How to buy your first property with Santander (Scotland)
1. Understanding how to go about buying your first home
We have split this guide into two sections. Below you'll see all the steps you need to follow once you're ready to consider placing an offer on a house you are looking to buy. If you're not quite at that point and you're wondering what you need to do first then click here to see our 'Planning to buy your first home guide'
2. Find a property
You can now start looking for your ideal home to fit your budget and personal requirements.
We can help you work out what size mortgage you can comfortably afford for your next house. Visit us in branch (branch finder) or use our "How much I can borrow calculator", to work out an affordable mortgage loan amount.
You'll then need a conveyancer to 'Note Interest' in the property you want to buy which starts the legal process. Noting interest in a property does not oblige you to offer, nor does it cost anything and you can note your interest in more than one property. The seller can accept any offer, any time they like but by noting your interest you can normally ensure that the selling agent will give you an opportunity to offer. Closing dates are fixed where there are multiple notes of interest in the same property and takes the form of a sealed bid.
Properties can be offered in a number of ways
Having registered your interest, your solicitor will advise whether it will be appropriate to have a survey done first or to offer subject to survey
Unlike in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, missives (equivalent to the exchange of contracts) are carried out at an earlier stage in the process, and the full price is paid at completion or 'settlement'.
3. Select a great deal from Santander
We can help you choose one of our great First Time Buyer deals.
Visit our extensive branch network (branch finder)
View deals online here
4. Complete your application with us
We have mortgage advisors to help you apply for your mortgage and explain everything you need to know before you proceed. Your mortgage application will need to be approved formally by one of our underwriters. All applications are subject to status and our current lending criteria.
We can help you with the insurances you need for your new home at this point to. Home insurance, life cover and critical illness protection is available when you complete your application with us.
5. Update valuation details for the property
Depending under which circumstances you have made an offer on the property
We will contact the people you are buying from if they have already had a home report done. If the surveyors are on our panel we will arrange for a re-type of this report and use this for the offer.
Or
We find and instruct a surveyor to value the property. On most of our mortgage products we pay for a standard valuation on a property value up to £2.5 million. This is available on all our deals that offer the homebuyer solution benefit. You might decide to have a more detailed survey done at this point - our mortgage advisors can discuss your options with you.
6. Concluding Missives
After a binding contract has been agreed, called 'concluding missives', your solicitor will complete the conveyancing procedures and prepare the documents, to transfer ownership of the property to you. The contract or missives will specify the date of entry to the property. This is the date you will have to pay the seller the purchase price of the property in return for the Disposition (the transfer documentation) and the keys to the property. Your solicitor will make all the arrangements for settling the transaction on the date of entry and for completing the mortgage at the same time. This is called 'completion' of the purchase.
Your solicitor will finalise the move and you'll officially be the owner of your new home. They'll make sure all the money involved changes hands efficiently and let you know when you can collect your keys
For the day of completion you'll want to make sure you've spoken to;
Gas & Electricity Company. (Make sure you read the meters when you move in.)
Water Company
Broadband, telephone and satellite TV provider
Redirect of any mail so you can start to change your address on all your documents
1 Information based on Santander's Annual Report 2010
2 Available to Santander Current Account customers holding their main account for 3 months or longer, crediting £1,000 a month and 2 active Direct Debits or Standing Orders paid within the last month
All applications are subject to status and our current lending criteria. This means that the amount we will lend you will depend on your individual circumstances, the type of property and the amount you borrow. For example, we may require a higher deposit if you are buying a flat or a new build property.
YOUR HOME MAY BE REPOSSESSED IF YOU DO NOT KEEP UP REPAYMENTS ON YOUR MORTGAGE