Buying and Selling a Home

If you are considering buying or selling a home, it helps to have a solicitor who knows you and is proactively on your side.

Scroll Down
Home > Our Services > For You > Residential Property Solicitors > Buying and Selling a Home

Buying and Selling a Home

Tailored legal service for buying and selling homes in South East England and across the UK

The UK property market can change very quickly. So, if you are considering buying or selling a home, it helps to have a proactive legal expert by your side, someone who knows the market inside out and is always there when you need them.

Across the south-east of England demand for houses is incredibly high. Our specialist lawyers and conveyancers work in this market every day, combining high levels of expertise in all the technical aspects of property law with an unrivalled view of developing hotspots.

We also have excellent trusted relationships with other property-related professionals across the board. This enables us to skilfully manage the pitfalls which give moving home such an unenviable reputation for causing stress, and to optimise the conditions for a smoother transaction.

Based out of offices in St Albans, Harpenden and Luton, our property team is accredited by the Law Society for the standard of our conveyancing practice. We are also on the approved list of solicitors for all major UK lenders. This means we can handle your mortgage lender’s legal work simultaneously, saving you the expense and delay of appointing a second solicitor.

Rest assured, we know everything there is to know about buying and selling a home. Your dedicated legal advisor will keep you informed and consulted throughout the process and act assertively in your interests to make sure the transaction progresses swiftly.

We would encourage you to contact us at the same time as marketing your property, to enable us to gather the relevant documents and complete initial investigations which will help reduce delays in the progression of your transaction.

Similarly, if you are looking at purchasing a property in the near future, we would advise you to contact us as soon possible so that we can start the onboarding and compliance processes in a timely fashion.

To discuss your conveyancing needs or any aspect of the process, don’t hesitate to get in touch with our specialist property conveyancing team.

“Great solicitors, smooth process throughout and most importantly they kept us informed all the way along.
Also easy to contact which is not often the case in this day and age.
Would highly recommend”

Client 5* Review

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

OUr Residential Property team

Insights

Latest residential property insights

17 April 2024

Are you protected from Property Fraud?

For many people, property is their most valuable asset, and they want to ensure it is protected. Those without ample… read more
24 January 2024

Ready, Steady, Sell

You’ve eaten your weight in chocolate, drunk more than you care to admit and sung yourself hoarse (thanks Mariah), but… read more
06 September 2023

Freehold or Leasehold – what’s in a name?!

In England and Wales title to property can either be freehold or leasehold but what does that actually mean, why… read more

FAQs

Frequently asked questions

How much will your services cost?

How will you communicate with me throughout the process?

Generally speaking all correspondence is sent via email, but on some occasions we will need to contact you in hard copy, by post. Generally, telephone and email is the preferred method of communication.

What does the conveyancing process look like?

The conveyancing process refers to the legal transfer of property ownership from one person to another. This process typically involves several steps, including:

  • Pre-contract phase: This is the initial stage where the buyer and seller negotiate the terms of the sale and agree on a price. The seller’s solicitor will also prepare a draft contract of sale and send it to the buyer’s solicitor.
  • Searches and enquiries:  The buyer’s solicitor commissions searches to obtain information about the property held with statutory providers such as the local authority and drainage provider. They will also raise enquiries based on the information supplied by the seller’s solicitor and by the buyer based on their inspection.
  • Exchange of contracts:  Once all the searches and enquiries have been satisfied, the buyer and seller will sign the contract, agree dates for completion (moving) and exchange contracts, making the transaction legally binding on all parties. On exchange of contracts, the buyer will usually pay a 10% deposit. These monies are held by the seller’s solicitor until completion.
  • Completion:  This is the final stage where the balance of the purchase is paid, and the property ownership is legally transferred from the seller to the buyer. From a practical point of view this is also the time that the seller (and their possessions) must have vacated the property and the buyer can collect their keys. The buyer’s solicitor will register the new ownership with the relevant authorities after completion.

It’s worth noting that the conveyancing process can vary depending on the specifics of each transaction, but these are the general steps involved. It’s always a good idea to work with a qualified solicitor or conveyancer to ensure that the process is completed smoothly and legally.

Will you handle the transfer of funds?

All funds relating to the transaction will pass between the buyer’s solicitor and the seller’s solicitor. This includes mortgage funds both from the new mortgage lender on the purchase and mortgage redemption funds sent to the existing mortgage lender on the sale. Monies should not pass direct between buyer and seller.

Our bank details will be provided to you hard copy at the start of your transaction, please retain these details for the entire transaction.

We will never notify you of a change to these details over email or by telephone.

What is the timeframe for completing the sale?

It is difficult to give a precise timeline from inception to completion, due to a number of factors, most of which are beyond our control (for example buyers must carry out searches, surveys and obtain funding). All of these actions rest with third parties, so timing can vary a great deal in any transaction. As a general guideline, freehold transactions are usually quicker than leasehold transactions, as there are less third parties involved in the process.

What documents do I need to provide?

This will be detailed by our Taylor Walton Welcome team, but on all transactions we require formal identification for each person we act for. We will also require proof of your source of funding for any purchase transaction and also information forms relating to any property you are selling.

What happens if the sale falls through?

A house sale falling through can be a frustrating experience for both the buyer and the seller. There are several reasons why a sale may fall through. The most common reasons include issues with financing, the survey revealing problems, or the buyer simply changing their mind.

If a sale falls through, the seller typically puts the home back on the market. The seller may also have to make repairs or address issues that were discovered during the survey.

If a transaction falls through, it’s important to work with your estate agent to identify the reasons why the sale fell through and take steps to address those issues before putting the home back on the market.

COntact

Request a call back

We’ll arrange a no-obligation call back at a time to suit you.