Selling a property using solicitors – how, why, and what they do
Selling a property isn’t simple. There are many legal requirements and obligations. If multiple mortgages are involved, there can be financial complexity too.
On top of this, buyers may have legal questions or queries about what the mandatory searches have revealed about your property itself.
In the cases of the thousands of local people we have helped sell property in the century we have been serving Flintshire (Sir y Fflint) communities, we have found sellers’ main goal to be a smooth and stress-free process.
Chiefly, this means good communication on our part. It also means being a full service firm so you can get help with anything related to conveyancing. This might mean everything from remortgaging or advice on leaseholds.
To discuss any of our services, please either call us on 01244 917 822 or complete a Free Online Enquiry.
“We were quite happy with the service you provided. With being local, we were able to visit whenever necessary, which we appreciate, and all phone calls were dealt with by yourselves in a friendly and helpful manner.”
(Mr & Mrs V – Property transaction)
Here are the ways we help you understand and meet all your obligations smoothly and safely when selling property in the UK:
Do I Need A Solicitor To Sell A Property?
Though many people assume it is a requirement, using solicitors for selling a property isn’t actually mandatory as far as the law is concerned.
The only problem is that the vast majority of mortgage lenders only lend if all parties involved have professional legal representation.
This means that even in times like these, when the cost of living continues to rise, it’s not usually possible to avoid using a solicitor to sell a property you own.
There’s also the risk factor. Because when it comes to buying and selling property, large sums of money are involved. If you don’t meet your legal responsibilities, it can get costly later down the line.
What Does A Solicitor Do In A Property Sale?
Your conveyancing solicitors have a large number of responsibilities when you are selling a property.
There are a lot of legal hoops to jump through, many of which are in place to protect you when such large sums of money are at stake.
Here are some of the key tasks that we complete on your behalf:
1) Issue Draft Contracts
The most important pre-exchange task of your property solicitor is to issue draft contracts to the solicitor representing your buyer. This stage includes requesting key information, such as:
- Initial mortgage redemption numbers (sent on to you for confirmation)
- Leasehold information packs (checking that all fees and ground rent are up-to-date)
The buyer’s solicitors will also issue enquiries about the property to us. We always aim to field these based on the information you have given us.
Sometimes though, we’ll need you to answer them. On some occasions, we’ll need to contact the landlord (in a leasehold if this isn’t you) or another party.
This continues until all parties are satisfied. After this, we send you the contract, the transfer documents, and everything else you need to sign.
2) Exchange Of Contracts
After confirming the completion date with the buyer’s solicitor and checking with you that you’re happy, the exchange of contracts will take place.
3) Post-Exchange Tasks
After the exchange of contracts has happened, we complete the next round of tasks. This usually involves getting the final mortgage redemption statement from mortgage lenders, handling ground rent and service charges if you are to be a leaseholder, and sending a completion statement.
When the completion date actually arrives, we confirm that you are happy and redeem the mortgage (if there is one), sending the funds to you. In return, we signal that the buyer can take the keys.
How E A Harris Makes Selling A Property Stress-Free
Communication, communication, communication.
In the more than a century we’ve been serving local people in Shotton, Connah’s Quay, Queensferry, Ewloe, Hawarden and Buckley, we’ve found these are the three keys to ensuring that selling a property using us as your solicitors is as free from stress as possible.
Because few things are more unpleasant when selling a property than not knowing what is going on. That’s why we take such strenuous measures to stay in touch with you, keeping you fully informed as to what is going on at all times.
We take this responsibility seriously. As such, we were the first law firm in North Wales to gain LEXCEL accreditation from the Law Society and we follow Practice Approved Standards and Case Management Systems at all times.
Get In Touch Today.
Please give us a call on 01244 917 822 or complete a Free Online Enquiry to tell us about the property you want to sell. We have extensive experience helping local people sell freehold and leasehold properties in rural communities, urban areas, and everything in between.