Buying a home in Edinburgh
Buying in Scotland works differently from the rest of the UK. Here’s how the process runs, where to look, and how we can help you find the right home.
How buying works in Scotland
- 01
Get your finances in place
Speak to a mortgage adviser or lender early and get an agreement in principle, so you know your budget and can move quickly when the right home appears.
- 02
Register with us
Tell us what you're looking for and we'll let you know about suitable homes as they come to the market — often before they appear on the property portals.
- 03
Read the Home Report
Every home marketed for sale in Scotland needs a Home Report, which is free to prospective buyers. Read it before you view, so you know about the property's condition and valuation from the start.
- 04
View, and note your interest
If you like a home, ask your solicitor to note interest with us. It costs nothing, but it means you'll be told if a closing date is set.
- 05
Make an offer
Offers in Scotland are made formally through your solicitor. When several buyers are interested, a closing date is set and all offers are submitted by the same deadline.
- 06
Conclude missives
Once an offer is accepted, the two solicitors exchange letters, known as missives, agreeing the details. When missives are concluded the sale is legally binding.
- 07
Take entry
On the agreed date of entry your solicitor transfers the funds, pays any Land and Buildings Transaction Tax due, and you collect the keys.
Before you view
Home Reports, explained
Every home for sale in Scotland comes with a Home Report: a surveyor’s Single Survey and valuation, an Energy Report and the seller’s Property Questionnaire. Read it before you view, and note that your lender will usually rely on its valuation. To request the Home Report for any home we’re selling, just get in touch.
Area guides
- EH1 · EH2 · EH3New TownGeorgian Edinburgh at its most elegant, with the whole city on the doorstep.
- EH3 · EH4StockbridgeA village on the Water of Leith, ten minutes' walk from the West End.
- EH10MorningsideLeafy, established and self-contained, on the south side of the city.
- EH6Leith & The ShoreEdinburgh's port, with a food scene and waterfront to match.
- EH10BruntsfieldTenement living beside the Links and the Meadows.
- EH5TrinityQuiet villa streets above the Firth of Forth.
- EH15PortobelloEdinburgh's seaside, with a promenade and a sandy beach.
- EH9The GrangeWalled Victorian villas in one of the city's quietest conservation areas.
- EH12CorstorphineA village in the west of the city, with room to grow.
Register with us
Tell us what you’re looking for — area, size, budget and anything you can’t live without — and we’ll be in touch when the right home comes up.