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Our essential property buying checklist!

It’s well documented that moving house is one of the most stressful things a person will experience, but by being prepared you can make the whole thing far less stressful. Here at Bromley Property Company we’ve produced this essential property buying checklist, so you can stay organised throughout the process:

Pick a moving date (if you can)

This will of course be dependent on the progress of your sale or purchase (or both), but it’s advisable to avoid peak times if you can, such as Bank Holidays, Fridays or the end of a school term- removal companies are much busier, as are roads etc, plus if children are elsewhere on the big day if can make life much easier for you!

1 month before the move

Organise your removals

  • Get quotes from three removals companies and compare this against the cost and effort of hiring a van and doing it yourself. In the Bromley area, Coppards and James Removals are popular and reliable companies with many years experience of moving people.
  • Find out what is included in the fee and look at what extras are on offer, such as packing materials and insurance. It’s often worth using a packing service, especially for the kitchen, for an extra couple of hundred pounds and will save you so much time.
  • Check the remover’s contract and your home insurance so you know what to do if your furniture gets damaged on removal day.
  • Make a list of everything included in the move and provide your removals company with a copy.
  • Purchase packaging if your removals company isn’t supplying it (although most seem to these days).
  • Work out if you’ll need to put any items in storage for the foreseeable.


Start packing

  • Separate everything into ‘keep’, ‘charity shop’ and ‘tip’. Our Decluttering tips might be useful for you.
  • Pack items that you will not need to use before the move first.
  • Make sure you label every box with its contents (a must otherwise you’ll have a nightmare the other end!)

Utilities & Mail

  • Make a list of all the utilities companies you will need to inform.
  • You can have your mail redirected by contacting the Post Office for a fee, but it is often worth doing this for about 6 months whilst you get yourself together post-move.

1 week before the move

  • Cancel or redirect deliveries such as milk, newspapers, and magazines.
  • Request final bills for telephone and broadband.
  • Notify everyone of your change of address.
  • Plan where your furniture will live in your new house so you can direct the removal team on the big day.
  • Make sure pets will be looked after.

On the big day

  • Turn off all appliances.
  • Take final meter readings.
  • Clean the property as much as possible – your buyers will love you for this and your halo will be polished!
  • Take a final look around the property and check you haven’t forgotten anything- look in kitchen cupboards and drawers, on top of any built-in furniture – you’ll be amazed the number of people who forget things in the most bizarre places!
  • Pack a survival box including: 
  • kettle 
  • tea bags/coffee 
  • milk 
  • mugs & teaspoons
  • toilet roll 
  • washing up liquid
  • plates
  • cutlery
  • bottled water
  • important documents
  • bread
  • cleaning products
  • bed linen

Once you’re in your new home

  • Unpack your survival box and any other essential items.
  • Make sure utilities, telephone and broadband are connected.
  • Clean and arrange professional carpet cleaning if you need to.
  • Put up curtains and blinds.
  • Call the nearest take-away!

So that’s our essential property buying checklist. Do you have any other tips that we might have forgotten? Let us know in the comments below!

Lewis photo

Lewis McKale

Director, Residential Sales, Lettings & New Homes

lewis@propertycompanygroup.com

lewis@bromleypropertycompany.com

07507 656 668

020 8462 7155

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Lewis has over 20 years experience in the property industry. As a young negotiator he worked for large South East London Estate Agency and he also worked his way up to Associate Director at a City based Estate Agency by the time he was 25.

He jointly owned and sold a successful business in the East End of London before deciding to come back to his roots and set up Bromley Property Company in late 2016.

Lewis is a life long Bromley Borough resident and hails from West Wickham where he attended Wickham Common Primary School and then Hayes Secondary School.

He's married with three children, all of whom attend local schools. Both himself and his wife are very active with local autistic charities helping with various events.

Football plays a big part in his life, playing for Charlton Athletic youth team in his early days and he is an avid supporter of Bromley FC.

The competitive drive that pushes him on is what helps fuel his passion for the business. This and his in-depth knowledge of the borough is a great combination which helps deliver the results his clients have come to expect.

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Kyle Peters

Director, Land & Commercial

kyle@propertycompanygroup.com

020 8462 7155

07801 577 782

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In a career spanning more than 20 years Kyle has bought, sold and let Real Estate of all types and sizes in every sector of property industry. Throughout this time he was a long serving founder member of one of the South East’s most successful Commercial & Development property agencies. In addition to a successful agency career he has held senior client-side positions in asset & property management and investment and development acquisitions affording Kyle a holistic viewpoint and greater understanding of the entire process than some agents.

