Advice on legal services

Instruct a property solicitor sooner rather than later

By Jon Lay, Head of Legal Services at haart

Buying and selling a property is not only stressful but it can also be an expensive process. Costs for removal firm, stamp duty, energy efficiency certificate, mortgage fees and survey all mount up, which is why it’s important you don’t get caught out with the cost of unexpected legal fees.

When buying and selling a home you will use a solicitor to embark on the transfer of the cash and mortgage, as well as undertaking arrangements to determine the legal ownership of land and property via the Land Registry.

It is therefore really important that you enlist the professional support of a conveyancer at the earliest stages of the buying and selling process. This ensures you are in the best position to move as quickly as possible and mitigate against any unexpected delays.

Above all else, it’s imperative to carefully read the small print on any quotes received, as there are some firms who will attempt to entice your custom with a mouth-wateringly competitive fixed fee – only to levy additional ‘search costs’ upon completion.

Searches make up a large proportion of legal costs and here at haart we offer clients peace of mind so that if a property transaction fails to complete then the search fees will be waived. When it comes to legal fees we operate a ‘no sale no fee’ approach and what customers are quoted at the beginning is what they pay, so it’s completely transparent.

For further information about listing your property with haart, OnTheMarket.com and Rightmove.co.uk, or finding your perfect home, please call 0845 899 9999 from 8am to 10pm every day – or visit your local branch.