Selling a property- DIY?

potatolord

potatolord

potatolord

Soldato
Joined
21 Jan 2010
Posts
3,819
I'm about to sell my old flat. There is no chain and I'm just selling for cash, effectively?

What exactly is the point of a solicitor?

I won't have searches etc, so what do they add?

I'm happy to pay if they save me pain/ offer legal protection. I just don't want to pay if
they offer nothing much useful...
 
Last edited:
Unless you are suitably qualified to deal with all the legal work, you need a solicitor.

Regardless of how easy you "think" it might be, it won't be.

I recently sold a house which I owned since new, relatively straightforward sale - Or so I thought, until things started getting complicated. You never know what the buyers solicitor is going to ask for.

Stop trying to skimp and do it properly.
 
I have never had a problem with any of my house transactions; I have always used the same solicitor though. I very much doubt a buyers solicitor would deal with anyone that isn't a solicitor, so even if you knew how to ensure that money was legitimate, how to transfer over title deeds legally etc I doubt you could process a sale without one. Just find a good one; they are not even expensive, normally less than an estate agent which, if you think about it, is ludicrous!
 
The cost of getting a conveyancer to handle a sale is pretty cheap. Just get some garbage online shop to handle it, costs about £300.

They handle getting the legal details right, ensuring the contract is in place, that the money is handled properly, that things are registered with the Land Registry correctly, and so on.
 
Last edited:
To be frank, unless you're selling your flat as cheap as chips, then I'm not sure any prospective buyer will want to continue a purchase when they find out you don't have a conveyancer doing the legal work.

Unless you know what legal documents you need to send, and how they're filled in, it's not likely you'll be able to do them yourself.

You also mention selling a flat - presumably that's in some sort of shared building, perhaps only a leasehold? That'll add some complications to the legal side of things.
 
FNG said:
I have never had a problem with any of my house transactions; I have always used the same solicitor though. I very much doubt a buyers solicitor would deal with anyone that isn't a solicitor, so even if you knew how to ensure that money was legitimate, how to transfer over title deeds legally etc I doubt you could process a sale without one. Just find a good one; they are not even expensive, normally less than an estate agent which, if you think about it, is ludicrous!
Click to expand...
This the quality of the solicitor is the absolute key here! When we bought our house last year our solicitor effectively saved the whole process from collapse. She took over the conveyancing for a BTL mortgage we were using on another property to fund the purchase and turned round weeks and weeks of delays in 48hrs she then fixed the sellers solicitors work and dragged the whole thing kicking and screaming over the line during the Christmas break. Worth absolutely every penny and the cost was pretty minimal in the house buying process. Yes you could do it yourself but I’m not sure it is worth the hassle I would however avoid online conveyancing shops like the plague if anything goes even slightly off script the computer says no and your purchase dies!
 
Use a solicitor. I am a solicitor (nothing to do with property, though), and even I haven't the foggiest how to register transactions at the Land Registry. Plus if it goes wrong, having a solicitor gives you someone to sue. I've had a number of clients who have outright told me that they only ask me for advice because of the firm's insurance!
 
Bear said:
Hmm difficult one as my list is quite long. I think that anyone that works for the Daily Mail and Express deserved to be shot in the face with a sawn off first
Click to expand...
Journalism (or at least the "journalism" from the likes of Daily Mail) will mostly be on that long wall too if I'm right in thinking he's referring to the impending AI revolution
 
I have bought two repossessions, no searches done, no solicitor, straight "cash" buys. No problems. i have bought houses using a solicitor and the issues caused by both buyer and seller's solicitors ,due to incompetence, illiteracy or sloppy, tardy work have been immense. If you buy at auction sales progress fast with no solicitor.... They like to say they are a pre requisite, but they are not in many cases. Rather like letting agencies they sap profits but often give little in return.

Years ago conveyancing was transacted competently and quickly, now the situation is usually protracted and full of totally avoidable miscommunications, no communications or plain mismanagements.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom