PROPERTY BUYING INSIGHT | OCTOBER 2026
Before you offer on a home, ask why the seller is moving, whether a previous sale fell through, what any survey or valuation found, whether probate is involved, and whether the property could cause a mortgage problem.
Asking early gives you time to investigate before you spend money on legal work, surveys or a mortgage application. This guide focuses on buying in England and Wales.
That is not a criticism. It is their job. But it means the questions that protect you are usually questions you have to ask yourself.
We have sat with clients through purchases that collapsed after seven months over a probate technicality nobody spotted. We have watched a survey come back and turn a dream flat into a walking-away decision. We have seen a lender’s valuer return a nil valuation on a perfectly nice property because of what was next door.
None of that means buying a home is a minefield. It means a short list of sharp questions, asked early, can save you months and thousands of pounds. It does not matter whether this is your first purchase or your fifth buy-to-let: the questions are the same. What changes is which answers matter most to you, and we have flagged those as we go.
This is that list. Ask the estate agent. Ask the seller, through the agent if needed. Then come and see us about the mortgage part.
Talk it through with our team before you make an offer.
Start here
If you only ask a handful of things before putting in an offer, ask these, roughly in this order.
We put the seller’s story first on purpose. In our experience, the questions about why the property is for sale and what has happened to it so far reveal the most. Probate and EWS1 for example are just as important, and we have seen both stop a purchase dead. But they are single-point checks: yes or no, granted or not, needed or not. The seller’s story tends to surface several risks at once, which is why we now ask clients to start there.
01
Ask why the sellers are moving and what matters most to them beyond price. Upsizing, downsizing, relocating, separating, or selling an inherited or investment property each affect how flexible a seller can be on timing, and how much they might value a straightforward buyer over a slightly higher offer from someone less certain.
We have seen sellers accept a lower offer from a chain-free, mortgage-ready buyer over a higher one from someone still hunting for their own onward purchase. We have also seen buyers assume price was the only thing that mattered, offer the highest number, and lose out anyway because they could not move on the seller’s timeline. Ask directly: do they just want the highest price, or would they take a little less for a buyer without a chain, a faster completion, or fewer conditions?
If you are a first-time buyer
Having no chain is often the strongest card you hold. Say so early. Our Bristol first-time buyer guide explains how to get mortgage-ready before you offer.
If you are a landlord
If you are buying with a large deposit or in cash, speed and certainty tend to count for more with sellers than most landlords expect. Put that on the table before price becomes the only conversation. Our Bristol and South West landlord guide covers the next steps.
02
Ask whether the sellers have already found somewhere to buy. A seller still house-hunting has a very different, and often less realistic, timeline to one who has already exchanged and is simply waiting on you. It tells you how much the stated timescale can actually be trusted.
03
Ask how long it has been listed, whether it was previously with a different agent, and whether the asking price has been reduced, and when. A property that has been quietly re-listed, re-priced, or re-agented is telling you a story the listing itself will not.
We have picked up purchases partway through where this history was never volunteered, and it would have changed how our client approached the offer from day one.
04
Ask whether any offers have already been made, and whether a previous sale fell through, and why. A property that has quietly gone “sale agreed, then back on the market” once or twice is telling you something: maybe a down valuation, maybe a survey finding, maybe a broken chain unrelated to the property itself. You need to know which, because it changes what you check next.
This is one of the most revealing questions you can ask, and one of the least asked. A good agent will tell you. If they will not, that is itself worth noting.
05
Ask whether a survey or valuation has already been carried out, even for a previous buyer, and what it uncovered. Previous findings have a habit of resurfacing on your own survey, so it is worth knowing before you pay for one.
A mortgage valuation and a survey are not the same thing. The valuation is for the lender and helps them decide whether the property is acceptable security for the loan. It is not a check on the condition of the property, so it does not replace your own survey.
We have seen nil valuations because of concrete cancer, because the property sat opposite a commercial unit a lender would not touch, or, more than once, because of what was next door: a takeaway, a funeral director with a mortuary on site. These are not hypothetical examples. Ground rent levels have also caused valuers to mark a leasehold property down or, in some cases, decline to value it at all for certain lenders.
