7 Solutions for First-Time Buyers

20th February 2018

Buying your first property is an exciting life milestone, but can also be quite tricky. Here are 7 dangers to consider, with actionable advice to help you avoid any issues.


1. Finding a balance with viewings

You view your first property. You love it. But should you go with that one? Well, if you don’t it might go to another buyer, but there also might be properties you love even more out there. It’s important to find the right balance - aim to view around half a dozen, but don’t neglect that gut feeling you’re getting from a certain property.


2. Leasehold and freehold

Leasehold and freehold might seem like a technicality, but the choice could make a huge difference to your experience as a homeowner. Before you think about buying, read our handy guide that cuts out the jargon to help you decide which is best for you. Problem solved.


3. Understanding shared ownership

Shared ownership can seem like a great option for those wanting to get on the property ladder. But it's important to understand what it actually means. For example, if you only have a 25% share in the property, you will still be liable for 100% of the service charges for maintenance of the building. You can find out more about if a shared ownership scheme would suit you in our first time buyers on a budget blog.


4. Overstretching on repayments

Stretching the term of a loan is appealing because it reduces monthly payments. But it can cause problems later. It’ll take much longer to pay off the loan, so you’ll be paying more interest. Your mortgage could last well into your retirement, which is important to consider. Maslen Estate Agents can offer fee-free, independent financial advice on the type of mortgage you’re taking out so you know the payment terms suit you.


5. Interest rates and inflation

Inflation has a critical effect on the price you pay for a mortgage. If interest rates go up, your mortgage could hike in price and your monthly payments could go up. Maslen Estate Agents have specialist mortgage advisors who are available to help guide you through your best mortgage options.


6. Extra costs

There are lots of costs that come with buying a property that you may not even have thought about, but need to budget for. From legal, mortgage and agent fees, make sure you’ve put some money aside for extra costs.


7. Overall monthly costs

Simply ensuring you can afford your mortgage payments isn’t enough - you need to consider council tax, bills, utilities and other outgoings you’ll have. Make sure it’s all affordable before finalising the offer on your new home.


Looking for more advice on buying your first property? Contact Maslen Estate Agents today.

Testimonials

  • Sharon and her team could not have done more in what was a difficult sale. 

    Ms Daly Woodingdean

  • Thank you Maslens, you were all excellent!

    Miss Jasper Taunton Road

  • Paula is amazing!

    Ms Aspnall Gladstone Place

  • Please thank Paula at Lewes Road - Excellent service. 

    Mr & Mrs Nuthall Lewes Road

  • A very positive experience - I had most contact with the Fiveways office and they were so friendly and helpful.

    Ms A King Balfour Road

  • Superb service as usual, I would always recommend you.

    Ms S Hike Blackthorn Close

  • Extremely efficient. Nick and Paula are excellent. The weekly phone calls were much appreciated. 

    Ms Gray Lewes Road

  • We were very impressed with the Nick from start to finish. 

    Mr & Mrs Smith Lewes Road

  • Sharon, Harvey and James were all excellent - very professional. Totally opposite to what I have experienced with other agents. Maslen have restore...

    Ms Lyons Woodingdean

  • We cannot recommend Maslen's estate agents enough.

    Many thanks to Paul, Donna, Janette and the...

    Linda & Les Wigmore Close

  • Ben was particularly enthusiastic and helpful. Martin, Paula, Sam and Will are all hard workers.

    Ms Goodey Franklin Road

  • Best Estate Agents ever experienced - professional, approachable, competent and exemplary. 

    Mr & Mrs Guest Riley Road

  • Paula was fabulous and we felt really informed and supported. 

    Mr & Mrs Walker Lewes Road

  • Very impressed with the efficient and friendly service, the staff were a pleasure to deal with. 

    Mr & Mrs Gill Lewes Road

  • Brilliant. Well done to Sharon and the Woodingdean team.

    Ms Curtis The Ridgway

  • I found the service to be courteous, friendly and efficient.

    Mr Upton Buller Road

  • The whole team were very committed from start to finish.

    Mr Pilgrim Lewes Road

  • In February 2016 I was looking to buy and sell very rapidly. Competition among buyers at the time was very high. Sharon @ the Woodingdean branch sh...

    Ms Helen Lyons Woodingdean

  • Very helpful and patient team.

