Initial stages
You should always try to appoint a solicitor whilst you are still looking for a property. This way when you submit an offer on a property you will be well prepared to get things underway.
 
Once a purchase is agreed your estate agent will write to your solicitor and the seller’s solicitor to put them in touch with each other and make them aware of the fundamental details of the transaction. The seller's solicitor will send the relevant contract and papers to your solicitor. In the meantime your solicitor will request a local authority search which tells you of any local authority proposals which may affect your property. Your solicitor will review the search and advise you of anything out of the ordinary and will be responsible for explaining the terms and conditions of your mortgage offer to you.

Once the contract is received from the seller's solicitor it will be forwarded to you for your signature.

Exchange of contracts
Once you have signed your contract and returned it to your solicitor it will then be forwarded to the seller’s solicitor. At this stage you will need to prepare yourself to make funds available to cover the purchase deposit, legal fees, stamp duty etc.  

Your solicitor will then prepare the transfer and any mortgage deed and again forward this to you for signature. There is no need through any stage of the transaction for you to visit your solicitor – the whole process can be carried out by post.

Your solicitor will then carry out any final searches (your mortgage lender may ask for a mining search for example, albeit unlikely in our area, as part of the conditions of the mortgage offer) and then prepares the final accounts and where necessary request any monies required from you.

Contracts are then exchanged (usually by a telephone call between solicitors) and this means that both you and the seller are bound legally and may not be able to back out of the transaction without financial penalty.

Completion & beyond
Prior to exchange you and the seller will agree a date to complete the purchase, usually via your estate agent and the solicitors, and on that date the balance of the monies is transferred.

Once the transaction has completed the solicitor will now need to pay any stamp duty, register your purchase with the land registry and return the deeds to the property to your bank or building society for safe keeping.

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