FAQ’s
What can I afford?
Mortgages can be a mind-field, and a daunting prospect especially for a first-time buyer. We can give advice on who to speak to, in order to work out your finances.
How much does it cost to move?
We are here to help you through this process and can provide a budget planner.
Where shall I buy?
When buying your home or investment property the right location is so important. At Hammond & Smith we will help you find your ideal home.
How do I know my property is valued at the right price?
This is not our way at Hammond & Smith. We will give you truthful advice on what your property is worth and if we feel small improvements would help increase your property value or chances of selling, we will be honest with you.
How do I make an offer on a property?
When you make an offer, we will ask for your mortgage agreement in principle and proof of deposit.
Should I offer on a property if I haven’t sold?
What happens once my offer is accepted?
Your solicitor will then work with us and you to complete the house purchase. This stage can often be stressful, but we will be with you every step of the way.
Do I need a survey?
This might be carried out as a request by your mortgage lender and often a process completed by them. Or you may choose to appoint your own homebuyers or full structural survey for a more detailed inspection.
We will help give advice and suggest things to consider when making this choice.
How long does it take?
Factors that can affect the length of a house purchase or sale include the number of properties involved in the sale chain, issues arising from surveys, and concerns found within searches (e.g. drainage, local and environmental).
When can I get my keys?
Once all the legal matters have been sorted, you are then in a position to exchange contracts. At this point, you would transfer your deposit to your solicitor which is normally 10% of the purchase price unless agreed otherwise.
At this stage, you would agree to your completion date which is the date you get your keys and the property is yours! On average, there are 14 days between exchange and completion.
For rentals, keys can be collected from our office on the agreed move in date.
What quality schemes and standards are Hammond and Smith members of / registered with?
We ensure our standards and agents adhere to specific codes of practice, always keeping our standards of professionalism high. As members of several quality assurance schemes, we have passed a range of compliance checks for both selling and renting homes. We are members of / registered with The Property Ombudsman, Chartered Trading Standards Institute, Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) and Client Money Protection. We are proud to have also been selected as the Federation of Independent Agents chosen estate agent for CM16, consisting of a select group of estate agents who demonstrate exceptional customer service and professionalism. For this, our directors are fully DBS checked.
In addition, our staff are also recognised Dementia Friends. As an estate agency working with people in the community everyday we’re often in contact with individuals and families affected by dementia. Working with the Alzheimer’s Society we have committed to a series of actions including ongoing staff training and fundraising to continue to support, understand and learn more about dementia.
What Our Clients Say
Rachel Seddon
Joe at Hammond & Smith was instrumental in helping me during my search for a new house. He was professional, proactive, in regular contact and notified me as soon as he found a property that he thought matched up to my requirements. His instincts were on point and I'm now living in my dream home! All the way through the process, he was helpful, responsive to emails and honest. It's all thanks to him that the chain was completed quickly and everything went through seamlessly. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Hammond & Smith to anyone looking to buy or sell their property.
Christine Jones
We recently sold our apartment with H&S and couldn’t be happier with the service they provided. We had a viewing and an offer before it was even on the market and within another 48 hours had two more viewings, offers and a sale agreed!
The team are very efficient and professional, but also became like friends throughout the sale process and we’ll definitely pop into their lovely office on the High Street to say hello whenever we’re around.
Helen Wilton
I cannot recommend Hammond and Smith highly enough..the team, Alison, Jonjo and Joe have been so sympathetic in the sale of my late mother’s house and have performed above and beyond my expectations. The team really give that personal touch and I have come to think of them as friends. Do not hesitate!
Janine and Nav
Thank you to the team for being so efficient, excellent communication and very helpful. Brilliant to complete so quickly and in time for the SD deadline.
Kind regards
Janine and Nav
B Walker
Julie C
Wishing you every success Jonjo and Alison!
BIlly Osbourne
I would recommend hammond & smith to anyone in epping and local areas to sell or let their property, professional service from start to finish. Joe in particular was helpful every step of the way from selling us the property to finding us the perfect tenant!