For those looking to buy their first home, the conveyancing process can be overwhelming. There is a lot to organise and co-ordinate, including legal matters, financial arrangements and regulations to comply with. Our experience and knowledge has enabled us to streamline the conveyancing process so that all the above matters are dealt with smoothly and quickly.
To help you understand how it works, our conveyancing experts have answered the most common questions when buying or selling a property. Simply browse the guide below and you’ll understand more about what happens when selling or buying a house.
What is the definition of the conveyancing process?
We define conveyancing as the legal transfer of property from one owner to another. The key stages are exchange of contracts when everyone knows the transaction will proceed and completion when everyone moves.
There is a lot of legal and administrative work to do before we can exchange contracts and complete. While the conveyancing process is fairly similar for each transaction, each transaction will be different. So while all the conveyancing solicitors in the chain carry out those legal and administrative checks, it can be quite stressful.
If you are obtaining a mortgage, a conveyancing solicitor acts on behalf of the buyer and the lender. All the lender’s conditions in the mortgage offer must be dealt with before funds can be requested from them. We therefore urge buyers to check their mortgage offer and ensure any conditions are dealt with as soon as possible.
What is the usual conveyancing process when buying a house?
Every house purchase is different in its own way and often comes with its own challenges. The typical conveyancing process is as follows:
“I moved to Lincoln in September 2012 to attend university where I studied English Literature. I fell in love with the city and knew when I graduated in September 2015 I didn’t want to move back to my small Suffolk village. I applied to be a Legal Administrator in the Conveyancing Department at Home Property Lawyers and was lucky enough to be offered the job, which started only 10 days after my graduation. After being in the Admin team for 6 months I was promoted to Conveyancing Assistant where I was moulded by two experienced Senior Conveyancers over the course of just under two years, learning to be a Conveyancing Executive myself. In February 2018 I was promoted to Conveyancing Executive and I can honestly say there is no job quite like it… There is nothing better than making that call at the end of the process to confirm that we have completed and hearing the excitement in a clients voice. That’s the reason I do the job! Now in 2022 having been working at Home Property Lawyers for over six and a half years I have come full circle and am in the process of buying my first home In the city. This has given me a brand new insight into the process and I can absolutely sympathise with and appreciate the stresses involved in the process which I think has really helped me to be empathetic towards my clients and make the process as smooth as it can possibly be for them.”
Dominic Reeve, Conveyancing Executive