There was an interesting story on the radio the other day about the effect of the credit crunch on Estate Agents. The DJ then went on to say “Just to think, there are now thousands of Conveyancing Solicitors sitting around twiddling their thumbs.” He then delivered the punch line “No change there.” What was surprising about this was that although it is common knowledge that the Credit Crunch is taking its toll on Estate Agents, its effect on Conveyancing Solicitors is something we very rarely hear about. The sad fact of the matter is that law firms can not afford to pay Conveyancing Solicitors or any other member of staff to be sitting around twiddling their thumbs. Since the start of the Credit Crunch in September 2007 there are now less than half the number of conveyancing transactions and therefore less than half the amount of work for Conveyancers. Every conveyancing firm has been affected by this. Some firms have been able to transfer staff into other departments however many have had to make redundancies. Last month the Law Society Gazette reported that recruitment agencies were becoming inundated with Conveyancers and Conveyancing Solicitors who had been made redundant. