Conveyancing In Swinton Q & A's
Our mortgage lender will be Intelligent Finance, what do we need to be aware of?
When buying with a mortgage, your lender will require legal work to be carried out on their behalf. Buyers should consider that some lenders are now limiting the firms who can act for them, resulting in higher conveyancing costs for buyers if their property lawyer cannot act for the lender. We, though, are able to act for most lenders, keeping buyers' legal costs to a minimum.
What is stamp duty and land transaction tax?
Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) is a proportion of the final sale price of a property payable to HMRC by the buyer. The current trigger threshold is for any property priced at £125,000 or over (unless you’re a first-time buyer, in which case you pay less or no tax for properties priced at less than £500,000). Your solicitor will handle the transfer of the tax as part of the final tasks on your conveyancing.
In Scotland, buyers have to pay Land and Buildings Transaction Tax and, in Wales, the Land Transaction Tax is triggered at properties priced over £180,000.
In all cases, the amount payable is based on a sliding scale as the price goes up as a proportion of that range added together than an overall flat tax amount or percentage. So, the higher the price goes up, the greater the amount of tax you have to pay.
Should I list my property with more than one estate agent?
The choice is entirely up to you and your specific circumstances. Going with a sole agent is probably the cheapest option (although the reach to buyers is dependent on how many clients are on their books), while multiple agents will be more expensive (but will reach a broader client base).
If you’re looking for a quick sale or the market is rather sluggish, it makes sense to put your property on with a number of agents. If the market is buoyant, it makes more sense to place the property with a sole agent.
Whichever you choose, you should always check the terms and conditions so that you know what service you’re getting for your money and how much it will cost you once the home is sold. You should also understand if there are penalties should you decide to place the property with more or fewer agents later on during the agreement period.
What do property searches relate to?
Conveyancing searches are standard enquiries raised by your property lawyer. You need to be aware that, conveyancing searches cover solely legal considerations.
How is stamp duty calculated and what should we budget for a £497000 residence?
Stamp Duty Land Tax in Swinton is dependent on the purchase price. For a Swinton property valued at £497000, SDLT is £14910.
What causes purchase conveyancing legal work to go on for so long?
The conveyancing process could be exposed to significant delays even in the best of circumstances. Some reasons are out of the solicitor's control. Homeward Legal know how stressful these delays can be and endeavour to diminish their consequences wherever a difference can be made. Common delays may include waiting for responses from third parties.
If I want to build an extension or do other works once I move in, can I get a builder to visit to give me a quote?
There is nothing stopping you trying to organise this, so long as you set a date and time that’s acceptable to the vendor (or via their estate agent if they are unable to be there) and try to establish how long the process will take, so that this can be booked in.
This becomes particularly critical following a surveyor’s inspection where remedial works are identified and recommended. You can use the quote from the builder as a renegotiation tool on the asking price, if the work required is going to be particularly costly. If you decide to go down this route, it must be done before exchange of contracts (where you’re committing to the sale price) and you should inform your solicitor if you’ve had private discussions and agreements with the vendor over price for inclusion in the terms of the contract.
