Buying a House

Supporting You through every stage of your property purchase

Buying a house is a transformative journey — one that marks a significant chapter in your life.

At AmicusLaw, we understand the profound importance of this process and are dedicated to providing a streamlined conveyancing service, ensuring that your journey to your next home is smooth and secure.

The experienced team at AmicusLaw will become an integral part of the house-buying process, working diligently behind the scenes to ensure that your property transaction proceeds seamlessly. Your conveyancer will conduct essential tasks such as property searches, ensuring there are no hidden issues with the property, and reviewing contracts to safeguard your interests. They will liaise with the seller’s solicitor, manage the transfer of funds, and handle the legal documentation necessary to complete your purchase. With AmicusLaw, you can trust that our dedicated conveyancers are committed to safeguarding your investment and ensuring a stress-free journey to owning your next home.

Our approach

With local offices in Bridgwater, Minehead, Wellington, Yeovil, Martock, Exeter, Taunton, Ilminster and Weymouth. Your personal conveyancing lawyer will take you step by step through every important point in the conveyancing process.

The STAGES OF BUYING A HOUSE

This marks the exciting moment when your offer on a property is officially accepted by the seller, initiating the buying process.

You receive an initial letter containing essential documents, which you need to complete and return to start the conveyancing process.

Your solicitor receives the contract package from the seller’s solicitors, which includes important paperwork about the property.

If required, property searches are conducted, and if you’re securing a mortgage, you’ll receive a mortgage offer detailing the financing terms.

Your solicitor raises detailed enquiries about the property, seeking clarity on various aspects, and sends them to the seller’s solicitor.

Your solicitor receives responses to the raised enquiries from the seller’s solicitor, providing insights into the property’s background.

Once all necessary searches, replies to enquiries, and mortgage offers (if applicable) are received, your solicitor compiles a comprehensive report for you.

Exchange of contracts is the point at which the transaction becomes legally binding. This is a significant milestone in the process, as it means that both parties are now committed to completing the transaction.

Once exchange has taken place, the buyer is liable to pay the deposit to the seller’s solicitor, and the seller is liable to transfer ownership of the property to the buyer on the completion date. If either party fails to complete their obligations after exchange, they may be sued for breach of contract.

It is important to note that exchange does not mean that the buyer can immediately move into the property. This will not happen until the completion date, which is typically two to four weeks after exchange although in some circumstances this can be achieved on the same day.

Completion is the point at which the sale of a property is legally finalised.

On the day of completion, the buyer’s solicitor will transfer the purchase price to the seller’s solicitor. The seller’s solicitor will then release the keys to the property and send the buyer’s solicitor the transfer deed, which is the document that legally transfers ownership of the property to the buyer.

Once the buyer’s solicitor has received the transfer deed, they will register it with the Land Registry. This is the final step in the conveyancing process, and it is the point at which the buyer becomes the legal owner of the property.

Change of address checklist

It is a good idea to start changing your address when you have exchanged contracts. This will give your old address time to be updated on all of your accounts. You may also want to send out a change of address announcement to your friends and family.

We hope this checklist is helpful!

Important points to consider when buying a property with another person

If you are purchasing a property with another person there are some important things that you should consider, especially if you are unmarried or one of you is making a greater financial contribution towards the purchase.

There are also further points to consider if funds are being gifted or loaned from a family member or friend.

This short guide is designed to give you more information about these scenarios.