Buying Your First Home Handbook
Buying your first home can be very stressful. Getting to know the 'Rules of the game' can be very difficult. There are many pitfalls that can cost you dearly.
Who do you go to for help? The friendly estate agent who is working for the vendor?
This little book will provide practical help. It explains the whole process from looking for the right property through to the legal paperwork. There's a new set of words and terms used when buying property. They are explained so you can make your informed mind up.
It doesn't stop there - there's sections on security, electrics, heating and much more. Practical information for what to do in emergency situations. Take a look at the 'Contents' pages.
A5 size 168 pages.
ISBN: 978 1 9993109 0 5
Buying Your First Home Handbook overview
Wouldn't it be useful to have someone who you could ask about anything to do with buying property or day to day problems after you move in?
Someone who you could 'phone in an emergency late on a Sunday night as you stand watching water come through the ceiling? Well this is the book for you.
It covers the whole process of buying from the initial look for right through to collecting the keys - and everything in between. There are practical tips such as go and walk past the property late at night, early morning and weekends. The day you visited the property may be very different especially if the vendor chose the time and day for the visit. The book explains why.
There are often unusual words used, mostly legal terms. What do they mean? If you know it enables you to make an informed decision. Most of the terms have been explained. For example; run with the land doesn't mean much by itself but as the book reveals it can make a lot of difference to whether you buy a property or not. For example you may own a caravan and want to keep it on your driveway. The book explains why even though you own both the property and the caravan you cannot keep it at home.
There is plenty of misguided information about, in books, on websites and word of mouth. Wouldn't it be useful to know what to look out for. What are ghost buyers?
The estate agent has insisted that I pay him a deposit (non-returnable) to take the property off the market. The book explains what is and isn't legal, and fees for services that should be free.
Oh no. I haven't got to do homework!
Yes as it can save you a LOT of money and stress. There are lots of little things you can do for yourself that can save you money. Practical things that are free. As a building surveyor I look on Google Maps and Streetview before I do a survey. This book explains why. It could make a lot of difference.
Checklists are very handy. How many times have you thought; I wish I had asked, or I should have looked at?
There are checklists for; looking at property, moving and for after you have moved in. For example a list of people you need to inform you have moved. Some like the taxman, passport and DVLA are required by law. There is quite a long checklist in the book to help.
As the title suggests this book is a handbook. Something that will be useful even long after you have moved in. It covers security issues starting from moving in day and later on when you've settled in.
Security
is very important and changing the entrance door lock is highly recommended. You are given a set of keys but who knows who else may have a set? The book shows how to change a lock be it a Eurolock and Yale cylinder. It even has a list of common useful tools so if you are practical you can do it yourself.
A large section of the book is devoted to maintenance
and repairs.
In an emergency:
- what to do in an emergency such as all the power has gone off
- what to do if water is dripping through the ceiling
- what to do if you've put too much water pressure in the combi boiler
Wouldn't it be useful to know a bit about things before you call a tradesman in?
Unfortunately as they show on programmes such as Rogue Traders there are plenty of rogue businesses about.
Some of the websites that claim they promote only good honest traders, and some of the associations are not worth a light. This book provides a background to some of the issues.
For example the different types of central heating systems. Why radiators can have cold zones, or plumbing that makes a lot of noise.
The book is very different from others that just cover buying property. It is a handbook that you'll want to keep.
There are lots of other issues for home owners, too many for just one book so there is a blog on this website that will help.
Contents
About the author
Why yet another book about Buying Property?
1 – A potted outline to buying property
- How much can you afford?
- Look for suitable property
- Doing your homework
- Putting in an offer
- Getting a professional opinion
- Instructing your solicitor
- Contract for the sale
- Exchanging contracts
- Getting ready to move
- Collecting the keys
2 – House Hunting
- Looking at property
- Looking at the neighbourhood
- Do you have or intend to have a car?
- Flats and maisonettes
- Disputes with neighbours
- Leasehold property
- Freehold property
- Covenants
- Private roads
- House hunting Checklist
3 – Surveys
- Why do I want or need a Building Survey?
- A pig in a poke?
- What’s the problem though?
- Property surveys
- Is it only Chartered surveyors who can carry out building surveys?
- So what about Building Surveys?
- Valuation survey
- Doesn’t the valuation surveyor check the property over though?
- Retentions
- So what’s the market value? Isn’t it what the Estate Agent advertises it for?
- House Buyer Report
- So why the guessing?
