Purchase & sale is a core technical RICS APC competency on the residential pathway, as well as being frequently selected on many other pathways such as valuation, commercial (if you deal with mixed-use schemes) or planning & development.

This week, we will be taking a look at the Government's newly published How to Buy a Home Guide. 

This supplements a number of other guides, such as How to Rent, How to Rent a Safe Home, How to Let, How to Lease and How to Sell a Home.

The guides all provide basic advice on various aspects of residential property for tenants, landlords, leaseholders, home buyers and sellers. Each provides a concise overview of the relevant process and flags up potential areas of concern or conflict. 

It should be noted that the guidance relates to England and Wales, as the transactional process is different in other geographic areas, including Scotland.