6 Things You Need To Know About Buying A Property in Scotland

Bob Arbuthnott and Lisbeth-Ann Pay, two of our very experienced conveyancing solicitors, offer some advice which will be helpful for anyone looking to buy a property.

1. Don’t be fooled by the asking price

Many purchasers are confused by the terms “Offers Over”, “Offers Around” or “Offers in the Region Of” and are left wondering what they should be offering. Generally, these terms can be ignored if the property has come onto the market recently and has a Home Report with a valuation. The terms are used as marketing ploys to generate interest in a property and the more relevant figure for a purchaser is the Home Report valuation. This is usually a better indication of what the seller is hoping to achieve. Depending on the level of interest in a property a lucky purchaser may be able to negotiate a price below this but if the property is new to the market and/or if the market is buoyant then often purchasers are pushed to offer over the valuation.

2. Don’t be afraid to ask

When you view a property for sale it will be either the owner of the property or a viewing agent who will show you around. Sometimes sellers can be very open and chatty and only too happy to tell you about the property, but others prefer to keep quiet and may even let a purchaser wander around freely. Whilst this gives a good opportunity to spend time looking at the property rather than feeling like you are being ‘watched’, you can often leave with many questions unanswered. Viewing agents may not be able to offer much information if they simply do not know enough about the property, but a good viewing agent will have anticipated the normal queries of a purchaser and will have obtained this information from the selling agents. The best advice is to ask as many questions as you can. Often one question is enough to break the ice and you can glean far more information than you asked for – it all helps to make an informed decision, positive or negative!

To read more about buying a home in Scotland read the full article on our website:

Six Things You Need To Know About Buying a Property But No One Ever Tells You