Steps to buying

Let us take you through each step of buying your new home and help you understand what the process looks like in 9 simple steps.

You can read more of our policies and important information on our Policies page.

Step 2: Viewing
We’ll make an appointment for you to view the property so you can have a look around, ask any questions and make sure that it’s right for you.

Step 3: Decision in Principle
A Decision in Principle (also known as an Agreement in Principle) is provided by your mortgage lender showing that they can, in principle, give you a mortgage.

Step 4: Reservation
Once you’ve made your choice, you can reserve your property. We hold the home for you for an agreed amount of time and it's taken off the market so no one else can reserve it. You'll pay a £500 reservation fee, which is deducted from your final purchase price.

On some sites, you may be asked to complete a financial assessment and instruct a solicitor before making your reservation.

Sometimes things change and you need to cancel your reservation. Read our reservation terms and conditions to find out more.

Step 5: Choose a solicitor
You can now choose a solicitor. If you're buying a shared ownership home, it's always best to make sure you find one who is experienced in shared ownership sales. If you need any help we can recommend some for you to choose from.

Step 6: Notification of sale
You’re nearly there!

We'll send a notification of sale to both your solicitor and ours instructing them to start the conveyancing process. You'll have 28 days from this date to exchange contracts.

Step 7: Exchange of contracts
Once all the details of the sale have been finalised, we'll exchange documents to confirm that the sale is legally binding and at the agreed asking price. You'll pay your deposit at the same time, which will be held by our solicitors.

If the home is already built and ready, we'll also confirm the completion date (this is essentially 'moving-in day').

If you're buying off-plan then exchange of contracts will take place on notice. This means that when the property is ready our solicitor will confirm with your solicitor (this is the ‘notice’). You'll then need to complete within a specified period from the time of notice being provided.

Step 8: Home Demonstration
Before you complete your purchase, we’ll invite you to a Home Demonstration with a member of our team. This is your chance to explore your new home, find out how everything works, and ask any questions you might have. It's a lot of information to take in so you can always refer back to our handy home demonstration videos for a quick refresher.

Step 9: Completion
Completion day is moving-in day! On the day of completion, the final money to buy your home is transferred from your solicitor to ours.

Once this is confirmed, we'll meet you at the property and give you the keys to your brand-new home!