A nil valuation is not always the end
It does not necessarily mean the property is worthless. It can mean the lender needs more information, or will not lend on that property. Ask what they need next, and tell your adviser straight away, because another lender may take a different view.
If a previous survey flagged remedial works, ask what they were and whether anything has been done since. Some buyers negotiate the price down and proceed, satisfied. Others decide the cost, time, and stress is not worth it. Both are reasonable outcomes. What is not reasonable is finding out at your own expense, on your own survey, three weeks before exchange. This is exactly the pattern we have watched play out enough times that we now tell every client to ask it early.
06
Ask whether the property is going through probate. A property can be marketed before probate is granted, but where a grant is needed, the executors cannot exchange contracts until it has been issued, whatever timeline the estate agent gives you. The exception is a property owned jointly as joint tenants, which passes to the surviving owner and can be sold without waiting for a grant.
Inherited properties and homes sold to settle an estate are the most likely to involve probate, so ask early, whether you are buying a first home or a buy-to-let.
We have worked with a client who put in an offer, arranged a mortgage, paid for a survey, and found out late down the line that probate had not been granted. His mortgage offer, extended once already, expired. He walked away. Everyone involved, agent, conveyancer, buyer, had missed it. We ask about probate on every applicable purchase now because of exactly that case.
Around 5 weeks
Probate grants took approximately 5 weeks to be issued after the application was submitted, April to June 2026 (Ministry of Justice figures).
Around 14 weeks
The average where an application was stopped for any reason, such as missing paperwork. No will, inheritance tax to settle first or a dispute between beneficiaries can add further delay.
Ask the agent directly: is probate already granted, in progress, or not yet applied for. If it is not yet granted, ask for a realistic timeline, in writing, before you spend a penny on surveys or solicitors.
07
Ask whether the building needs an External Wall System (EWS1) form, and whether one already exists. Whether an EWS1 is needed depends on the building and the lender. An updated RICS standard applies from 1 November 2026 and says an EWS1 should only be requested where there is a clear rationale. An EWS1 is for valuation and lending purposes. It is not a fire safety certificate.
If you are a first-time buyer
A flat is often the more affordable route onto the ladder, which is why this question comes up so often.
If you are a landlord
If you are buying to let, a stalled EWS1 process can leave your mortgage offer expiring before a tenant can move in.
Where a form is needed and does not exist, or the building’s paperwork is incomplete, purchases can stall for months while a management company assembles the information a lender needs. We have chased management companies on behalf of clients to speed this along, and it can still be painfully slow. This is a problem we now flag on every leasehold enquiry, because we have seen how much time it costs when it is picked up late.
Ask the agent: does the building need an EWS1, does one exist, how old is it, and has any remedial work been identified, priced, or completed. If remedial costs might be passed to leaseholders, ask how and when.
Speak to our team
If any of those seven answers just made you uneasy, that is useful information, not a reason to panic. The next conversation worth having is about the mortgage itself: whether it can move fast enough for the seller’s timescale, and what happens if a valuation comes back below the agreed price.
Call us or book a time that suits you, or read on for the rest of the list first.
Once you are seriously interested
These will not always change your decision. But they can save you an unpleasant surprise a few weeks into the process.
The one to ask every time
Some sellers will not answer this honestly. Some will tell you something genuinely useful. It costs nothing to ask.
Why we ask it this way
Knowing the theory helps less than knowing what actually goes wrong, and how often. Some of the more common causes, in no particular order:
You agree to buy at £350,000 with a £35,000 deposit and plan a 90% mortgage.
£315,000
£297,000
£53,000
The purchase price has not changed, so the gap falls on you. This is an illustration, not a lending decision. Lender criteria vary. Depending on your circumstances, the next step might be renegotiating the price, reviewing your available funds or deciding not to proceed.
Across UK transactions in 2025, roughly a quarter of agreed sales failed to complete before the end of the year, according to data from property buying firm Quick Move Now. The most common cause was buyers changing their mind and withdrawing, followed by mortgage affordability, then issues arising from surveys. Chain breaks, often assumed to be the biggest risk, accounted for the smallest share.