Technically knowledgeable and with a keen eye for detail he has a deep understanding of how to effectively market a property and revels in getting amongst the strategy of a transaction to ensure his clients expectations are regularly exceeded.

With a natural flair for identifying development opportunities and adding value Kyle works regularly with a number of clients on acquisitions and development & planning consultancy and has specialisms in the retirement, care and affordable housing sectors.

Born and raised in the Bromley area, outside of work Kyle enjoys spending as much time as possible with his young family, travelling and all things car related.

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Stuart Jackson

Sales & Lettings

stuart@bromleypropertycompany.com

020 8462 7155

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Stuart has worked in the property industry for 10 years now.

Previously working in the East End of London specialising in Shoreditch and The City but deciding to come back to his roots and work in Bromley, Stuart brings his enthusiasm, knowledge and hard work to the company and local Bromley residents will all benefit from this.

Stuart is also a local lad that grew up in Keston, attending Keston Primary School and Hayes Secondary School so his local knowledge is second to none. Currently living in Shortlands Stuart prides himself on his excellent customer service levels and is always available to talk about property and will accommodate viewings whenever he can 7 days a week.

Stuart works very close with Lewis in ensuring that Bromley Property Company offer a customer service unlike any other local estate agent making sure all of our clients be it Vendors, Landlords, Buyers or Tenants are all looked after and dealt with in the best way possible.

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Angela McKale

Admin & Marketing
 

angela@bromleypropertycompany.com

020 8462 7155

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Angela has worked supporting Lewis and his team for the last 5 years now and has taken the admin side of the business over and helps to ensure that our clients are given a service that is as efficient as possible.

She is responsible for that majority of the companies marketing and she also looks after the properties on our website as well as ensuring our clients are written to promptly.

Helping to run diaries for the team and ensuring everyone is kept on their toes is a real help and she helps keep things organised and ensures the business runs as efficiently as possible.

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Trevor Doran

Head of Property Management

management@bromleypropertycompany.com

07740 055 025

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Trevor has over 30 years’ experience in maintaining and managing properties.
20 years in the home improvement industry rising to director level served him well as a landlord and since 2009 owning and running his own business specialising purely in property letting and management.
A lifelong Bromley borough resident Trevor runs Bromley Property Company’s letting and management department and continues to operate at the highest possible levels of professionalism and service as the portfolio grows.
Sport and fitness play a big part in Trevor’s life as he tries to keep up with two athletic children currently in sixth form and university. He also follows the fortunes of the ever-improving Bromley FC.

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Amy has worked in Lettings and property management for 10 years starting as a Lettings Negotiator for a corporate Estate Agents in Dartford.

She then worked for an independent Estate Agent in Bexley as a Property Manager and then as Branch Manager for 3 years.

She took some time out when she had her daughter and started working again in Property Management 3 years ago.

Amy has a BA (Hons) Degree in Fashion and enjoys making clothes and she is also classically trained to Grade 6 in Piano.

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Becky Freeman

Digital Marketing & Social Media

becky@bromleypropertycompany.com

020 8462 7155

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Becky brings with her nearly a decade of digital marketing and multi-award nominated lifestyle blogging experience, and has worked with both household names and smaller companies to create content and enhance their social and online presence. She has appeared in various Interiors & lifestyle magazines, written for publications including The Guardian, and appeared on Channel 4’s ‘Kirstie’s Handmade Christmas’ winning her category of Christmas table styling!

After a disappointing experience trying to sell her house with a local high street agent, West Wickham-based Becky had heard great things about Bromley Property Company, swapped to us and quickly sold, and says she couldn't rate Lewis and his team's knowledge of the area and honest valuation highly enough.

As a bit of a property geek with a background in both business and lifestyle marketing, Becky is now on board to oversee all things digital for us through her agency Becky Freeman Digital.

Living and raising 3 children in the local area, Becky loves Bromley and all it has to offer a young family.

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Mary Radovanovich

MAAT, MICB PM.Dip., Accounts
 

mary@bromleypropertycompany.com

020 8462 7155

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Mary has been in the accounting industry for over 23 years and has a license with the AAT and ICB. Mary prides herself on excellent customer service and strongly believes in building a close working relationship with her clients.

Mary deals with the invoice payments and tax for the group as well as assisting with all aspects of accounting.