Common Legal Questions: Selling a Property
Posted on 23rd March 2024
Some legal matters do not necessarily require the advice of a qualified solicitor, and people can act for themselves, as a lay person. For example, non-professional executors, when it is a straightforward application, can apply for Probate by themselves; although, if you want to get it right first time, our Solicitors in Preston would not necessarily advise you do apply for probate without seeking legal advice.
One such legal matter for which you cannot, unequivocally act for yourself, however, is when you are buying or selling a property. If you are buying or selling a property, you have to instruct qualified professionals, such as Conveyancing Solicitors in Preston, to ensure that the sale or purchase of your property is carried out correctly.
Contact our Conveyancing Solicitors
I want to sell my house, what do I need to do first?
Well, firstly, you need to have your property valued. The best way to do this is to contact a few local estate agents, or even online estate agents if you prefer, and ask them to carry out a valuation of your property. Have a chat with the agents, and find out which agents best suits you, and your property needs. Remember, estate agents are often far more expensive than solicitors, so make sure you negotiate a percentage deal, or fixed fee, that you are happy with, with your estate agent of choice.
Once you have placed the property for sale on the market, you will probably start receiving offers (this can take months- but hopefully just weeks- speak to your estate agent to find out how long properties in your local area are taking to sell). Once you have received an offer you are happy with, you can accept it and provide your estate agents with your Conveyancing Solicitor’s details.
How much will it cost to sell my property?
Whilst we cannot speak for estate agents and their fees, our Conveyancing Solicitors in Preston charge fixed fees for all the conveyancing work we carry out. Find our full fee list and get an online quote, here.
When selling a property, there will be a few disbursements payable to third parties, and our Conveyancing Solicitors can keep you informed of any disbursements payable as your matter progresses.
What information will my Conveyancing Solicitors need?
Normally, if you hold any original documents for your property, such as Deeds, guarantees, FENSA Certificates, boiler service records, etc, our Conveyancing Solicitors will need these as soon as possible. Our team will also ask for your ID, including photographic ID and a proof of address, dated within the last 3 months.
Our Conveyancing Solicitors will let you know if they need more information throughout your sale process.
I have a mortgage on my property. Do I need to pay this off?
If you have a mortgage secured against your property when you come to sell, our conveyancing solicitors will explain to you that you have to pay this off - it’s secured against your property, so when you no longer own this (on the day of completion), you must no longer have the mortgage. Our Conveyancing Solicitors will request a mortgage redemption statement showing the figure owing on the mortgage, prior to completion, and will let you know what the amount due is before paying it off.
Why choose MG Legal Solicitors?
Transparent fees.
Our solicitors offer their services on a clear fixed-fee or hourly rate, and accept personal injury claims on a no win no fee basis.
We are the experts.
Here at MG Legal, our team of friendly solicitors are fully-qualified and have over thirty years' experience in helping clients just like you.
Regular communication.
When you work with MG Legal, your solicitor will be in regular contact so you have step-by-step updates.
Multiple office locations.
If you are looking to instruct our solicitors, we have offices in Garstang, Longridge, Lancaster, and Lytham for your convenience.
When does the sale become legally binding?
Our conveyancing solicitors would advise you that at the point of exchanging contracts, your property sale will be legally binding. In some cases, sales can fall through after the day of exchange, but this results in penalties for the party who pull out, so it’s not as common as people might fear.
How will I know when moving day is?
Normally, there is a week or more between exchange and completion, the date of completion being agreed in advance by all parties, and then the agreed date is set in stone on exchange of contracts. However, it’s not entirely uncommon for exchange of contracts and completion to happen on the same day - your Conveyancing solicitors will at least usually agree with you a week or so before this date that the intention of both (or all, if the chain is longer than one transaction) parties is to complete on that day and it will usually happen on this day.
When do I get my money after my house is sold?
On the day of completion, the buyer’s solicitors will send the purchase money to the seller’s Conveyancing solicitors, who will let the estate agents know when this has been received. The estate agents should then contact the buyers to confirm that they can collect the keys. By this point, providing that exchange occurred early doors, the sellers will probably have packed up and moved on, either to their new property, or perhaps to a rental property if they are not buying somewhere, yet.
The seller’s conveyancing solicitors will then redeem any mortgage, they will usually pay the estate agents, deduct their own fees and any disbursements from the sale proceeds, and they will then arrange to send you the balance of any sale proceeds. If there’s any delay with paying any of the disbursements, or a retention is required, our conveyancing solicitors may hold onto the proceeds for a couple of days (or longer if otherwise agreed) to ensure that matters are finalised before releasing funds.
So, if you are selling your property and you are ready to instruct Conveyancing Solicitors in Preston, call our team on 01772 783 314 or email property@mglegal.co.uk for your fixed-fee quote.
Our Conveyancing Solicitors are SRA-regulated and CQS-accredited – a testament to their knowledge and credibility as Conveyancing Solicitors.
Fixed-fee Conveyancing Solicitors:
MG Legal's leading Conveyancing Solicitors in Preston offer all of our Conveyancing services on a clear, fixed-fee rate.
Our team put your first, and work with care to ensure that your wishes are met. Call us today on a free, no-obligation basis at: 01772 783 314.
Get in touch today to speak to our Conveyancing Solicitors.
Tagged as: Conveyancing, Solicitors in Preston
Share this post: