Housing

Most homes in the UK are brick. Most are attached on one or both sides to another home. There are a few new words to learn where housing is concerned.

• Detatched Not attached to any other homes on any side.
• Semi-detatched Attached to another home on one side.
• Terraced Attached on both sides to other houses. ie. Townhouse.
• Flats Apartments

The cost of housing is varied by region and housing type. In the south and especially in built up more urban areas, housing is more expensive, as in London. The further away from London you get, the less costly it becomes. (This is also reflected in the wages. You get paid more in the London area than elsewhere, because you need it to live there.)

Generally, flats and homes are for let(rent) or for sale. The cost will not include any utilities or council tax, and may be furnished or not. Most flat rentals are arranged and managed by estate agents and many are on the web. Search for Lettings and Estate Agents.

Be sure if you are going to be renting your residence, to have some written verifiable references with you, just to make things easier. You can expect to pay for all utilites as well as property taxes (council tax), as well as the usual deposits.

Just as complicated here as it is in the US, you make an offer, arrange financing, go through getting the house valued, an attorney does all the paperwork for you and a couple of months later(if you’re lucky), you’re moving in(and paying a mortgage). Many mortgage lenders offer a cash-back option to give you extra cash for your downpayment, but the condition of this is that you are bound to the mortgage for a few years, no re-financing without paying this back.

Shop around for lenders, and be wary of so-called “independent” financial advisors. The real estate agents have pictures and propery information in the shop windows, so a person could make a day of walking around the offices to look for properties. Their websites are very good, with good descriptions and interior and exterior photos. Rightmove.co.uk are very popular national listings at the moment.

You can find property prices by region from the Land Registry website, and other info from Up My Street.