Before you bid Scotland

Bid on your next home with confidence.

Paste the listing and say what you need from your next home. Within 24 hours you'll get a free report on that property, written around you: how the layout would work for your life, what it would cost at your budget, and what to ask before you offer.

Rightmove, ESPC, s1homes or the agent's own site.

Looking in the Rightmove or ESPC app? Tap Share, then Copy link, and paste it here.

  • Free
  • No payment details
  • Written for the buyer

See a sample report

A search can explain the rules. It can't read this home for you.

Google and AI chatbots are good at general questions. Your report is about one property and one buyer: it reads that home's floorplan, Home Report and local records, and checks them against what you need.

A general search tells you

  • How LBTT is worked out
  • What "offers over" usually means
  • What Home Report categories are
  • Average prices in the area

Your report tells you

  • Whether the second bedroom fits a desk as well as a bed
  • How much you'd need in savings to offer £215,000 on this flat
  • What the damp note in this Home Report could mean for you
  • That a dormer two doors down got planning approval in May

The general questions are answered for free in the guides.

What a report looks like

Four sections from a sample report on a two-bedroom tenement flat in Partick, Glasgow. Every report is written for the property you send and the needs you describe.

Sample report for 2/1, Partick G11Example figures
Your brief

"I work from home three days a week, so I need somewhere for a desk. We'd like a spare room for family to stay. Under 30 minutes to the city centre. Budget up to £215,000."

1

The floorplan and how it fits you

You needThis flat
A place for a deskPartly The box room off the hall (1.9m × 2.2m) takes a desk but has no window. The second bedroom's bay would make a brighter workspace.
A spare room for guestsYes The second bedroom (2.9m × 3.1m) takes a double bed, with the bay free for a desk.
Under 30 minutes to the city centreYes Partick station is a 4-minute walk, and trains reach the city centre in about 10 minutes.
  • The hall is large for a flat this size (about 9 m²) and mostly unused. Built-in storage there would free up both bedrooms.
  • The kitchen is separate from the living room. Opening it up would involve a structural wall in a tenement, so it would need an engineer and a building warrant.
2

Purchase costs

At an offer of £215,000 as a first-time buyer, this is the cash needed on top of the deposit.

CostAmount
Above the Home Report valueNot covered by the mortgage. Paid from savings.£10,000
LBTTWith first-time buyer relief£800
Solicitor's feesTypical quote, including VAT£1,250
Registration feeRegisters of Scotland£600
Cash needed beyond the deposit£12,650
3

Things worth checking

  • A planning application for a rear dormer two doors down was approved in May. Work could start while you're moving in.
  • No factor is named yet. In a tenement, roof and close repairs are normally shared between owners.
  • The Home Report notes category 2 damp staining in the bathroom, which the recent refresh may cover.
  • The title conditions haven't been seen yet. These can include shared repair obligations.

Questions to take to your solicitor or the agent: Who is the factor? Is a closing date set? What work was done to the kitchen and bathroom, and when?

4

The price picture

Flats on this street have sold between 8% and 12% over their Home Report value since spring. On a £205,000 valuation, that's roughly £221,000 to £230,000.

With £10,000 available above the valuation, the highest offer that fits this budget is £215,000. Where to set your own limit is your decision.

A full report also covers

  • The area: transport, amenities, crime, noise and demand
  • Planning applications and consents within 100 metres
  • The EPC rating and estimated yearly heating costs
  • A summary of everything that stood out

Most of the information you're given comes from the seller's side

In Scotland a formal offer often goes in with very little independent information. The estate agent acts for the seller. The seller pays for the Home Report, and the surveyor visits before you've even seen the property.

Mortgage lending is usually based on the Home Report value, so any amount offered above it comes from savings. Many first-time buyers only find this out once they've started bidding.

Before You Bid is written for the buyer. It gathers the facts in one place, so you can make your own decision with a clearer picture.

Red sandstone tenements in Glasgow with bay windows and a tree in front
£196,000 Average Scottish house price Registers of Scotland, UK HPI, July 2026

Three steps, about two minutes

  1. Share the listing and your needs

    Paste the Rightmove, ESPC or s1homes link and say what matters to you in your next home. Add the Home Report if you have it.

  2. The property is reviewed

    The floorplan, the listing, the Home Report, planning records within 100 metres, the EPC and recent sales, all checked against what you need.

  3. Your report arrives

    By email within 24 hours, often sooner. That's usually in good time before a closing date.

Wherever you are in your search

A white cottage with slate roof and chimneys on a quiet Glasgow street

Buying your first home

The report shows how much cash you'd need at different offer levels, so the numbers aren't a surprise on the day.

A row of stone cottages with gardens in Luss, near Loch Lomond

Moving home

Two sets of fees and an entry date to juggle. The report sets out the costs side by side.

A furnished sitting room with an armchair beside a fireplace

Buying to let

Running costs, local demand and LBTT with the Additional Dwelling Supplement, for that specific address.

How reports are made

From public information

Reports are put together with AI tools from the listing, the Home Report if you share it, and public records such as planning applications, EPC certificates and area statistics.

Information, not advice

A report helps you understand a property and prepare your questions. It isn't a survey, a valuation, legal advice or financial advice. Your solicitor and surveyor are the people to confirm the details.

Independent

Before You Bid takes no referral fees or commission from estate agents, surveyors, solicitors, brokers or anyone else involved in the sale.

Your details stay private

Your email is used to send your report. Read the privacy note.

Guides for the weeks before a closing date

Plain explanations of the parts of the Scottish system that catch people out.

Offers and closing dates

How much to offer and what happens on the day

Checking the property

What the listing and Home Report leave out

Getting started

How buying works in Scotland and what to ask first

Costs and LBTT

What buying will really cost you

Browse all guides

Common questions

Is the report really free?

Yes. There's no charge and no payment details are needed. One report covers one property, and you can request as many as you need. Paid extras may be added in future.

Can't I just search for this myself?

For general questions, yes, and the guides on this site cover them for free. A report does the property-specific work for you: it reads that home's floorplan and Home Report, searches the planning and EPC records for the address, looks at recent sales on the street, and checks it all against your needs and budget.

Who writes the reports?

Reports are produced with AI tools that analyse the listing, the Home Report if you share it, and public information such as planning records, EPC certificates and area statistics.

They can contain errors or miss things that aren't public, so check key facts with your solicitor and surveyor.

Is this advice?

No. A report gives you information about a property to help you prepare. Decisions about whether to offer and how much are yours, ideally made with your solicitor.

How quickly will my report arrive?

By email within 24 hours of sending the details, often sooner.

How is this different from the Home Report?

The seller commissions and pays for the Home Report. Before You Bid is written for the buyer and covers what the Home Report doesn't: total purchase costs, planning activity nearby, running costs and recent prices in the area.

Can I use this instead of a survey?

No. It sits alongside the Home Report, your solicitor and an independent survey, and doesn't replace any of them.

Does the report include LBTT?

Yes. Every report works out the Land and Buildings Transaction Tax for the property, with legal fees and the total cost to buy.

Which listings can I share?

A link from Rightmove, ESPC, s1homes or any other listing site for a property in Scotland. You can add the Home Report as a link or a PDF.

Is my offer legally binding in Scotland?

Not until missives are concluded between the solicitors. Withdrawing late can still cost money and affect your standing with local agents. See Note of interest vs offer.

Ready to look at a property?

Paste the listing link and your free report will arrive by email within 24 hours.

You'll add your email next. About two minutes.

A cosy living room with a lit wood stove