- Reinstatement value
- Buildings insurance
- More ‘gobbledygook’
- So what are building surveys?
- So what are the facts?
- What a building surveyor can, and cannot do.
- So what can you expect?
- So what is a structural survey then?
- Surveys and reports overview
- Building surveys for the owner of the property
- A point of interest that could save you thousands
- Cracks in walls or ceilings
4 – Moving Day
- Finally have a plan of approach
- Lucky dip
- Before you move
- When you have moved in – Meter reading
- Electricity meters
- Gas meters
- Water meters
- Prior to moving Checklist
- Moving out Checklist
- Settling in
5 – Security
- How to change a cylinder lock
- How to replace a Yale design cylinder
- How to replace a Eurolock cylinder
- Mortice or Rim lock
- General comments
- Specialist locks
- Why change a perfectly good door lock?
- Risk assessment – What can you do to reduce the risks?
- What about an Intruder Alarm?
- What about commercially fitted alarms?
- What about hard wired alarms?
- “Do I feel lucky? Well, do ya, punk?”
- Will good door locks and an intruder alarm be 100%?
- What about Security cameras?
- The reason for using a UV post code on valuables
- Some useful tips
- So what is the answer?
- “We leave the small fanlight windows open - surely no-one can get in there?
- Lock snappers
6 – Utilities and services
- Sewage and drainage
- Services
- Electricity – saving your life
- How to use an electrical test screwdriver
- Are electrical test screwdrivers safe?
- Electricity can kill
- Replacing switches, sockets and light fittings
- This section provides background information about electricity
- Amps
- Watts
- Cable size and fuse rating
- Earthing
- Changing a ceiling rose
- Why are there 2 thicknesses used on lighting circuits?
- How to calculate amps (amperage)
- Consumer units
- Consumer unit (CU)
- Replacing light switches
7 – EMERGENCIES – [Electricity]
- “All the lights and electricity has gone off”
- “What should I do if the RCD is working and 1 of the MCBs keeps turning off?”
- “What happens if it is a lighting MCB that keeps tripping?”
- Fuse boxes – how to mend a cartridge fuse
- How do I re-wire a fuse?
- Plug in sockets
- What size fuse do I need?
- Emergencies – [Gas]
- “You can smell gas”
- Emergencies – [Water]
- “Water is gushing out all over the kitchen floor!”
- “What happens if I can’t turn the stopcock off enough to stop the water?”
- "Water is coming through the ceiling and running down the light!”
- Possible causes
- What to do?
- “The radiator is leaking water!”
8 – Basic tools
- Screwdrivers
- Basic tools list
- Carbon monoxide meters (CO meters)
9 – Insurance
- What are the various types of insurance?
- Buildings insurance
- Contents insurance
- Why advertise to be burgled?
10 – Heating your home
- The wet system
- System 1. Indirect hot water system [A]
- System 2. Direct hot water system [B]
- The Combi Boiler Central Heating System
- Water pressure and Combi boilers
- “What do I do if the gauge shows the pressure has gone over the maximum?”
- Other types of gas boilers
- Cold rooms and lukewarm radiators
- “What happens if there is sludge in the system? What can I do?”
- Flushing through – (Procedure for Combi boiler system)
- Procedure: (Conventional Boiler and older design boiler systems)
- Procedure: (Older design boiler indirect systems)
- Procedure
- Water dripping from the overflow pipe
- How to stop the hot water
- Economics
- How to actually save money?
- Does triple glazing really make much difference?
- Example
- Now the technical bit
- Great what does all that actually mean though?
- 10 ways to reduce your heating bills?
Index
Sample Pages
Buying Your First Home Handbook
£12.99
(Free UK delivery)
Reviews
A must have book!-
[Caroline Robinson - 29th Jan 2020]
Delivery prompt a really useful book - [Karen Birch - 25th Sept 2019]
Delivery prompt a really useful book. Fantastic hints and tips for first time buyers and all other home buyers too. Bought the book for a friend first time buyer and found a lot of useful info for myself as a home owner. Definitely recommend.
Buying Your First Home Handbook - [Susan Dooley - 25th Jul 2019]
Very speedy delivery. Every aspect covered, clearly and succinctly, with an excellent contents list for ease of reference, and index at the back. This book had just the right touch oh humour to make it light and easy to take in, whilst providing all the professional expertise.
I heartily recommend this book to anyone buying a property, not just first time buyers.