveyancing. Having one source able to handle all of this makes this a simple and easy to use process.