We're in March, First time buyers buying with a mortgage (lender is Santander , and our lawyer is on the Santander conveyancing panel). How long should the conveyancing process take?

The fact that your lawyer is on the Santander conveyancing panel is a help. It would almost certainly delay matters if they were not. However, no conveyancing practitioner should guarantee a timeframe for your conveyancing, due to third parties outside of your control such as delays caused by lenders,conveyancing search providers or by the other side’s solicitors. The time taken is often determined by the number of parties in a chain.

I decided to have a survey carried out on a property in March before retaining conveyancers. I have been informed that there is a flying freehold overhang to the property. Our surveyor has said that some banks will not give a loan on a flying freehold property.

It depends who your proposed lender is. Bank of Scotland has different requirements from Birmingham Midshires. If you contact us we can check via the appropriate lender. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can assist as they are used to dealing with flying freeholds in March. Conveyancing will be smoother if you use a solicitor in March especially if they are accustomed to such properties in March.

Given that I am about to part with £400,000 on a property in March I would like to have a conversation with the solicitor about myhome move in advance of instructing the firm. Is this something that you can arrange?

We could not agree more - it is our preference to talk to you we do not take any clients on without you first talking to the conveyancer due to be conducting your property ownership legalities in March.There is no ‘factory style conveyancing’ - each client is an important individual, not a file number. The solicitors that we put you in touch with believe that the figure you are provided with for your conveyancing in March should be the amount on the final invoice that you end up paying.

My husband and I are novice buyers - had an offer accepted, but the property agent informed us that the vendor will only go ahead if we use their preferred conveyancers as they want a ‘quick sale’. Our preferred option is to instruct a family conveyancer used to conveyancing in March

It is unlikely the owners are driving this. Should the seller want ‘a quick sale', turning down a motivated purchaser is likely to cause more damage than good. Speak to the owners direct and explain that (a)you are genuine buyers (b)you are excited to move forward, with mortgage lined up © you do not need to sell (d) you wish to move quickly (e)however you intend to instruct your preferred March conveyancing firm - not the ones that will earn their estate agent a kickback or meet his conveyancing thresholds pre-set by head office.

I am in the process of buying my first property in March. Conveyancing lawyer has been appointed. The broker pointed out that a survey is not necessary as the house is only 20 yrs old.

At the very least you should have a Home Buyer's Report. As the residence was constructed more than a decade ago the property will not come with a warranty, so you would be well advised not to take a risk. For a property that age with no signs of problems a Home Buyer's report may be enough. The report should highlight any obvious issues and suggest additional investigation if appropriate. Where there are any indications of material issues get a comprehensive structural survey.