That last point is worth sitting with. Buyers tend to worry most about the chain. The data suggests the bigger risks are closer to home: financing, and what the survey turns up. Both are exactly the kind of thing a good set of questions, asked early, can help you get ahead of.
Keep it simple
Nobody remembers thirty questions in an estate agent’s office. Nobody should try.
Ask the seven questions to ask an estate agent before making an offer, in roughly that order. Ask the second-tier list, or the parts of it relevant to the property, once you are seriously considering it and before you commit to spending money on surveys and legal work. Write the answers down. Email them to yourself, or to your solicitor, so there is a record if anything shifts later.
If an agent cannot or will not answer a straightforward question, that is information too.
None of this replaces a proper survey, a good conveyancer, or independent legal advice on anything structural or legal. What it can do is stop you spending months and thousands of pounds finding out something you could have asked about on day one.
Where we come in
We cannot answer questions about probate progress or an EWS1 rating. Your estate agent and the building’s management company handle those. What we can do is help with the mortgage side of your purchase as you work through these questions to ask an estate agent before making an offer.
A property can look perfect and still be one a lender will not touch, or will only lend on with conditions. It might be the construction, the lease length, the condition, the location, or how the building is used. It is far better to find that out before you offer than after you have paid for a survey and instructed a solicitor.
In an ideal world, we like to speak to clients before an offer is made. We can talk through whether the property is likely to suit a lender and your circumstances, and help you decide whether to offer at all, at what level, and what to ask the agent first.
We know it does not always work out that way. Viewings move quickly, offers get made in the excitement of finding a place you love, and many people only think about a broker afterwards. That is completely understandable, and we are happy to help at whatever stage you come to us. If you would like to talk it through, you can call us on 0300 303 3745 any time.
Lender criteria vary and we cannot guarantee any lender will approve a particular property, but an early conversation is the best way to spot a problem while you still have choices.
Beyond the property itself, we can also help you prepare for three things that come up again and again:
Offer validity depends on the lender, and extensions are not guaranteed. An agreement in principle is a useful first step, but it is not a mortgage offer or a guarantee of approval. The lender still has to assess your full application and the property.
This is where we can help. We carry out a full affordability assessment, review your credit history and circumstances, and check your plans against lender criteria, so you know where you stand before you commit. We cannot guarantee approval or completion dates, but we can help you go in prepared.
Find out more about our first-time buyer mortgage advice, buy-to-let mortgages and residential mortgages.
Before you go any further
If you are about to make an offer, or you already have and something on this list has just made you nervous, speak to our specialist team before you go any further.
Ed Haupt, our Managing Director, advises on residential, buy-to-let and commercial mortgages. You can call us, or book straight into his diary.
You can also contact us online, or read what our clients say.
Quick answers
Their reasons affect how flexible they can be on timing, and how much they might value a straightforward buyer over a slightly higher offer from someone less certain. A chain-free, mortgage-ready buyer can be more attractive than the highest bidder.
A seller still house-hunting often has a less realistic timeline than one who has already exchanged and is simply waiting on you. It tells you how far the stated timescale can be trusted.
Ask how long it has been listed, whether it was previously with a different agent, and whether the asking price has been reduced, and when. A property that has been re-listed, re-priced or re-agented may be telling you something the listing does not.
Yes. A property that has gone sale agreed and then back on the market may have had a down valuation, a survey finding or a broken chain. Which one it was changes what you check next.
No. The valuation is for the lender and helps them decide whether the property is acceptable security for the loan. It is not a check on the condition of the property, so it does not replace your own survey.
It can be marketed, but where a grant is needed the executors cannot exchange contracts until it has been issued. The exception is a property owned jointly as joint tenants, which passes to the surviving owner and can be sold without waiting for a grant.
No. Whether an EWS1 is needed depends on the building and the lender. An updated RICS standard applies from 1 November 2026 and says an EWS1 should only be requested where there is a clear rationale. An EWS1 is for valuation and lending purposes. It is not a fire safety certificate.
Haupt & Co Ltd is an Appointed Representative of New Leaf Distribution Ltd, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA No. 460421). Haupt & Co Ltd FCA No. 1043131. This article is for general information only and does not constitute financial or legal advice. Not all forms of mortgage are regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage.
