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Published: 20 May 2022

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What Happens After Your Offer Has Been Accepted? 5 Immediate Things You Need to Do

So, you’ve found the home of your dreams and your offer has just been accepted. Congratulations! Your journey to owning your new home has officially begun.

If you’re wondering what happens next, here are five immediate things you need to do after your offer has been accepted to get things moving.

1. Provide Confirmation

Once your offer has been accepted, your estate agent will likely give you a congratulatory call. But this won’t just be a courtesy. They’ll also request confirmation of a few things so they can finalise the offer.

You’ll usually need to provide confirmation of things like:

You have the funds available to make the purchase

Your mortgage in principle

You have a solicitor – or you’re working to get one now

2. Remove Competition

Normally, estate agents will cancel viewings and take the property off the market as soon as your offer has been accepted. However, you’ll want to make sure this is definitely the case.

Remove the competition immediately and ask your estate agent to cancel any scheduled viewings and to take the property off the market. If the listing isn’t taken down, you could be at risk of getting outbid or even gazumped.

3. Instruct Your Solicitor

There’s no better time to get the ball rolling than after your offer has been accepted. For a quicker sale, you’ll want to instruct your solicitor as soon as possible. If you haven’t already found a solicitor, ask your estate agent for a recommendation.

At this stage, your solicitor will start completing the checks and searches on the property. Depending on the solicitor, they may also ask you to pay up-front for some of their services.

4. Complete Your Mortgage Application

Since the mortgage in principle was a principle agreement, you’ll need to complete a full application for the money now that your offer has been accepted. You’ll need to apply for the exact amount you need to borrow for the property in question.

If you have a mortgage advisor, they’ll guide you through this process and let you know what information you need to supply.

5. Arrange a Survey

While surveys aren’t compulsory when you buy a new home, they’re a good idea. During a survey, a professional surveyor will inspect the property and cast an eagle eye over the place. Surveys can help you understand any current or future issues you may have with the property.

To arrange the survey, you’ll need to speak with your estate agent about booking time with the sellers.

Still looking for a Home?

If you’re still looking for your new home, WPR could have what you’re looking for! Check out our listings or let us know what type of property you’re interested in so we can help keep an eye out for you.

Give us a call today or email us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to speak to a member of our friendly team.

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Published: 17 May 2022

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What is Gazundering and How to Avoid It

As a seller in today’s world, there are lots of terms to get to grips with. Gazundering and gazumping are just two of the main ones – both of which can cause big problems.

While gazumping mostly affects buyers, gazundering is something that hurts the seller the most and can be extremely frustrating.

If you’re wondering what gazundering is, whether it’s illegal and how you can avoid it when selling your home, here’s everything you need to know about the subject.

What is Gazundering?

Gazundering is when a buyer lowers their offer at the last minute, usually just before you’re about to exchange contracts.

It’s completely different to gazumping, which is when a buyer is outbid at the final hour and a seller accepts. But it’s just as big of a problem. Gazundering can lead to delays in the chain, a loss of money and even a fall through in the sale.

Is Gazundering Illegal?

If the next question you’re asking yourself is ‘Is gazundering even legal?’, unfortunately, yes it’s legal in the UK. The contract for the sale only becomes binding at the point of exchange, so gazundering is allowed by law. But whether it’s ethical is a different matter!

Why Does Gazundering Happen?

There are many reasons why a buyer could offer a lower price at the last minute. It could be for genuine reasons, like the survey showing costly works or they’ve been gazundered themselves and can no longer afford your home.

But it could be for other, less favourable reasons too. Some people gazunder because of a miscalculation in finances, a change of heart, or simply to be sneaky to get a cheaper deal.

How to Avoid Gazundering

While there’s always a risk of gazundering when selling your home, there are some things you can do to avoid it. Here are Warren Powell-Richards’s top tips on how to avoid gazundering.

1. Get a Realistic Valuation

One of the best ways to avoid gazundering is to make sure you get a realistic valuation in the first place. If you know about issues with your property, be upfront about them with your estate agent. And don’t worry about losing buyers – there’s a market for everything!

2. Consider Paying For Survey Issues

Sometimes, you don’t know about issues with your home until the survey. If problems are uncovered, consider whether you’d be prepared to fund the works fully or partially, by doing it yourself or accepting a lower offer. Either of these things could help keep the buyer on your side.

3. Choose a Good Estate Agent

Choosing a good estate agent is always important. But it could also be the best trick in the book to avoid being gazundered! While an estate agent can’t prevent gazundering entirely, they can help you find a good buyer. They’ll establish how serious a buyer is and won’t pressure anyone into a sale they’re not committed to.

