Buyer's Agent?

Is there such a thing as a buyer's agent over here?  We are hoping to purchase a house in the near future.  When we bought our house in the states we called up a realtor who showed us various homes. 
I've tried asking hubby about it but he has never bought property over here.  The last time his parent's bought a house was in 1960.

I THINK it's more serve-yourself here. Go to various estate agents and ask to see what they've got and they'll show you their listings. But from what I can tell, they won't show you listings from other estate agents. My parents were both brokers and the system over here seems sort of strange to me.... It's also not uncommon to see the same place listed with various agents.

The estate agent who shows you the properties  is acting on behalf of the seller.
There is no one acting on behalf of the buyer except your solicitor.

The estate agent who shows you the properties is acting on behalf of the seller.
There is no one acting on behalf of the buyer except your solicitor.

What she said.

you can hire a home search agent (think phil & kirstie of location, location, location).  they do all the leg work for you, go visit houses etc... have no idea how expensive this is..

What she said.

Ditto. I was wondering that myself, so just last week I asked one of BF's friends who's an estate agent. I figured that when we were ready to look at houses, we'd just ring up this friend and he could show us everything available. Not so. He can only show what's on his books. Hrmph.

you can hire a home search agent (think phil & kirstie of location, location, location). they do all the leg work for you, go visit houses etc... have no idea how expensive this is..

I didn't know about this! If it's not overly expensive, that would be a great idea!

Just had to add that they are still filming throughout 2005.....you could actually GET Kirstie & Phil as well as a house 

http://www.channel4.com/4homes/ontv/appear_lll.html

.....you could actually GET Kirstie & Phil ...

I want them for my very own! 

Just had to add that they are still filming throughout 2005.....you could actually GET Kirstie & Phil as well as a house 

That would be beyond amazing!! But I'd be really sad when I later realised that Kristie isn't my bestest friend ever and was only hanging out with me for the TV programme. 

Hmm, maybe I'll start watching Kirstie and Phil and get some pointers.
Thanks everyone for the info. 

I would emphasize the importance of NEVER forgetting that the estate agent showing you the house is the equivalent of a used car salesman.  They want to make a sale and will say or withhold anything they can get away with to make the sale.  This is a very counterintuitive process for Americans that have bought and sold houses in the U.S.  Your best bet is to read as much as you can about the entire complicated process before you start looking and go in eyes wide open.  Also, ask questions of people that have gone through the process.

I agree - for £2 you can get an (unofficial) title register off the Land Registry website if you have the address - it will have all the restrictions/covenants on the property, as well as any possible rights of way, among other interesting tidbits.  For a further £2 you can get the title plan which shows exactly what property is included in the title.

I punched in an address on a house we were interested in looking at and more than one title number came up.  When I got all the titles together, it turned out that there was a rather large L-shaped piece of property that ran the length of the property we were interested in, and included a good chunk of land at the bottom of the garden.  It also turned out that planning permission had been granted for this plot of land!

When we viewed the property and I questioned the estate agent, he said he had been told that planning permission had been refused.  He was a bit shocked when I was able to show him (from the planning section of the Council's website) that the permission had indeed been granted, and that it would probably be very difficult to sell that property with the knowledge that someone else would be able to come in and build right behind their garden!  I didn't have the details of exactly what had been approved, but that was enough to let this guy know I had done my homework!