Our industry blog
When things go wrong buying a property
What to do when things go wrong No matter how experienced you are at dealing in property, there’s always something nasty that can jump out and bite you. The trick is to see it coming and deal with it promptly. A lot of problems are simply down to poor communication....
Survey reports – how to read them
Interpreting surveys Surveyors are sometimes regarded as the 'Doctor Deaths' of the property world, with barely a positive word to say. But it’s important to bear in mind that the surveyor’s job is to highlight defects and flag up future maintenance concerns. You're...
Choosing a surveyor
What type of surveyor? Surveyors come in assorted shapes and sizes. Anyone can call themselves a ‘surveyor’, a title that's sometimes adopted by double-glazing salesmen for enhanced credibility. Qualified surveyors, however, are always the chartered variety and...
What does a mortgage valuation involve?
If the mortgage valuer 'downvalues' your property it could blow the whole deal out of the water. Banks and Building Societies normally appoint chartered surveyors to carry out valuations for mortgage lending purposes. This is a crucial stage because until the...
Surveys and valuations – Why go naked without a survey?
The only law that applies when buying property is the law of the jungle - better known as "Buyer beware". Why book a survey? If you buy a cereal bar and it turns out to be stale or mouldy, the full force of the law will be on your side. You can demand your money back,...
What if the property you’re buying isn’t registered?
If a property isn't 'registered' you could be in for a nasty surprise! Unregistered properties The vast majority of UK property is ‘registered’. This means that ownership is officially recorded at the Land Registry in London and guaranteed by the State. But on rare...
More On The Law – Title Deeds
Understanding the legal process - conveyancing - is key to a successful house purchase. TITLE DEEDS Buying and selling property depends on your conveyancers digging out information from official records or registers. The first thing to note is that property is legally...
Reason Number 2 – why house purchases often crash
Delays with the legal process - the conveyancing - are the second common cause of property deals falling apart. Here's how to improve your chances of success. SPEEDING UP THE LEGAL WORK A good, experienced solicitor/conveyancer can make all the difference to achieving...
Two Big Reasons Why Deals Collapse
Statistically there are two major culprits when it comes to deals falling through – mortgage problems and legal delays. Here are some tips to improve your chances of success by speeding up your mortgage (the following blog covers legal delays) . GETTING A QUICKER...
Speeding up your purchase – before the deal falls through!
You now have one single overriding objective: to get to exchange of contracts as quickly as possible. Once you’ve exchanged you’re pretty much legally home and dry, and can afford to relax a little, but until then every extra day of unnecessary delay means a greater...