    Mrs Shea Selborne Place

  • Very pleased with the excellent service throughout. Professional, friendly, efficient and no hard sell. Achieved above asking price. Thank you!

    Mr Witten Lewes Road

  • Very, very happy we chose you, felt right from the start! Thank you!

    Miss Blackadder Coniston Court, Holland Road

  • You were amazingly helpful throughout - a real pillar of strength with a very difficult sale.

    Mrs Parkin Fiveways

  • Best Agents in Brighton.

    Mrs Field Tarner Road

  • A completely painless experience from start to finish. Thank you.

    Mr Woolven & Mrs Bessant-Woolven Lewes Road

  • A good team at Woodingdean helped us through a stressful time.

    Mr & Mrs Penton Sycamore Close

  • Sharon was excellent, she kept us informed at all stages and was a really calming objective influence in the process.

    Ms Frederick Channel View Road

  • All agents at Maslen were extremely helpful and polite from the beginning to the completion of sale. 

    Mr Johnson Fiveways

  • Thank you. We found all the staff knowledgeable and really pleasant to deal with. 

    Ms Ansloos Lewes Road

  • Excellent service from the Lewes Road branch. Martin Timms secured a quick sale & at a good price & Paula Carter worked really hard to secure...

    Ms Schulte Bear Road

  • Very happy with the service we got from you guys, everyone we dealt with was extremely friendly, professional and helpful. Thanks!

    Mr Brown Titian Road

  • First class service from a first class team.

    Mr & Mrs English The Ridgway

  • Thank you for everything!

    Ms Tucker Willow Close

  • Very professional service. Thank you!

    Miss New & Mr Jackson Buller Road

  • Sharon was amazing! She kept us up to date the whole way through the process. We cannot fault Sharon or the rest of her team. 

    Mr & Mrs Ashley Woodingdean

  • Very good service and communication. Paula was excellent.

    Mr & Mrs Scarboro 1 Pevensey Road

  • The staff were very helpful, an excellent service. I would recommend you to others.

    Miss Hockly Fiveways

  • The sale was dealt with swiftly, professionally and successfully. Thank you Maslen!

    Mrs Lincoln Hove

  • An efficient, professional and friendly service. Helpful and a pleasure to do business with.

    Mr Beddington Brading Road

  • Thanks for an excellent service. 

    Mr King Hove

  • The Woodingdean team were very friendly and approachable.

    Mrs Palmer Pitt Gardens

  • Ben and Paula were calm and reassuring throughout a very difficult process!

    Ms Easterbrook Bear Road

  • Nick and Paula are total stars! They were incredibly supportive and present throughout. Thank you!

    Miss O'Haire Hove

  • All very professional, kept updated throughout. Very pleased - Would recommend. 

    Mrs Hammond Hove

  • Our local office manager, Sharon Wareham was warm and friendly and kept us up to date at all times.

    Mr Hope The Brow

  • Very impressed with all dealings with Maslen. Paula Carter was in particular very knowledgeable and helpful. 

    Mr McBlane Hove

  • I wish we had used you to sell our property! Nice to meet honest people, who are genuinely interested in helping. Very pleased.

    Mrs Porter Taunton Road

  • As always, an excellent service. 

    Mr & Mrs Field Lewes Road

  • I was new to the area and viewed a lot of properties with a lot of different agents. Maslens were by far the best I came in contact with, so when i...

    Mr & Mrs Heer Lewes Road

  • We were very pleased with services provided by the Fiveways office.

    Mr & Mrs Sawyer Shaftesbury Road

  • Sold within 2 weeks for asking price "excellent!"

    Mr Grundy Bishops Road

  • Very thorough & very informative.

    Mr Michnowicz Waldegrave Road

  • Paula was absolutely amazing!

    Mr & Mrs MacKay Lewes Road

  • Good team. Straightforward. No nonsense.

    Mr Standing Newmarket Road

  • Exceptional service throughout the process - should we decide to sell in the future we wouldn't hesitate to use your agency. You're a cut above the...

    Ms Windels & Mr Barham Fiveways

  • Excellent Service from start to finish.

    Mr T Mole Cromwell Road

  • Maslens as a whole were really friendly and professional. I have to thank and congratulate Paula Carter for being superb at her job and exceeding m...

    Ms Warren Hove

  • All the staff I dealt with were excellent. Sharon worked really hard to complete the sale.

