While you are looking for a property, you should also look to hire a solicitor to do the ‘conveyancing’ – this is the legal work to transfer ownership of the property from the seller to you. It is a good idea to choose a solicitor before you start looking at properties, because as soon as you have an offer accepted, the estate agent will ask for your solicitor’s details to pass onto the seller’s solicitor. Your solicitor will also check that the sale of the property is legal – that the person who is selling the property owns it and has the right to sell it, and that nobody else could claim to own it.
Solicitor’s fees vary and may be either a percentage of the price of the home, or a flat fee. You will usually be charged additional fees for things like telephone, postage, search fees and registering deeds. So, before you choose a solicitor ask several different solicitors for written quotes and details about their professional fees and other costs.
See the CCPC Finding a Solicitor guide for more information:
Finding a solicitor (PDF 130Kb)
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