1. Making an offer

The first stage in buying a property is to make an offer to the seller, usually through an estate agent. The offer is how much you are willing to pay for the property. You may decide to offer more or less than the price the seller is asking for.

If the seller does not accept your offer then you will need to decide whether you want to increase your offer or look for another property.

If your offer is accepted it will be 'subject to contract'. This means that you will only have to pay that amount when a legal contract has been agreed.

Sometimes an investigation may uncover information about the property that means you wish to reduce your offer or withdraw it completely.