Property buying processes vary from country to country. It is best to know about the process before looking for a property. If the property you are going to buy is in the UK, we recommend you read this article in which we have clarified everything you need to know.
The main factor that determines the price of a property in the UK is its location. Many people who want to own a house in the UK prefer to pay the mortgage instead of paying rent. Since mortgages are very long-term loans, they are almost the same as paying rent.
Property types are freehold, leasehold, and share of freehold. In freehold properties, Someone who owns the freehold of a property owns the property and the land it stands on for an unlimited period. You also own the airspace above the property up to about 500 feet. As for the leasehold, you own the property but not the land on which it is built. Ownership of your property is also for a set period, which can be several years, decades, or centuries, depending on the length of your lease. If your lease expires, ownership of your property technically passes to the freeholder. Share of freehold, on the other hand, is the land and building ownership right that is shared among the shareholders. In a share of freehold, you can own a lease of an apartment and at the same time become a shareholder of the building and the land. At this point, you have two different ownership roles.
In the UK, people who can pay a 20% down payment can own a house like paying rent due to low-interest rates. British citizenship or a permanent residence permit is not required to buy a house.
If you have found a house you want to buy, the next step is to make an offer to the seller through the agency. If you do not want to pay the property price in cash after the offer has been accepted, you can find a mortgage with an intermediary or by contacting the bank directly. Mortgage rates for foreign buyers are slightly higher than those living in the UK.
You then need to hire a solicitor. The solicitor carries out the legal work on the acquisition of the property. One of the most significant parts of his work is to investigate whether there is a problem related to planning or due to local/environmental factors that may affect the value of the property. He conducts this work in correspondence with the municipalities and state bodies and then prepares a report.
In the next stage, it is determined as a result of a detailed examination by professional teams whether there are potential problems that may affect the value.
It's time to sign a contract. At this stage, both parties sign the contract to fulfill their purchase and sale obligations. The buyer sends 10% of the price of the house as a deposit to the seller's solicitor.
In the completion and final steps, the remaining debt is transferred to the seller's solicitor account. Then your solicitor applies to the Land Registry Office to register the sale.
If you buy a residential property or a piece of land in England or Northern Ireland over a certain price, you might have to pay a tax called Stamp Duty. If you buy your main property by June 30, 2021, you will not have to pay this tax on properties up to £ 500,000. You do not have to pay Stamp Duty for residential properties up to £ 250,000. If you are a first-time buyer, you do not pay Stamp Duty on properties up to £ 300,000. You also pay reduced tax on properties up to £ 500,000.
