|
Your questions answered... Thinking
of Moving to Scotland?
Should
I buy a house?
Take the plunge... Making the decision to buy a home is one of the
most important financial commitments you will ever make. As it will
probably increase in value, your home could also be your most valuable
investment.
But are you able
to shoulder the responsibility of maintaining and insuring it, and
keeping up with your loan and insurance payments if you've had to
borrow? How much can you afford?
|
Clear the
hurdles
|
|
So - Should
you take the plunge? Your solicitor is here to talk through
and evaluate your circumstances, and help you make the right
choice.
How
do I go about finding a house?
Once you know what you can afford, you can start to look for
your new home. Our local knowledge is invaluable in advising
you on different residential areas, what properties cost,
and how to go about buying a new house from builders, or a
council house. We recommend you visit the Highland Solicitors
Property Centre website www.hspc.co.uk
as it has all the properties for sale through the Property
Centre.
|
Take the plunge
|
What
happens when I've found my house?
We "note your interest" in the property with the selling agents
to make sure the sellers of the house tell you if they decide to
fix a closing date. We make enquiries about the house for you, and
offer advice on the type of valuation or survey that should be done,
and if there is a need for any other special reports to be carried
out. Once these have been arranged by us and carried out, we will
discuss the results with you before proceeding with the purchase.
When you decide
to buy a house, your solicitor usually makes a formal offer on your
behalf. The process of offer and acceptance is important, because
this is how the seller and buyer make their binding contract. The
correspondence between both parties -- written negotiations called
"missives" -- contains all the conditions of the purchase and states
a date of entry, by which the purchase is due to be completed.
Once
there is a binding contract, what happens?
Your solicitor carries out the conveyancing and other work necessary
to get you a good title and settle the purchase by the agreed date.
We are involved in:
- Examining
the title deeds and answering any queries that arise
- Drawing up
the security documents for your loan and reporting to your bank
or building society
- Checking for
local authority proposals and permissions
- Arranging
for all deeds to be signed and all money to be available for settlement
- Checking for
snags under the Matrimonial Homes Act and other legislation
- Settling the
purchase, stamping and registering your title
- Seeing searches
in the public records
- Keeping you
advised at all stages
- Preparing
your title
- Complying with
the Money Laundering Regulations
When your Land
Certificate comes back from recording in Edinburgh, it will go to
your bank or building society if you have a loan. Alternatively,
it can be stored safely in the South Forrest strong room free of
charge.
|
What
other considerations are there?
Buying a house is an important event in your life. It is therefore
sensible to consider if you should make a will or change your
existing will. We can make a will for
you, as part of our standard house purchase procedure.
What
will all this cost?
Click here for our on-line quotation
service. You can also take advantage of an initial free
consultation to discuss general issues concerning house purchase,
and we can supply a written quotation of legal fees and outlays
in advance.
Do
I need to come to your office?
Whilst we are always delighted to meet clients, we are also
happy to take instructions by email,
telephone or fax. We can even sign the house purchase
offer for you.
|
Let us
take the strain
|
So how
should I start?
Easy - click here to generate an email
form, and a member of our conveyancing department will contact
you as soon as possible, or call us on +44 (0)1463 237171, and ask
to speak to Richard Skelton or Rhona Simpson.
Remember from
the day you start to look, to the day you collect your keys, you'll
have the benefit of expert professional advice to ensure your house
purchase goes as smoothly as possible -- and that peace of mind
is worth almost as much as your new home itself!
Thinking
of Moving to Scotland?
|
