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"I'LL NEVER DO THIS AGAIN!" so many people say this at some stage when they are buying and selling a house so we have prepared this guide to assist you. It outlines how the transaction should proceed, and is part of our commitment to making your move as painless as possible.
YOUR PURCHASE 
When you have found the property of your dreams, your Solicitor will ask you to complete a purchase questionnaire, the answers to which will assist your Solicitor in raising enquiries. Your Solicitor will ask you for money on account, to enable them to pay preliminary searches.
When your Solicitor receives the contract
from your Vendor's Solicitors they will;
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Apply for the local search, and any other searches they consider appropriate.
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Approve the contract and title. Your Solicitor may feel it
necessary to raise additional enquiries with the Vendor's Solicitors.
When your Solicitor is satisfied that all is in order, they will
return one copy of the contract to the Vendor's Solicitors for
signature in readiness for the exchange of contracts.
If you require a mortgage, the offer has to be received from the Lender before exchange of contracts.
If you are arranging a new endowment or life policies, acceptance of risk must be received from the Insurance Company before exchange of contracts.
When your Solicitor has received the local search, an offer of mortgage and your Solicitors have satisfied them as to the title, they will report to you and ask you to sign the contract and mortgage deed. Your Solicitor will then ask you for the deposit to be used on exchange of contracts. If you have a related sale, your Solicitor will usually be able to arrange that the deposit received from your Purchasers is used for your purchase and passed up the chain.
THE EXCHANGE
At this stage, your Solicitors are ready to exchange contracts once a completion date has been agreed. The majority of people buying and selling are involved in a CHAIN! This means that there is a linked series of transactions and EVERYBODY wants to sell and buy on the same day so that they do not have to pay for bridging finance or rented accommodation. Your Solicitor therefore has to wait until all parties in the chain have;
Your Solicitor will liaise with us and other Solicitors until the exchange has been achieved.
When exchange has taken place, the completion date is legally binding and you can now organize your move. The following are just a few reminders of the things you should deal with;
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Arrange contents and building insurance.
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Contact gas, electricity, water and telephone services. Arrange for meter readings and accounts to be transferred.
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Book the removal van.
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After exchange of contracts, cancel bankers order for mortgage payment.
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Notify the Local Authority of move and arrange apportioned account for Council Tax.
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Notify where applicable;
THE COMPLETION
Your Solicitor will let you have a statement showing all the costs and disbursements due and will draw this up as soon as possible, so that you can arrange for them to have the balance four days before completion.
On completion day, if you have a sale, you must wait for your Purchaser's
Solicitors to send your Solicitors the sale money by telegraphic
transfer before they can send out the money by the same method on
your purchase. This means that it is unlikely that you will get the
keys to your new home before lunchtime on the day of completion.
We would therefore suggest that you do not leave your old house, before you have checked with your Solicitors that it is in order for you to do so. If you just have a purchase, your Solicitor can usually send the money quite early in the morning of completion, but you are unlikely to get the keys before mid-day, as you must allow your Vendor to vacate the property.
FINALLY
We hope this guide will be of some assistance and remove some of the uncertainty associated with moving house. However, if at any time you do have a problem please ring - we are here to help you!
Paul Brown
For and on behalf of Paul Brown's of Dover
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