Many estate agents in the area deal with property for both purchase and rental. The West Kent area is well served by local independent estate agents as well as the large 'chain' estate agents. Estate agents hold particulars of all the properties they are handling and will arrange appointments to view and will show prospective purchasers around suitable properties. There is no charge to the purchaser. If you purchase a property through an estate agent it is normal to engage a solicitor to carry out the conveyancing.

Local newspapers are an invaluable source of properties for sale in the West Kent area. Local publications include The Kent Messenger, published on Fridays, its sister freesheet KM Extra, and The Kent and Sussex Courier published on Friday - the latter comes with an extensive Homebuyer supplement.

Most new property developers have sales offices on site and some will have show houses which are available to view at set times through the week.

How to buy a property

This overview describes the process of selling and buying a house. It assumes that the homeowner is acting independently. For those who have not bought a property before, the guidance in this section may prove useful.

It is normal to engage a solicitor to handle your conveyancing. He or she will approve the draft contract which states price, terms and conditions relating to the transaction, undertake the Local Authority search, and check details of freehold or leasehold title. They will ensure a satisfactory mortgage offer has been issued, obtain client's signature to the contract, ensure client's purchaser is ready to exchange if there is a chain and agree a completion date.

After obtaining a valuation, either for your own purposes or for the mortgage lender, and when all parties in a chain are ready to sell and buy, exchange of contracts will take place. A deposit is required at exchange of contracts which will normally be 5-10% of the purchase price of the property and is held by your own solicitor. If there is any problem with your purchase of the property after this date, for example if your bank or building society fails to provide you with your expected mortgage, the other parties in the chain of purchase would have a claim against your deposit for their costs. After this stage it would be difficult to withdraw without incurring financial penalties. Completion is when keys and money are handed over. As from the date of completion, you become liable for the insurance on the property and you should ensure that adequate cover is arranged.

When buying a new house the purchaser's solicitor will request a standard form of contract from the developer and then the procedure will continue as above. It is worth noting that some developers, in an effort to make things easy for the purchaser, offer a fully self-contained system, with the company providing advice on a range of matters including financial and legal. It is recommended however, that you retain your own solicitor to avoid any conflict of interest.

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