Selling your home

Whether you have a house or a flat the process includes the following:

• Obtaining the deeds from you, or your lender (if the property is mortgaged) and preparing a title package to send to the buyer’s solicitors
• Preparing and negotiating a sale contract with the buyer’s solicitors
• Advising you in the completion of a Property Information Form and a list of the fixtures and fittings to be included in the sale, and dealing with any additional enquiries raised by your buyer
• Exchanging contracts for sale, having agreed a date for completion
• Agreeing the form of transfer or conveyance to the buyer and the completion statement with the buyer’s solicitors
• Providing you with our solicitors’ account
• Completing the transfer, repaying any mortgage and paying the estate agent’s fees (if applicable) out of the proceeds of sale

HIP requirements on a sale

Changes introduced by the Government in 2007 now place a requirement upon sellers of all residential properties to provide a Home Information Pack (HIP) to potential buyers. The HIP must have been commissioned before the property can even be marketed by the selling agents.

There are a number of agencies including estate agents and solicitors who are able to produce a HIP on behalf of a seller and as part of our overall conveyancing service we can include the provision of HIPs on behalf of our selling clients at competitive prices.

For further information on our HIPs in general please refer to the linked information sheet.

Buying your home

We will carry out the following steps (as applicable) on your behalf:

• Investigate all legal aspects of the house or flat you intend to buy on your behalf by considering the title package supplied by your seller’s solicitors, raising enquiries as necessary and carrying out the usual range of searches including a local search. These investigations are designed to establish the seller’s ability to sell the property to you, and the nature of all rights, interests, covenants and other matters which may affect and/or benefit the property.
• If you are borrowing money by way of a mortgage we will also usually be instructed to act for your lender in connection with the mortgage. The mortgage offer will be issued before exchange of contracts.
• Obtain payment from you of the deposit you agree to pay on exchange of contracts
• Exchange contracts for purchase, having agreed a completion date
• Report to your lender and request the mortgage advance from them in time for completion
• Carry out final searches and agree a completion statement with the seller’s solicitors
• Provide you with our solicitors’ account
• Complete the purchase and any mortgage deed
• Deal with the post-completion formalities such as payment of stamp duty on the transfer or conveyance, registration of your title to the property at HM Land Registry and (in the case of leasehold property) notifying the landlord that you are the new leasehold owner.

You will be advised to carry out a survey of the property, as it is not advisable to rely on the lender’s (if any) valuation report which is not a full structural survey.

For further information please contact Amanda Clark or Nicky Bevan.