Buying property in Southampton is a way to climb the property ladder easily. There are many places in Southampton where you can buy property at an affordable price. However, when buying property, the conveyancing process is the most complicated. Most people shy away from this process because of the many legal formalities required.
If you’re buying a new home for the first time, you should hire a property solicitor to take you through the conveyancing process. The legal process of buying property in the UK involves the following steps.
Step #1 – Instructing a property solicitor
The first step to buying property is making an offer. Once you have the offer ready, you can proceed to instruct local conveyancers or property solicitors in Southampton. Instruct your property solicitor to help you buy the property in Southampton.
Your solicitor will send a questionnaire for completion. The property seller will rely on the terms of the reply to decide whether they should proceed with the transaction or not. That said, you should give correct answers when filling out the questionnaire.
Step #2 – Enquiries and searches
The next step to buying property in Southampton is doing inquiries and searches. The property seller obtains a certificate of ownership or Title Deed and gets all information on the property. The seller’s solicitor prepares a contract for the sale of the property and sends this information to the buyer’s solicitor.
Additionally, the buyer’s solicitor does local authority searches to find out any underlying issues with the property. Searches unveil any issues in the property that the buyer should beware of. Some searches should touch on environmental, drainage, mining, chancel, and local. You should consider these vital searches before committing to buying property in Southampton.
Step #3 – Secure mortgage and property survey
The next step to buying property is to secure a mortgage if you are not buying on a cash basis. You want to ensure a positive credit score when applying for a mortgage. The mortgage lender will consider the search information and your credit score to determine how much they should lend you.
When applying for a mortgage, you can ask the lender to do a home buyer’s survey while doing the valuation. You can also arrange for an independent house survey as you wish.
Step #4 – Signing of contract
Once your solicitor has received the paperwork from the seller’s solicitor, the search results, and a copy of the buyer’s mortgage offer, he will go through the documents and send a written report advising you on the next step. The solicitor should also discuss all the issues about the property on the report.
Step #5 – Exchanging the contracts
The next step after signing the paperwork, the property solicitor should proceed with the exchange of contracts. This is done once the seller’s solicitor and the buyers are satisfied that everything is intact.
At this point, the completion date or date of moving is agreed upon and included in the contract. Remember that until the contracts are fully exchanged, you are not fully committed to the proceeding. The buyer’s solicitor should leave at least seven days between the exchange of contracts and completion.
Final Thoughts
When buying property in Southampton, it is vital to go through the legal process fully. You should ensure your solicitor does all the relevant searches and paperwork. When buying property, you should hire a qualified property solicitor to guide you through. Make sure you do due diligence on the property before making a principal deposit and signing the contracts for completion.
