It is a dozen years since I acquired my house in Hale End. Conveyancing lawyers have now been appointed on the sale but I am unable to track down my title documents. Is this a major issue?
You need not be too concerned. Firstly the deeds may be with your lender or they may be in the possession of the conveyancers who handled your purchase. Secondly in most cases the property will be registered at the land registry and you will be able to establish that you own the property by your conveyancing lawyers obtaining current official copies of the land registers. Nearly all conveyancing in Hale End involves registered property but in the rare situation where your property is unregistered it is more tricky but is resolvable.
I'm in the throws of viewing apartments in Hale End and I am now considering a potential offer. Should I already have a appointed at this stage? I will be getting a home loan with .
It would be prudent to commence your search sooner rather than later. After you have chosen your lawyer and once your offer is accepted you can instruct them to work for you and forward their details on to the EA. Given that you are obtaining a mortgage with , ask your prospective lawyers if they are on the conveyancing panel otherwise they can't do the mortgage legal work.
Having read lots of mortgage guides, I note that it is considered advisable to get your house surveyed prior to buying it. When I asked my local Hale End solicitor - who is on the conveyancing panel - on this she said they don't do this and I need to contract an independent surveyor. is that correct?
will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually will appoint their own surveyor to do this, and you will have to pay for it. Remember that this is a valuation for mortgage purposes and not a survey. Your will not organise the survey but they may be able to put you in touch with a local one that they recommend. RICS offers a find a surveyor service (just google it) where you can search for a qualified surveyor by your Hale End postcode. As you are getting a mortgage with , you could contact them to see if they have a list of approved surveyors in Hale End.
My offer on a detached house in Hale End has been agreed to, but there is a chain. The sellers have offered on a flat, however it’s not been accepted yet, and have viewings of other apartments booked. I have chosen a nearby conveyancing solicitor in Hale End. What do I do now? At what stage do I apply for the mortgage with ?
It is understandable to have apprehensions where there is a chain as you are unlikely to want to incur expenses too early (home loan application is in the region of £1k, then valuation, Hale End conveyancing search fees, etc). The first thing to do is check that your is on the conveyancing panel. As to the next phase this very much depends on the specifics of your case, desire for this property and on the state of the market. In a rising market many home buyers will apply for a home loan with and arrange for the valuation and only if it comes back ok would they request their to move forward with searches.
I am downsizing from our house in Hale End and according to the buyers it appears that there is a possibility that the property was built on contaminated land. A local conveyancer would know this is not the case. For the life of me I don't know why the purchasers are using a national conveyancing firm rather than a conveyancing solicitor in Hale End. We have lived in Hale End for three years we know of no issue. Should we get in touch with our local Authority to get clarification that there is no issue.
It would appear that you have a conveyancing solicitor already. Are they able to advise? You should check with your lawyer before you do anything. It is very possible that once the local authority has been informed of a potential issue it cannot be insured against (a bit like being diagnosed with a serious illness and then taking out life insurance to cover that same ailment)
Due to the input of my in-laws I had a survey completed on a property in Hale End before instructing solicitors. I have been told that there is a flying freehold aspect to the house. Our surveyor has said that some banks tend not issue a loan on such a home.
It depends who your proposed lender is. Lloyds has different instructions from Halifax. If you call us we can investigate further with the relevant bank. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can help as they are accustomed to dealing with flying freeholds in Hale End. Conveyancing may be slightly more expensive based on your lender's requirements.
My husband and I are FTB’s - agreed a price, yet the selling agent has warned us that the vendor will only move forward if we appoint their preferred lawyers as they are insisting on a ‘quick sale’. My instinct tells me that we should use a family solicitor accustomed to conveyancing in Hale End
It is highly unlikely the vendors are behind this. If they desire ‘a quick sale', turning down a genuine purchaser is not the way to achieve this. Avoid the agents and go straight to the owners and make sure they understand (a)you are motivated buyers (b)you are ready to progress, with mortgage lined up © you have nothing to sell (d) you intend to proceed fast (e)but you are going to instruct your preferred Hale End conveyancing solicitors - rather thanthe ones that will give their negotiator at the agency a referral fee or achieve conveyancing targets set by corporate headquarters.