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The Complete Guide to Conveyancing – a guide for first time buyers!

The Complete Guide to Conveyancing – a guide for first time buyers!

Buying your first home is an exciting time, but it can be fraught with stress and uncertainty. It is also a process that appears shrouded in mystery, when you ask family and friends they all nod sagely at your comments and seem to know all there is to know about the process. You, however, seem to remain slightly mystified by the whole thing.

The process can take several weeks, sometimes the need for one piece of the paperwork seems to hold everything up for weeks. When this piece of paper arrives and before you know where you are, you are standing on the threshold of your new property!

But what is the process and what is conveyancing?

When you purchase a property, you hold the ‘title’ to the land and so you must be sure that the seller is the owner, that they have the right to sell the property and that there is no legal reason why this cannot happen. To conveyance is to transfer the legal title of the property from one person to another, including also, in the majority of cases, the granting of a mortgage.

Some property sales and purchase transactions pass without a hitch, but sometimes there can be some issues that need dealing with. The best person to guide you through these is a conveyancer. After all, they the specialists who deal with such an exchange.

There are two landmark moments in the buying process: the exchange of contracts and the completion of the sale when the legal title passes from the seller to you.

Finding a Conveyancer online

There are now specialist companies who offer the Conveyancing service online and can represent excellent value for money. Buying or selling a property is not something that most people will do too frequently and so having a specialist onside to oversee the process can be a distinct advantage. If nothing else, it helps to minimise the stress of buying or selling a home!

Using an online conveyancer is becoming an increasingly popular choice, as highlighted by The Guardian http://www.theguardian.com/money/2013/feb/15/choosing-conveyancer-2013.

Conveyancer checks…

Like all professionals, conveyancers will welcome the opportunity to talk you through the process and what they can offer you as part of their service:

Insurance – professional indemnity insurance is an essential component when you engage a conveyancer. It is unlikely that your mortgage provider will allow you to use someone who is not registered and insured. These two essential components protect you should something go wrong after completion Experience – this is a specialist area of law and so you need to be confident that your chosen conveyancing firm have the combined experience amongst their team to complete your transaction successfully. Does size matter? – Some buyers opt to use larger firms that can offer many advantages, but what is essential is having someone knowledgeable to answer your queries and concerns, when you need them! Local or National? – Some people like to use local firms as they like to meet with their conveyancer face-to-face. Increasingly, those people who are happy to deal with their sale or purchase via email or phone are turning to online conveyancing companies.

Please use these points as a basis for the questions you need to ask various firms, but remember that a quick and efficient personal service is essential to keep the purchase process moving.

Getting the right deal

As with commissioning any professional, there are some key aspects to bear in mind when looking at what a conveyancing company can offer you:

Price – clearly you do not want to pay too much but you do want an efficient, professional and timely service. No move, no fee - likewise you do not want to pay if the purchase of your property ‘fall’s through’ or fails for whatever reason Case tracking – most online conveyancing companies offer an online tracking system, a great way to see what is happening and when at any stage during your transaction. Support – during the process you will need to talk to someone to have your questions answered; many companies offer telephone support 7 days a week, as well as email contact. No hidden fees – it is important to check what is and, probably more importantly, what is not included in the fee structure. Buying or selling a house is expensive and what you don’t want is to find you have another unexpected bill to pay.

Are online firms the best option?

There are no set rules to choosing the right online service, but it is becoming increasingly popular. Make sure you ask the ‘right’ questions, and these questions are well explained.

The most important aspect is that you feel comfortable with the company that you instruct and the people you will be dealing with. Read the small print so the possibility of nasty surprises is negated! This article was written by http://www.onlineconveyancingquote.co.uk/

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Nigel Vokes .