I was recommended to a conveyancer who has sent a quote for £1200 for fixed fee conveyancing in Wigan. I’m hoping to sell a Georgian house for £175,000. Are these conveyancing fees excessive? Is it in excess of what I should be paying for conveyancing in Wigan?
The estimate does seem marginally overpriced. Where you are happy to expend time scrutinising charges you may be able to trim some of the cost by say a hundred pounds. On the other hand, you maylive to rue choosing an an untested solicitor. Remember to be sure the conveyancer can represent your mortgage company. Do use our search tool to choose a Wigan conveyancing company on the lender’s member panel which can often include conveyancing solicitors in Wigan.
It is a dozen years since I acquired my house in Wigan. Conveyancing lawyers have just been appointed on the sale but I am unable to find the title documents. Is this a problem?
You need not be too concerned. First there is a possibility that the deeds will be kept by the lender or they may be in the possession of the solicitor who oversaw your purchase. Secondly the likelihood is that the property will be recorded at the land registry and you will be able to prove you own the property by your conveyancing solicitors procuring up to date copy of the land registers. Most conveyancing in Wigan involves registered property but in the unlikely event that your home is not registered it adds to the complexity but is not insurmountable.
What happens if my solicitor is removed from the Barclays Solicitor panel ahead of completing my conveyancing in Wigan?
First, this is a very rare occurrence. In most cases even where a law firm is removed off of a panel the lender would allow the completion to go ahead as the lender would appreciate the difficulties that they would place you in if you have to instruct a new solicitor days before completion. In a worst case scenario where the lender insists that you instruct a new firm then it is possible for a very good lawyer to expedite the conveyancing albeit that you may pay a significant premium for this. The analogous situation is where a buyer instructs a lawyer, exchanges contracts and the law firm is shut down by a regulator such as the SRA. Again, in this situation you can find lawyers who can troubleshoot their way to bring the conveyancing to a satisfactory conclusion - albeit for a fee.
My aunt pointed out to me me that in buying a property in Wigan there could be a number of restrictions limiting what one can do in terms of external changes to the property. Is this right?
We are aware of anumerous of properties in Wigan which have some sort of restriction or requirement of consent to perform external alterations. Part of the conveyancing in Wigan should determine what restrictions are applicable and advising you as part of a ROT that should be sent to you.
I can not fathom if my bank requires a lease extension. I have telephoned my Wigan building society branch on various occasions and was informed it wasn't an issue and they will lend. My Wigan conveyancing solicitor - who is on the mortgage company conveyancing panel- telephoned to say that they refuse to lend based on their specific requirements. Who do I believe?
Provided that the conveyancer is on the mortgage company panel, they must adhere to the Council of Mortgage Lenders’ Handbook provisions for the bank. Unless your lawyer obtains specific confirmation in writing that the mortgage company will go ahead, your lawyer has no choice but to refrain from exchanging contract and committing you to the purchase. We would suggest that you ask the bank to contact your lawyer in writing confirming that they will accept the number of years left on the lease.
I recently had an offer accepted on a house in Wigan. My mortgage broker recommended their conveyancers. I paid an upfront payment of £150. Not long after, the solicitor called me to say that they were not on the Clydesdale conveyancing panel. Am I right in thinking that I should be due a refund?
You should be able to recover this from the law firm if they were not on the Clydesdale panel. They should have asked at the outset which lender you were obtaining a mortgage with. An important lesson to readers of this site is to check that the lawyers are on the appropriate lender panel.
What will a local search inform me concerning the house we're purchasing in Wigan?
Wigan conveyancing often commences with the applying for local authority searches directly from your local Authority or through a personal search organisations for instance PSG The local search is essential in every Wigan conveyancing purchase; as long as you wish to avoid any nasty surprises after you move into your new home. The search will provide data on, amongst other things, details on planning applications relevant to the property (whether granted or refused), building control history, any enforcement action, restrictions on permitted development, nearby road schemes, contaminated land and radon gas; in all a total of 13 subject headings.
How does conveyancing in Wigan differ for new build properties?
Most buyers of new build residence in Wigan come to us having been asked by the builder to sign contracts and commit to the purchase even before the house is built. This is because builders in Wigan tend to acquire the real estate, plan the estate and want to get the plots sold off as they are building the properties. Buyers, therefore, will have to exchange contracts without actually seeing the house they are buying. To reduce the chances of losing the property, buyers should instruct conveyancing solicitors as soon as the property is reserved and mortgage applications should be submitted quickly. Due to the fact that it could be several months and even years between exchange of contracts and completion, the mortgage offer may need to be extended. It would be wise to use a lawyer who specialises in new build conveyancing especially if they are accustomed to new build conveyancing in Wigan or who has acted in the same development.