Guides for home buyers in Scotland
Plain-English explanations of the costs, rules and risks to understand before you offer on a Scottish property.
Offers and closing dates
How much to offer and what happens on the day
Offers over and closing dates in Scotland: how they work
What "offers over" means, how notes of interest and closing dates work, and when an offer becomes binding.
How much to offer on a house in Scotland
A six-step method for choosing an offer figure, with a worked example.
Offering over the Home Report valuation: what it means for your deposit
Why every pound over the valuation usually comes from your own cash, with a worked example and how to set your ceiling.
How far over the Home Report valuation can you afford?
See your maximum offer from your cash, loan-to-value and costs.
What to do before a closing date: a checklist
Everything to have in place in the days before offers are due.
Note of interest vs offer: what each commits you to
What noting interest does and doesn’t do, and when an offer becomes binding.
Lost out at a closing date? How to make your next offer stronger
Why offers lose at closing dates and how to strengthen your next one without overpaying.
Checking the property
What the listing and Home Report leave out
What the Home Report doesn't tell you
What the Single Survey, Energy Report and Property Questionnaire cover, and the gaps buyers need to check themselves.
Home Report category 1, 2 and 3 ratings explained
What each rating means, the items most often flagged, and how ratings affect your mortgage and offer.
Title conditions, factoring and common repairs in Scotland
Real burdens, property factors, tenement rules and shared repair bills, and why they matter more than leasehold in Scotland.
Buying a flat with a factor: fees, sinking funds and warning signs
What factor fees cover, how floats and sinking funds work, and the warning signs to look for.
EPC ratings and running costs: what they mean for your bills
How to read the Energy Report, what a low rating means for your bills, and what improvements cost.
How to check planning applications near a property in Scotland
How to search your council’s planning portal and what to look for on and around the property.
Getting started
How buying works in Scotland and what to ask first
Buying a home in Scotland: the process step by step
Every stage from budgeting and viewing to offers, missives and getting the keys.
Tenement flat vs new build in Scotland: what to weigh up
How traditional tenements and new builds compare on repairs, factoring, running costs and resale.
Questions to ask the estate agent before you offer
What to ask about the sale, the property and offers, and how to treat the answers.
Costs and LBTT
What buying will really cost you
LBTT in Scotland 2026/27: how much will you pay?
Rates, worked examples, first-time buyer relief and the 8% Additional Dwelling Supplement.
LBTT calculator for Scotland 2026/27
Work out LBTT for any price, with first-time buyer relief or the 8% ADS.
The total cost of buying a home in Scotland
Every cost beyond the deposit: LBTT, legal fees, registration dues, mortgage fees and moving.