Sales
Legal costs
There are two main elements to the legal costs of selling a property
- our charges;
- expenses we must pay out on your behalf
Our charges
Our charges and the expenses we must pay out on your behalf will vary significantly from property to property. An example quote for a mortgaged leasehold property worth £160,000 can be downloaded below. In order that we may provide you with an accurate no-obligation quote, please use our instant quote tool or call us on 01457 835597.
Likely timescale and key stages
A typical straightforward sale usually takes 6-8 weeks from receiving your instructions to completion or 8-12 weeks from instructions to completion if the property is Leasehold. Of course, it is difficult to confirm at the outset whether your matter will be “straightforward”, there may be complications along the way such as a long chain, issues arising with a property in the chain such as an absent freeholder, difficulties with your buyer’s mortgage, etc. Whilst we are unable to predict any such delays, communication is key and we will ensure that you are updated at every stage along the way.
COVID-19 – Please note that due to the ongoing pandemic, timescales may vary as a result of matters beyond our control.
Most matters of this nature involve the following key stages:
- Initial Stage – Offer is accepted and Solicitors are instructed
- Pre-Contract – Seller’s Solicitors gather information from the seller and then send the Contract to the buyer’s Solicitor. Buyer’s solicitor will obtain searches required in relation to the property and raise any enquiries they may have and request any additional information they may need.
- Pre-Exchange – Once the Buyer’s Solicitor is satisfied with the replies to their enquiries and searches results, they will arrange for the Buyer to sign the contract and will request the deposit from them. We will ask you to sign the Contract at this stage to be held on our file pending the next stage.
- Exchange of Contracts – Once the Buyer’s Solicitor is in receipt of the deposit, they will contact us to advise they are ready to exchange contracts. We will then check the proposed completion date with you and obtain your authority to exchange contracts. Once contracts are exchanged both parties are legally bound to continue with the sale through the completion on the agreed date.
- Completion – On the date of completion, the Buyer’s Solicitor will send the funds though to us. Once we are in receipt of the funds, we will authorise the release of the keys. We will then pay off any existing mortgage secured on the property, any estate agents fees and if applicable, return any balance due to you.
Our expertise
Our team has over 30 years of collective experience in delivering high-quality work in all matters relating to residential conveyancing. The team has particular expertise in residential sales, purchases, re-mortgages and transfers of equity.
For details of the members of the team who may work on your matter, please see: our conveyancing page. Regardless of who works on your matter, they will be supervised by Sarah Major, a Chartered Legal Executive.