If you’re selling your home, make sure you’ve got an expert on your side. Here at Warren Powell-Richards, our friendly team of agents are here to make the sale of your home go smoothly.

Give us a call or send us an email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for a chat with one of the team.

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Published: 13 May 2022

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How To Sell a Home in Need Of Repair

Just because your home is a fixer-upper, that doesn’t mean you can’t sell it for a great price. There is a huge market of family DIY-ers and developers that would love to snap up your home and give it a refresh.

Here at Warren Powell-Richards, we can help sell any property, no matter the condition. But if you’re worried about buy-ability, check out these tips on how to sell a home in need of repair.

1. Make Small Updates

Are there small things you can fix that won’t make the house look so broken? Like a wonky door handle or a missing lightbulb?

If there are little, cheap things you can fix around your home, and you have the time, just do it. While these issues may seem small in comparison to the bigger deals, they can stand out in the photos.

2. Clean Up

Even though your home needs investment, a clean home is always more attractive than a messy one. Cleanliness may not matter much to a developer. But if your buyer is a DIY family that’s looking to live in your home while fixing it up, cleanliness will make the house appear more homely and liveable. Plus, a tidy home can make the repair work seem less daunting and overwhelming.

3. Be Honest

When meeting your estate agent, be honest about the repair work you know is needed. Just because your home needs investment, that doesn’t necessarily mean you won’t get a great price. But lying about the issues or covering things up can break trust – not just between you and your agent, but with potential buyers, too.

If an estate agent is going to sell your home to the right buyer, they need to know everything. So don’t scrimp on the detail and make sure you’re being as honest as possible.

4. Highlight The Positives

A good estate agent will automatically be able to draw on the positives. But it’s still good to share the small things they may not know. Like the fact that you get a great sunset from the master bedroom. Or that the garden is south facing. All these things can help highlight the potential of your home.

5. Manage Expectations

If your home needs repair, it can still have great saleability. But it’s a good idea to manage your expectations, especially if your home needs a lot of investment.

Consider that your home may be valued at the lower end of the price range. Or that you may get a few offers under the asking price from interested buyers. If a buyer undertakes a survey, be prepared that they may renegotiate if any major work is thrown up. This may not happen, but it’s good to manage your expectations before you enter the process.

Want More Tips From An Expert?

At Warren Powell-Richards, we pride ourselves on getting the best value for you. We’re always looking for new homes and new challenges – and we’d love to hear from you if you’re selling your home!

Give us a call today or send us an email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to request a valuation.

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Published: 10 May 2022

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How to Find Out When a House Was Built

If you’re selling your home, you may need to find out when exactly the property was built. Finding out is usually very easy. But, sometimes, limited data is available about when a property was developed – so you may need to do some digging.

Thankfully, there are multiple ways to find out when a property was built to help you when you’re selling your home.

If you need to know when your house was built, here’s an overview of some of the different ways you can find out the exact year.

1. Contact HM Land Registry

One of the most reliable ways to find out when a house was built is to contact HM Land Registry. They keep records of land ownership and can usually provide information about who bought the land and when – which can tell you the approximate age of your home.

2. Contact the Local Authority

Sometimes, local authorities hold archives around when planning permission was requested on the land to build your home, which can help you find out when your home was built.

3. Check Previous Mortgage Surveys

If the property has a mortgage and a survey was undertaken, this will usually contain information about what year the property was built.

4. Ask the Previous Owner

Another great way of finding out when your house was built is to ask the previous owner. This is especially helpful if you can’t find any records online about your property and its history.

5. Speak to Neighbours

It’s not uncommon to have neighbours who have lived in a house all their lives, so they may know exactly when your house was built. If there are homes similar to yours nearby, speak to your neighbours to see if you can find out a date.

6. Ask a Local Historian

If you want to know more than just the year your property was built (like the exact date, who built it and more information about the previous owners), you can ask a local historian or someone that specialises in researching the local area.

If you have an older home, this can be particularly helpful to understand more about its history – which can be a great talking point with potential buyers!

7. Ask an Estate Agent

As your local estate agent, we have a wealth of information about properties. If you’re selling your home and need to know when it was built, ask us for advice and we will do our best to help.

Need Property Advice?

If you need help finding out when your house (or a house you’re interested in buying) was built, Warren Powell-Richards are your local property experts. Our friendly team of estate agents are happy to help answer your questions about properties in the area.

Get in touch today for a chat or to book a valuation by calling us or sending us an email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..