Nine mistakes people often make buying a home in England: how a home in Turkey affects stamp duty, skipping a survey, hidden costs and fraud
Published: Last checked: October 20264 min read
Short answer
Points that cause problems according to official guidance: leaving costs out of the budget, extra property anywhere in the world raising stamp duty (+5%), not counting as a first-time buyer, the non-resident +2%, treating an offer as binding, confusing a valuation with a survey and property fraud.
In short
- This post is general information and does not assess anyone's personal situation. It makes no statistical claim about "the most common" mistakes: it collects the points that, according to official pages, cause problems when missed. It is based on official pages as they were on 18 October 2026 and covers England.
- Most mistakes when buying concern money, tax and the order of the process. Each point rests on a GOV.UK, HMRC or MoneyHelper page.
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Official sources
This answer is based on the pages below. Check the source yourself before you decide.
- GOV.UK: Buying a home, preparing to buy
- GOV.UK: Buying a home, making an offer
- GOV.UK: SDLT, buying an additional residential property
- HMRC SDLT manual: Definition of a first-time buyer
- GOV.UK: Protect your land or property from fraud (Property Alert)
- MoneyHelper: Money timeline when buying property
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