How to beat the crowd

Finding the perfect property can take time and making sure that you are kept up to date with all the new properties coming on to the market is key.

Rightmove’s Instant Alerts allow you to customise your search and get instant, daily or weekly email updates to let you know what is new to the market.

It’s also worth getting to know the local agents who will be able to give you advance notice of properties before they actually come onto the market.

Being the first to view a property can make the difference between being successful or not.  It’s also not unreasonable if you are offering to pay the full asking price, to request the property is immediately taken off the market and future viewings cancelled.

Be prepared

If you do find the perfect property, you need to be prepared to move quickly.

Gather all the information you’ll need in advance so that when the time comes to complete the application and referencing, everything is to hand and you’re ready to go. This may simply be the details of all the tenants’ referees (employer, previous landlord and bank) including names, address and telephone numbers.

Being able to immediately pay the initial monies that are due will show your commitment to the transaction.

REMEMBER: Demonstrating that you’re organised and prepared will demonstrate how serious you are to the agent and landlord.

If you’re viewing as part of an open house, the best option is to get there as early as possible.  If there’s going to be more than one person living in the property, viewing it all at the same time will reduce any delays. It’s important for each occupier to view the property.

When submitting an offer from a group viewing, do this once you have left the property.  If there are a number of people looking around at the same time, it can be easy to get carried away in the moment but a calm approach will help get the best deal.  If you can match your offer to what the landlord would ideally like, you are more likely to get ahead of the crowd.  Other than the price, being able to move in on the right day and having few or no additional requirements from the landlord, will make your offer more compelling.

If you are undertaking a viewing with the landlord directly, don’t forget that many landlords take looking after their property and the tenants that live there very personally.  Being on time is always a good start, as the landlord will be looking for people who can be reliable as tenants.