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

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.

Map Search

Tailor your search preferences to find your new home

Refine your search

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.

Property trading glossary

No need to break out the thesaurus. We'll let you know what we mean when we talk about conveyancing and indemnity contributions.

View glossary

Testimonials

  • Had a great experience with the purchase of ou...

    jennifer Willson Brighton

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

    Mr Brown Brighton

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

    Mr Grundy Hove

  • Donna was such a friendly and helpful support...

    Victoria Lander Brighton

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

    Mrs Hammond Brighton

  • Excellent service as always

    Mr Field Brighton

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

    Mr Upton Brighton

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

    Mr Wells Hove

  • Thank you to all the team at Maslen, especiall...

    Gabrielle Gardner Brighton

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

    Mr Witten Brighton

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

    Mr Alderton Brighton

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

    Ms S Hike Brighton

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

    Mr & Mrs Knight Brighton

  • Thank you for everything!

    Ms Tucker Brighton

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

    Ms Longley Brighton

  • I found everyone helpful, positive and courteous.

    Jean Wooldridge Evesham

  • Thank you Maslens, you were all excellent!

    Miss Jasper Brighton

  • Very polite, good communication, excellent service.

    Alicia Van der Sluis Surrey

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

    Mr Woolven & Mrs Bessant-Woolven Brighton

  • Several leagues above any other estate agent I have had contact with. Kept fully informed every step of the way.

    Paul Cade Haywards Heath

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

    Mr Beddington Brighton

  • The best estate agents we have ever used. Friendly, efficient and above all truthful! You are in danger of giving estate agents a good name!

    Jacquie Ellis-Jones Shoreham

  • As always, an excellent service. 

    Mr & Mrs Field Brighton

  • Really pleased with the service and will definitely recommend to others.

    Ruth Kendall Brighton

  • All the staff were professional, cheerful and supportive throughout the long process.

    Mr R Turner Shoreham

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

    Mr Patrick Brighton

  • Thank you for your service, I would (and have) recommended you to my friends.

    Liz Dean Brighton

  • Estate agents generally have bad reputations b...

    Dan Harris Brighton

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

    Mr & Mrs Guest Brighton

  • The team provided the best service I have ever received from an estate agent. I would not hesitate to recommend them to anyone.

    Nicki Myers Woodingdean

  • You are the best estate agent I have ever dealt with and we will be recommending you to anyone moving!

    Hazel Young Hove

  • Very professional and friendly. The only estate agents I would trust and recommend.

    Jean Hurley Brighton

  • Maslen's were very good at keeping in touch an...

    Penny Ashby Brighton

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

    Mr Johnson Brighton

  • 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 Brighton

  • Best Agents in Brighton.

    Mrs Field Brighton

  • 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 Brighton

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

    Ms D Edmonds Brighton

  • Paul was absolutely brilliant. 

    Mrs Tasker Brighton

  • Maslen's were extremely helpful and profession...

    Bridget Allen Brighton

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

    Mr & Mrs Gill Brighton

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

    Mrs Parkin Brighton

  • 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 Brighton

  • Very helpful and patient team.

    Mrs Shea Brighton

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

    Mrs Shepherd Brighton

  • Your advice, support and understanding whilst dealing with the property were invaluable, making everything so easy.

    Janine Suttner Brighton

  • This was the best experience I’ve ever had of estate agents. Professional, calm and understanding.

    Elinor James Hove

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

    Dr Crichton Brighton

  • First class service from a first class team.

    Mr & Mrs English Brighton

  • Please thank Paul at Lewes Road - Excellent service. 

    Mr & Mrs Nuthall Brighton

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

    Ms Greene Brighton

  • Already recommended you! Thank you.

    Mr Edwards Brighton

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

    Mrs Lincoln Brighton

  • From first valuation to completion day the Mas...

    Sam Brighton

  • Thanks for all your help and assistance. Very friendly and professional service.

    Lisa Downary Brighton

  • Very thorough & very informative.

    Mr Michnowicz Brighton

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

    Ms Ansloos Brighton

  • Maslen's were amazing estate agents. Through,...

    Sarah Goodfellow Brighton

  • Compared to your rivals, your service was excellent

    Ms McGrigor Brighton

  • Thanks for an excellent service. 

    Mr King Brighton

  • In what could have been a very stressful situation it has been a pleasure dealing with you and I can’t speak highly enough of the service provided.

    Gill Frost Hove

  • A really good experience.

    Mr Tibble Brighton

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

    Mrs Brooker Brighton

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

    Mr Gibbs Brighton

  • All staff extremely helpful and polite. They made our move very smooth and less stressful.

    Mr & Mrs Gosling Woodingdean

  • I would recommend Maslen to anyone. 

    Mrs Tripp Brighton

  • Good team. Straightforward. No nonsense.

    Mr Standing Brighton

  • Donna was our vendors sales progressor. We cou...

    Allan Da Silva Brighton

  • First class service. Friendly and professional.

    Mr Thorne Brighton

  • In my situation, moving the sale of my home to Maslen Estate Agents really was a case of third time lucky!

    Lise Henderson Hove

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

    Miss Coleman Brighton

  • Excellent Service from start to finish.

    Mr T Mole Hove

  • Delighted with the service provided. Very professional and skilful.

    Nicky Conlan Hove

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

    Miss Hockly Brighton

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

    Mr Field Brighton

  • Everyone at Maslen's were amazing, from Sam's...

    William Slingsby Brighton

  • These guys are the real deal, highly experienced, no nonsense, honest and by far and away the most reliable we have encountered. 

    Sarah Studd Hove

  • 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 Brighton

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

    Mr Pilgrim Brighton

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

    Ms Rees Brighton

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

    Miss Blackadder Hove

  • Maslen made the selling of my flat as easy as...

    Victoria Bradley-Barnard Brighton

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