BUYING

Everything you need to know to find your new home

Buying a property, especially if it’s your first home, can be an exciting but daunting process. At Maslen, we understand this and can draw on our years of experience to make you feel prepared and confident. Here are our top tips to find your perfect place.

The Essential Buyer's Guide

Everything you need to know to find your new home

THE
ESSENTIAL
BUYER'S
GUIDE

Buying property is an exciting, but often daunting process. With over 37 years of experience in helping our customers buy homes in Brighton & Hove, we want to share our knowledge and advice to make your process smoother.

Here are our essential top tips for you to consider to help you find the perfect place.

Set a budget

Work out how much you can realistically afford. You also need to consider how much room you have if you fall for a house that needs work. We recommend seeking advice from an independent financial advisor, we have Graham Griffin CeMAP based in house at our Lewes Road office.

Location

Property prices vary considerably according to location. Consider what your priorities are in terms of schools, amenities. Would you consider a smaller property in order to live in a particular area? If an area is new to you, drive or walk around it at different times of the day to get a feel for it.

Checklist

It’s a good idea, particularly if more than one of you is buying, to agree what your priorities are and make a checklist. This will help ensure you ask the right questions at each viewing, keep a clear idea of what you’ve decided is important and serve as a memory aid when comparing properties later.

Use your estate agent

Get the most out of your estate agent. It’s their job to find the right property for you. Help them by keeping in regular contact and being honest about what you want. That way they’ll understand what your priorities are and avoid time-wasting trips around properties that don’t match your criteria.

Details, details

Consider how long you intend to live in the property and whether it could "grow" with you. Look at any outside space and consider how you could use it. If you like the property, view it again at a different time of day. Try to imagine living in it with your things around you, making it your home.

Don’t be afraid to act!

If you see something you like, snap it up as soon as possible! Take advice from the estate agent and make a formal offer. If your offer’s accepted, ask the seller to stop showing the property and be ready with financial arrangements and solicitor so you can get things moving quickly.

Area Guides

Want to know more about different areas in Brighton & Hove, schools, housing styles the people who live there?
As experts in the local area we've created handy guides to help you find your perfect place.

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Market Trends

Want to learn more about the current climate and how it might affect your sale or purchase? Read our handy quartely guide to Market Trends to keep you informed.

Testimonials

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

    Ms Cianchetta Selhurst Road

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

    Mr & Mrs Sawyer Shaftesbury Road

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

    Mr John Mogridge Woodingdean

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

    Mr & Mrs Gill Lewes Road

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

    Ms Ansloos Lewes Road

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

    Mr & Mrs Walker Lewes Road

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

    Miss O'Haire Hove

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

    Mr McBlane Hove

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

    Ms A King Balfour Road

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

    Ms Easterbrook Bear Road

  • We cannot recommend Maslen's estate agents enough.

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

    Linda & Les Wigmore Close

  • 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

  • Good team. Straightforward. No nonsense.

    Mr Standing Newmarket Road

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

    Mr & Mrs Penton Sycamore Close

  • 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

  • Very good service and communication. Paula was excellent.

    Mr & Mrs Scarboro 1 Pevensey 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

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

    Mrs Parkin Fiveways

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

    Miss Hockly Fiveways

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

    Mr Beddington Brading Road

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

    Ms D Edmonds Horton Road

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

    Ms Daly Woodingdean

  • The Woodingdean team were very friendly and approachable.

    Mrs Palmer Pitt Gardens

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

    Mr Upton Buller Road

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

    Mr & Mrs Smith Lewes 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

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

    Dr Crichton The Ridgway

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

    Mr Gibbs Lewes 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

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

    Mr Hope The Brow

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

    Mr Alderton Ladysmith Road

  • Paul was absolutely brilliant. 

    Mrs Tasker Fiveways

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

    Ms Longley Kingsbury Street

  • Thanks for an excellent service. 

    Mr King Hove

  • Hugely impressed with Ben & his team.

    Mrs Mead Upper Lewes Road

  • Paula was absolutely amazing!

    Mr & Mrs MacKay Lewes Road

  • Thank you Maslens, you were all excellent!

    Miss Jasper Taunton Road

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

    Mrs Brooker Buller Road

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

    Mr Woolven & Mrs Bessant-Woolven Lewes 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

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

    Miss Coleman Buller Road

  • Already recommended you! Thank you.

    Mr Edwards The Ridgway

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

    Ms Curtis The Ridgway

  • 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

  • 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

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

    Ms Waters Cowley Drive

  • Please thank Paula at Lewes Road - Excellent service. 

    Mr & Mrs Nuthall Lewes Road

  • 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

  • Thank you for everything!

    Ms Tucker Willow Close

  • Excellent Service from start to finish.

    Mr T Mole Cromwell Road

  • Paula is amazing!

    Ms Aspnall Gladstone Place

  • Best Agents in Brighton.

    Mrs Field Tarner Road

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

    Mrs Hammond Hove

  • A really good experience.

    Mr Tibble Lewes Road

  • I would recommend Maslen to anyone. 

    Mrs Tripp Woodingdean

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

    Ms Gray Lewes Road

  • Thanks David, all very professional.

    Mrs Flowers Foxdown Road

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

    Mr Grundy Bishops Road

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

    Mr Wells Bishops Road

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

    Ms Goodey Franklin Road

  • First class service. Friendly and professional.

    Mr Thorne The Avenue

  • 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

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

    Mrs Bent Falmer Gardens

  • 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

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

    Miss Matthews Kipling Avenue

  • 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

  • Very helpful and patient team.

    Mrs Shea Selborne Place

  • First class service from a first class team.

    Mr & Mrs English The Ridgway

  • Excellent service as always

    Mr Field Ringmer 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

  • Very professional service. Thank you!

    Miss New & Mr Jackson Buller Road

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

    Mr Witten Lewes Road

  • Compared to your rivals, your service was excellent

    Ms McGrigor Milner Road

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

    Mr Pilgrim Lewes Road

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

    Mr Patrick Gladstone Terrace

  • 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

  • Very thorough & very informative.

    Mr Michnowicz Waldegrave Road

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

    Mr Field Mafeking Road

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

    Ms Greene Lewes Road

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

    Mr Johnson Fiveways

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

    Miss Blackadder Coniston Court, Holland Road

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

    Mr Flynn Woodingdean

  • 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

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

    Mrs Lincoln Hove

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

    Ms S Hike Blackthorn Close

  • 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

  • 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

  • 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

  • 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

  • As always, an excellent service. 

    Mr & Mrs Field Lewes Road

  • 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

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

    Mr & Mrs Guest Riley Road

  • 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

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Property trading glossary

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