    Mrs Bent Falmer Gardens

  • Very comprehensive and professional. Nice people to work with and highly recommended. 

    Mr Alderton Ladysmith Road

  • Excellent communication and advice throughout. It felt very reassuring to be in good hands.

    Mrs Brooker Buller Road

  • Harvey was helpful and easily reachable at the beginning of the process and Sharon kept us informed and was always happy to help.

    Ms Murch & Ms Mapa Ticehurst Road

  • Very impressed with the service. Sharon Wareham works tirelessly, very professionally and is always there for advice. 

    Miss Matthews Kipling Avenue

  • Excellent service as always

    Mr Field Ringmer Road

  • I would recommend Maslen to anyone. 

    Mrs Tripp Woodingdean

  • Paul was absolutely brilliant. 

    Mrs Tasker Fiveways

  • Very pleased with the service. Many thanks to Sharon and the boys!

    Mr Flynn Woodingdean

  • Quality advice about when and how to sell, which was spot on. Thank you.

    Miss Coleman Buller Road

  • Compared to your rivals, your service was excellent

    Ms McGrigor Milner Road

  • Very pleased with the experience. I would definitely recommend you and use you again.

    Ms D Edmonds Horton Road

  • Graham Griffin provided us, and continues to provide us, will all-round excellent advice. We trust his knowledge and expertise.

    Mr Blackmore & Ms O'Sullivan Financial Services

  • Paula's role was brilliant. Having someone office based and available was so appreciated and her promptness an impressive service - every Estate Agent...

    Ms Wynn-Jones Baxter Street

  • Cannot express our appreciation enough of all the efforts made by the Woodingdean team - they were fantastic.

    Mr John Mogridge Woodingdean

  • The whole team were excellent, each one of them felt like family. Sharon had a lot of sorting to do at times but coped very well, a true profession...

    Mr Vernon Woodingdean

  • Thank you Paul and Archie, you gave an excellent service, as well as Kelly. I look forward to working with you again. 

    Mr White Fiveways

  • A really good experience.

    Mr Tibble Lewes Road

  • Fantastic service. By far the best agents we have ever used, I cannot recommend you highly enough.

    Mr Field Mafeking Road

  • It was an amazing experience, everyone involved were fantastic. 

    Mr & Mrs Knight Woodingdean

  • A very committed team who made the sale process very easy.

    Ms Rees Ticehurst Road

  • We were delighted with the service received from all the staff with whom we had contact,

    Dr Crichton The Ridgway

  • Very impressive - professional and friendly, both Martin Timms and Paula Carter were excellent at keeping in contact with sensible advice based on...

    Mrs O'Connor Hove

  • From start to finish the sale was dealt with in a thoroughly professional manner.  

    Mr Gibbs Lewes Road

  • Outstanding service from Sharon. James is an asset to Maslens & Harvey was so helpful and polite.

    Ms Cianchetta Selhurst Road

  • Hugely impressed with Ben & his team.

    Mrs Mead Upper Lewes Road

  • Already recommended you! Thank you.

    Mr Edwards The Ridgway

  • The team worked very hard over a long period to ensure my sale went through - excellent service!

    Mr Patrick Gladstone Terrace

  • Excellent customer service throughout. I will definitely recommend you, and use you again. Thank you.

    Ms Longley Kingsbury Street

  • Many thanks to Nick. It was an easy process thanks to you! I'm extremely satisfied with how the sale went, great job.

    Ms Mayanobe Aymer Road

  • Paul Wilkinson was extremely helpful and efficient. The only problem was the vendors solicitor and Paul warned me of this. A good transaction all r...

    Mr Lavender Fiveways

  • Great service, always polite and friendly. Excellent contact and info all the way.

    Mr Wells Bishops Road

  • Sharon was excellent - kept us well informed, thank you so much!

    Ms Waters Cowley Drive

  • Service exceeded my expectations overall at all stages of the process - I wouldn't hesitate to recommend you. Thanks. 

    Ms Greene Lewes Road

  • I have bought and sold 7 properties, and this was the best experience of an estate agents services I have found.

    Mrs Shepherd Hertford Road

  • It was a long, drawn out process that the people at Maslen helped me through, without the impression that it was a chore. So extremely professional...

    Mr McLagan Lewes Road

  • First class service. Friendly and professional.

    Mr Thorne The Avenue

  • Thanks David, all very professional.

    Mrs Flowers Foxdown Road

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