Selling a House
If you are selling a house or apartment, involving your solicitor at an early stage can help to avoid delays once a buyer has been found.
Before contracts can be issued, your solicitor will need to assemble the title and other legal documentation relating to the property. Identifying missing documents or title, planning or other issues early can make the conveyancing process considerably smoother once your property goes sale agreed.
Our conveyancing solicitors can prepare the legal documentation for your sale, deal with the buyer’s solicitor and guide the transaction through to completion.
When should I contact a solicitor about selling my house?
You do not need to wait until you have accepted an offer to contact your solicitor. In many cases, it is helpful to instruct a solicitor when you decide to put the property on the market.
This gives us an opportunity to obtain the title documents and begin preparing the contract for sale. If documents are missing or a legal issue needs to be addressed, work can begin before a buyer is waiting for contracts.
Preparing the contract for sale
Once we have the necessary title documentation, we will prepare the contract for sale and the supporting legal documents to be sent to the buyer’s solicitor.
The documentation required will depend on the property and its title. We will review the available documentation and identify any matters that should be dealt with before or during the sale.
Once contracts have issued, the buyer’s solicitor may raise queries concerning the property. We will deal with those queries in consultation with you and progress the transaction towards signing of contracts.
Title and planning issues
Issues relating to title, planning or alterations to a property can sometimes arise during a sale. These may need to be addressed before a purchaser is prepared to proceed.
Dealing with potential issues at an early stage can reduce the risk of delays later in the transaction. We will advise you if any issues arise from the title or documentation and explain what may be required to deal with them.
Selling a property with a mortgage
If there is a mortgage over the property, we will liaise with your lender as part of the sale.
On completion, the existing mortgage will normally be redeemed from the sale proceeds. We will deal with the lender’s requirements and the necessary steps to have its security released following repayment of the mortgage.
What happens when the sale closes?
Before closing, we will prepare the necessary documents and deal with the legal requirements for transferring the property to the purchaser.
On the closing date, the balance of the purchase price is paid and the transaction is completed. Where applicable, we will redeem the mortgage and deal with other payments required from the sale proceeds before accounting to you for the balance.
Solicitor for selling a house
If you are planning to sell a house or apartment, contact O’Connor & Bergin Solicitors as early as possible. We can begin preparing the legal documentation before a buyer is found, identify issues which might otherwise delay the transaction and guide your sale through to completion.