DIY conveyancing should only be considered by people who really know what they are doing. Despite the cost of conveyancing, it is almost always the best policy to instruct a professional. But that doesn’t mean your involvement can’t help speed the conveyancing process up. Read on for some tips on how you can make a difference.
Organisation
Try and be a step ahead, or at least in sync with your conveyancer. Conveyancing advice like the articles you will find here can be very helpful in letting you know what will happen next and, therefore, what you need to be doing to be prepared for it. But there is no substitute for staying in touch and not being afraid to ask questions.
Ask questions
Don’t be afraid to email or pick up a phone. This is a massively important process, and vast sums of money as well as a home are at stake, so it is important you deal with conveyancing solicitors who you are comfortable communicating with. Find out how long certain things should take, what they will need from you and when, whether they are still waiting on things from you to complete a particular stage of the conveyancing procedure. Aim never to be the person holding things up.
Provide things in advance
Speed the conveyancing process up by letting your conveyancer know details of the property asap
There are basic details that a conveyancer needs to know very early on in the process and it is not difficult to let them know as soon as you have instructed them. Make sure they know
- the address of the property being bought or sold
- what the asking or agreed sale price is
- if you are a co-owner or buying with someone else
Get your identification documents together asap and make sure your conveyancing solicitor is happy with what you have provided – you will need a passport and proof of address like a drivers license and some utility bills – and get them the details of your mortgage well in advance.
Have your mortgage sorted
There’s absolutely no point tabling a serious offer for a property if you don’t have a mortgage to back you up. It’s a prerequisite of many sellers that you have to have funding in place, and agents will quickly begin to think of you as a timewaster. There are parts of the conveyancing process which require the conveyancer to prove you have funds available so, unless you are a cash buyer, failure to have an agreement in place can lead to long delays.
Having all this sewn up can be really useful in knocking days and weeks of the conveyancing process, reducing stress and increasing the chances of the transaction going ahead. Not only does being proactive and organised save time, it also lets your conveyancing solicitors know what kind of client you are, and it will encourage them to stay on top of your case, which will only make the process shorter again.
