Property Law
BUYING & SELLING PROPERTY
Experienced Law Team
Buying and selling property can appear daunting. Whether you are a first time buyer, or an investor dealing with a portfolio of properties, there are countless issues to consider.
At Cooper Stott, each matter is dealt with by an experienced lawyer and their personal assistant. Experience has taught us that working together like this allows us to progress your transaction as quickly and efficiently as possible. You will know who to contact and there will always be someone who knows the ins and outs of your transaction available to take your call.
We want you to feel comfortable from the point of instruction to you collecting the keys and we will keep you informed and involved with the process from the very beginning to completion.
Every member of our property team – both lawyers and support staff have a minimum of 12 years’ experience. We have the knowledge and expertise to progress your case quickly, while ensuring that all questions that need to be asked are asked.
Conveyancing
The vast majority of our conveyancing work will be conducted at a fixed fee and we will be upfront about any possible extra charges at the outset so you can plan for our costs from day one.
We are experienced in all matters of residential conveyancing including:
Buying and Selling
Standalone sales and purchases or dealing with both as part of a chain.
Re-Mortgages
Handling the legal work involved when you refinance your property.
Transfers of Equity
Transferring the legal ownership of a property when circumstances change
Investment Property
Acting for individuals and companies buying and selling tenanted or untenanted properties
Sale and Purchase of Land
Dealing with parcels of land of all sizes
Frequently asked questions
When should I instruct my solicitor?
Ideally, you should let the estate agent have your solicitor’s details at the point that your sale or purchase is agreed. This means that the paperwork can be issued/reviewed as soon as possible. Don’t worry if you haven’t thought this far ahead though, you can instruct us after the offer has been accepted.
When should I apply for a mortgage?
If you know that you require mortgage finance, many Estate Agents will require you to have a mortgage in principle which shows how much money a lender will be prepared to lend you. It is only once an offer has been agreed that you can inform the lender of the purchase price and apply for a mortgage offer.
I’m buying a new build property and the builder has insisted I exchange within 28 days. Is this possible?
In principle yes. This is a tight time frame but if the builder provides a full pack of papers on day one and the searches which have to be carried out arrive back in time, this is a workable timescale. Most builders allow a degree of flexibility if the transaction is well progressed and there are perhaps just a few outstanding matters to be dealt with.
What is the difference between exchange and completion?
A property sale or purchase does not become legally binding until both parties have signed a contract and their solicitors have exchanged (swapped and dated) contracts over the phone. Either party can walk away from the transaction up until this point.
What is gazumping?
A property sale/purchase does not become legally binding until contracts are formally exchanged.