Once a lawyer has been officially hired to sell, an initial package is sent to the client with the following documents: In the last mountain of paperwork that makes up a real estate transaction, the contract is a short document that says little more than what I buy from you and you sell me and everything will happen for £X on that date. You have not yet paid, so the property belongs to you (in a very legally binding way) from a certain date “subject to the payment of the balance as defined in the contract” or to shorten it “subject to the contract”. All other things like the seller has the right to sell and what the property actually is (borders, lease or land, etc.) are in the mountain of paperwork. You should only sign on the dotted line of the contract when you have gone through all the other documents and found nothing doubtful. The buyer`s lawyer will inquire about the property during the review of the contract. Legal requests are handled by the seller`s lawyer and specific requests regarding the property are forwarded to the seller. The number of requests requested varies and depends on each property, as complex legal issues can arise that can lead to delay, and these issues need to be addressed before moving forward. The contract describes the details of the sale, i.e. the name of the seller and buyer, the agreed price for the property, the title number and the address of the property in its entirety. Most contracts contain general terms and conditions of sale. However, some conditions of a contract are not standard, and it is the buyer`s responsibility to identify any issues that could disadvantage their customer and inform them of any changes they wish to make to the contract before it is signed at the contract exchange stage. Once the investigation phase is successfully completed, the exchange of contracts could take place in four to six weeks, depending on the complexity of the transaction.

The contract package allows the buyer`s developer to inquire about the property and includes the draft contract and any other additional information relevant to the sale. Once the seller`s lawyer has received the completed documents from his client, the seller`s lawyer can issue the contract package to the buyer`s lawyer. The buyer`s lawyer will review the contract package and usually ask for a search on the property. The return time for search queries is approximately 10 days. The contract is the document that binds both the seller and the buyer to the transaction. Once the contracts are exchanged, the sale will become legally binding and neither party will be able to withdraw from the transaction without being subject to heavy fines. The most common problem is the speed at which contract packages are sent to the buyer`s carrier. This should take up to two weeks, but unfortunately, it can take much longer, as the issuance of the kit depends on the seller filling out the Law Society protocol forms above and compiling (and finding!) all the other necessary information. You may want to add some conditions. Let`s say you`re buying a hereditary apartment and it turns out that the freeholder is planning major renovations to the building, but he hasn`t finished the cost yet. This could be expensive, so you might want to add that if the cost is more than £Y, the seller pays a contribution of £Z.

This must be added to the contract. Gemma Bath, a residential real estate legal expert, looks at the Contract Pack, her role in the first phase of investigating a residential transaction and explains why the package is important to buyers and sellers. In an ideal world, it should take about 9 weeks between the contract drafting phase and the day you trade. But as we mentioned earlier, it`s not always that easy. The draft contract is the first contract your lawyer creates for your real estate transaction. Without a date, it`s not a definitive contract, it`s a project. The buyer`s promoter will write to the seller`s promoter to confirm that they have received instructions and request the contract package. Upon receipt of the contractual package, the Buyer`s carrier will check the contents and, if necessary, make requests to the Seller`s carrier. The exchange occurs when the contract becomes legally binding.

Until now, you and the seller had the right to leave, so book moving vans and anything that could have been a bad expense. So when someone says, “We hope to trade next week,” that`s what they`re referring to. But that doesn`t mean they`re moving in again! Documents numbered 2 to 5 form what is called a “Contract Pack”. If the property for sale is a rented property, the seller must also complete the lease information form, which is also part of the entire contract. You have agreed to buy the property, the seller has agreed to sell, so you certainly only need the contract, why is it only a preliminary version? A lot can happen before the day of completion, and to get a taste of what can go wrong, check out our blog on why home sales fail. A key step in any transfer transaction is when the buyer`s sponsor receives the contract package from the seller`s promoter. If the property is rented, the seller`s lawyer must also request the Freeholder Pack and Management Pack from the Freeholder and managing agents. These packages include details about the lease, service fees and building insurance, etc. This is then sent to the buyer`s lawyer so that he can verify it. Well, 99% of the time, it`s easy because you haven`t paid for it yet. All warranties, guarantees and certificates relating to the property, such as double glazing, boiler installation and other works, must also be included in the contract.

Then there is the price. It`s on the draft contract, but what if your checks show that the property has a value of £5,000 of increasing humidity, which wasn`t obvious when you looked around. You and the seller could agree to split the difference, but this means that the price must be changed. The buyer`s lawyer must hold 10% of his client`s deposit in order to be able to exchange. When contracts are finally replaced, a completion date is set. Closing is the day the funds are received from the buyer and the keys are released. The land register and the title plan of the land register will also be sent to the buyer`s intermediaries as part of the contract. All documents mentioned in the register of securities, such as transfers, transfers, etc., are also attached. If the property is rented, a copy of the lease will also be attached. When the draft contract has been agreed, your home search is far from over.

Find out why. If the property is rented, a Form TA7 will be attached to the package, along with all relevant documents related to the management of the building and other lease matters. Once the lawyer has satisfactory identification documents and the money has been paid on the deposit, he can proceed with the preparation of the contractual package. The reason it is a “project” is that the sale is only legally binding after the exchange of contracts, which takes place in the final stages of the process. Before the seller`s promoter can prepare the contract package, he must have received it from the seller: Traditionally, contracts are exchanged, with the actual date of the transaction (known as “closing”) being 7 days in the future to give people time to pack! However, it can be much longer, months, or it can be instant (known as “Simultaneous Exchange and Conclusion”) You have accepted your offer (agreed sale), hired a real estate attorney (also known as “Conveyancer”) and he or she has told you something like “I am waiting for the draft contracts”. . . .