House buying and solicitors

When selling their homes, homeowners’ attention is more often than not turned to sprucing up their homes and keeping them tidy!  It is not really until an offer is made and accepted that sellers begin thinking about the conveyancing process and instructing a solicitor.  However, giving some thought to this aspect of the process at an early stage may make the sale process quicker and smoother.

Not only will sellers need to complete paperwork in order to instruct a solicitor, they will also need to complete a variety of forms which are for the benefit of the buyer’s solicitor.  These forms are the fittings and contents form and the property information form.  The property information form requires sellers to provide basic information to the buyer about, amongst other things, the boundaries of the property, any costs (beyond the usual costs for utilities) associated with the property such as contributions towards a shared private road, whether there are any disputes (or potential disputes) with neighbours and whether any works have been carried out to the property. 

The answers to these questions may also require sellers to provide associated paperwork and it is quite common for there to be delays whilst sellers find this paperwork particularly where this may involve liaising with a third party. For example, if sellers have carried out electrical work they may need to provide a building regulations compliance certificate which may involve reverting back to the electrician if the certificate has been lost. 

Instructing a solicitor before an offer is made allows a solicitor to advise sellers on what is needed and, if it is unavailable, how this might be dealt with which should avoid any unnecessary delays once that all important offer is accepted.

Guest blog by Holly Armstrong at Setfords Solicitors

 

 If you have any queries please contact Holly Armstrong at Setfords Solicitors by telephone on 01730 763 116 or 0775 4734296 or via email (harmstrong@setfords.co.uk).

Whilst Setfords’ head office is based in Guildford, Holly is a solicitor based in West Sussex.  She specialises in all aspects of residential, agricultural and commercial property work. Holly prides herself on the individual and personal service she offers clients and works pro-actively with her clients to ensure the conveyancing process is as pain free as possible.  With this in mind Holly provides a flexible service to clients.  She is happy to see clients in their home and is available outside normal office hours and at weekends. 

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