There are many things to consider when buying or selling a property, and one confusing but vital aspect to consider is property conveyancing. The intricacies of property conveyancing are important but can be quite difficult to understand, so hiring an experienced conveyancer can help you save a lot of effort and resources.
To understand the importance of a conveyancer’s role in the property purchase process, this guide discusses what makes up conveyancing, need for a licensed conveyancer, along with the stages of the buying process. Let’s begin!
What is conveyancing?
Conveyancing deals with the legal ownership and transfer of property from one person to another. Conveyancers are professionals that help prepare documents required in buying, selling, subdividing, and transferring property.
A conveyancer can assist you in the following when it’s time to buy a piece of property:
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Settlement of property
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Preparation, submission, or definition of legal documents regarding ownership and transfer of property
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Depositing in a trust account
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Calculation of rate and tax adjustment
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Property research
While it’s vital to do some research on the property itself, you should also research before hiring a conveyancer. You will be charged for their services and disbursements. It would be ideal to research and get multiple conveyancing quotes to compare and get a grasp on how much conveyance services can cost you.
Do you need a licensed conveyancer?
While it’s possible to do the conveyancing yourself and it’s not required for you to hire a conveyancer, few can actually do it successfully. The intricacies and details involved in conveyancing can be quite stressful, and it would be in your best interest to hire the services of a professional, especially when you have no prior experience in conveyancing.
As legal professionals, licensed conveyancers and/or conveyancing solicitors are in charge of preparing legal documents and paperwork required for transferring of property ownership. Although licensed conveyancers charge for their services, they can save you from a lot of work and headaches involved in the process of conveyancing, especially when any complications arise.
Is it advisable to hire a conveyancer recommended by a real estate agent?
Most real estate agents will refer you to a preferred or in-house conveyancer, and you might be drawn to agree and hire that conveyancer. However, hiring a conveyancer through this option can be an expensive option.
Typically, real estate agents also charge their own fees on top of the fees for the conveyancer’s services. Unnecessary fees can arise on your bill, costing you a significant amount of money. Therefore, it would be best to research and look for multiple quotes online.
Never hesitate to ask for recommendations either, as this ensures that you hire the best possible conveyancer for your needs. With much at stake, you can never be too careful!
What happens after finding the right conveyancer?
After finding the right conveyancer, the home purchase process can now move forward. Here’s a step-by-step guide for each stage:
Step 1: Arranging a survey on the property
While you may have found the right property for you, it’s always advised to first survey the area. Although it isn’t a legal requirement, conducting a report will help you determine any major problems with the property. By doing so, you become aware of potential repairs that may cause you too much money. This also allows you the opportunity to negotiate the purchase price, and with the presence of a conveyer, you’ll likely be able to deal with matters even better.
Step 2: Overseeing a property search
Your conveyancer will be conducting searches, which enables you to determine vital information about the property, along with potential risks associated with both the seller and the property in question—this is where the best value of conveyancing lies. This is important before any move of exchanging contract, and here is what your searches should oversee:
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Water and drainage
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Flood risks
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Local authority
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Environmental risks
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Planning searches
After conducting searches, your solicitor will now need to review the search results on your behalf, ensuring that no potential headaches will come into play once you purchase the property and move in. Should any issues arise, your solicitor will discuss the problems and remedies with you, along with the possibility of cancelling the contract exchange.
Step 3: Entering the contract exchange
Once your conveyancer deems a property suitable for occupancy, you will be given a final completion statement, mortgage deed, and transfer deed, to be agreed upon and signed by you. Should any issues arise regarding the property in question, your solicitor will work with you to resolve any issues, prior to being legally bound to proceed with the purchase process.
Before signatories will be made, your conveyancer will be duty-bound to conduct a final check, just to ensure that no changes have been made prior to the initial search. Once your signed deeds have been sent to the other party, however, the contract will be exchanged and initial deposits will have been made. At this point, you are now legally required to complete the purchase.
Step 4: Completing the purchase
Once the sale has been completed and the property has been legally transferred to your name, you are now entering into the completion day. Here, your solicitor will be tasked to pay the balance of the sale price, in which the initial deposit should be subtracted.
Once paid, you will now be able to obtain the legally signed transfer deed. Other documents such as the title deeds and other documents will also be received by your solicitor, to be then handed over to you.
Step 5: Organising the post-purchase process
After obtaining all the necessary documents, your solicitor will now be tasked to pay due taxes.
They will also need to collect the deeds and documents once more, as registering your ownership at the Land Registry is vital to the finalisation of the home buying process. After that, your home is now all yours!
Need Help With Conveyancing?
Contrary to what many believe, conveyancing is not a simple process. It involves a considerable amount of work, both in time and in paper, as it requires pondering and detailed advice from trusted sources. Purchasing a property is an investment of a lifetime, and with so much money at stake, it’s integral to arrive at well-informed decisions before agreeing to the services of a conveyancer.
Hiring the right conveyancer will certainly help you through the toughest situations involving the home buying process, but if you fall into the wrong hands, you’ll be in for a challenging and stressful experience.
To ensure that you’re in safe hands, consult the Conveyancing Calculator today. We offer you instant access to online residential conveyancing quotes in the UK, which helps you compare conveyancing fees and arrive at the best possible conveyancing solicitor for your needs.
Whether you’re moving homes or purchasing a home, using our calculator will help you arrive at smart financial decisions, guaranteed to keep the headaches away!
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