My fiancee and I are in the process of viewing flats in Earlestown and I am now considering a potential offer. Should I already have a in place at this point? I am planning to take a mortgage with .

It would be sensible to instigate your search sooner rather than later. Once you decide who you want to use and once your offer is accepted you can instruct them to work for you and pass their details on to the estate agent. Given that you are obtaining a mortgage with , make sure you remember to check that your lawyer is on the conveyancing panel.

I have decided to exercise my right to buy my property in Earlestown off the council. I have a mortgage offer with . Conveyancing is new to me. Can I proceed without a solicitor easily? I think we can but we keep being told I should have one. Any advice?

It is not advisable to proceed with a house purchase without a solicitor. The council's solicitor are not acting for you. You need a solicitor for a number reasons. One of which is to verify what plans the Council have for repairs and refurbishment for the next five years. Many leaseholders have been stung for contributions of thousands of pounds. In any event, if you are getting a mortgage with , you will need to appoint a solicitor on the conveyancing panel.

I've digested plenty of mortgage guides, I note that it is considered advisable to get your house surveyed prior to buying it. When I asked my local Earlestown 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. You may wish to consider appointing your own Earlestown surveyor to carry out a survey or prepare a home buyers report on the property. It is up to you to satisfy yourself that the property is structurally sound before you buy it. If the survey or report reveals that building work is needed, you should tell your solicitor. You may wish to renegotiate with the seller.

Should commercial conveyancing searches disclose planned roadworks that could affect a commercial site in Earlestown?

Its becoming the norm that commercial conveyancing solicitors in Earlestown will perform a SiteSolutions Highways report as it reduces the time that conveyancers spend in sourcing accurate data on highways that impact buildings and development assets in Earlestown. The search result sets out definitive data on the adoption status of roads, footpaths and verges, as well as the implication of traffic schemes and the rights of way surrounding a commercial development sites in Earlestown.

For each commercial conveyancing transaction in Earlestown it is critical to investigate the adoption status of roads surrounding a site. Failure to identify developments where adoption procedures have not been dealt with adequately may cause delays to Earlestown commercial conveyancing transactions as well as pose a risk to future plans for the site. These searches are not carried out for residential conveyancing in Earlestown.

The estate agent has sent us the confirmation of our purchase of a new build flat in Earlestown. Conveyancing is necessary evil at the best of times but I have never purchased a new build flat before. Can you give me some examples of some of the questions asked in new build conveyancing.

Here are examples of a few leasehold new build enquiries that you may expect your new-build leasehold conveyancing in Earlestown

The Lease must contain a provision on behalf of the Vendor to pay the service charges in respect of unoccupied units in order to ensure that all services can be provided. Please confirm the Lease plans are architect prepared. There must be mutual enforceability of lessee’s covenants. Has the Lease plan been approved by the Land Registry and if not when will they be lodged for this purpose? Investor purchasers must be able to freely grant unsecured tenancies at market rents without requiring any consents.

We're new to the buying process - agreed a price, but the property agent has warned us that the seller will only move forward if we instruct the agent's preferred conveyancers as they want a ‘quick sale’. My instinct tells me that we should use a local conveyancer with experience of conveyancing in Earlestown

We suspect that the owner is not behind this requirement. If they desire ‘a quick sale', turning down a serious buyer is likely to cause more damage than good. Avoid the agents and go straight to the owners and make sure they understand (a)you are serious purchasers (b)you are ready to progress, with finances arranged © you have nothing to sell (d) you wish to move quickly (e)however you are going to instruct your preferred Earlestown conveyancing lawyers - rather thanthose that will provide their estate agent a commission or achieve conveyancing figures pre-set by corporate headquarters.

I'm buying a apartment in Earlestown. I can find my conveyancer's company on the Law Society's list, but I can't locate my lawyer's name as listed on the regulator's website. Is this a big problem?

Not all staff in the law firm must be listed by the regulator. As long there is a manager qualified to 'oversee' the transaction, the actual day-to-day activity can be undertaken by unqualified staff.