Buying or selling a property

There are many things to consider when moving house. Ideally, all transactions should be completed quickly, ensuring that your move is as painless as possible. Moving house generally involves the following stages:

• The seller’s solicitor preparing a contract and obtaining protocol forms from the seller.
• Once received, the buyer’s solicitor will make appropriate searches e.g. local search, mining search and environment search.
• The buyer should consider commissioning a survey(your mortgage provider may insist on this).
• Once satisfied with the results of searches, mortgage offer etc. the buyer will sign the contract.
• Exchange of contracts (normally a deposit of 10% of the purchase price is paid to the seller’s solicitors at this stage).
• A completion date is then set (this can be anything from a few days, weeks or months after exchange!)
• After completion, the seller’s solicitor will repay any mortgages the seller may have and if sufficient funds are in hand pay estate agent’s fees. The buyer’s solicitor will attend to completing a stamp duty form as well as paying any stamp duty due.
• The buyer’s solicitor will then apply to the Land Registry to register the property into the buyer’s name.

Each stage of moving house includes smaller steps which need to be taken care of. This can prove stressful and confusing. Linder Myers’ dedicated team of property lawyers have a wealth of knowledge in this area, and can guide you through these steps, making your move as smooth and quick as possible.