Buying a house

Whether you are a first time buyer or have moved before, we are sure the following brief summary of the legal side of your purchase will be of assistance. We can divide the transaction into four stages.

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For a free estimate of the costs involved in buying a house, contact us to discuss on a no obligation basis.

Stage 1 : Preliminary

  • Take your instructions and provide you with initial advice
  • We will check that you have the finances in place to purchase the property
  • The seller’s solicitors will prepare and issue the contract documentation to us.
  • We will carry out all the necessary searches in relation to the property you are purchasing
  • If required we may obtain planning documentation from the Local Authority
  • We will make enquiries with the seller’s solicitors
  • We will provide you with advice on the results of the searches together with the documentation and information received from the seller’s solicitors in the form of a purchase report prior to exchange of contracts.
  • We will go through the conditions of your mortgage offer with you (if applicable)
  • We will provide you with the final contract for you to sign and you may decide to attend our offices to sign the contract or this can be completed remotely.
  • We will agree a completion date with you (the date from which you will own the property)

Stage 2 : Exchange Of Contracts

  • Your signed contract is “exchanged” for the contract signed by the Seller and your deposit is paid over to the Seller’s solicitors
  • Exchange takes place between the respective solicitors, often by telephone
  • You are then legally committed to the purchase and the agreed completion date

Stage 3 : Preparing For Completion

  • We arrange with your lender to send the mortgage funds in time for completion
  • We will provide you with a financial statement showing any balance required from you towards the purchase price and expenses

Stage 4 : Completion And Beyond

  • On completion day we hand over the balance of the purchase money to the seller’s solicitors
  • We will arrange payment of Stamp Duty on your behalf (if applicable)
  • We will deal with any procedural requirements on completion (for example if you are purchasing a leasehold property or a freehold property with a management company)
  • We will apply to the Land Registry to register your ownership of the property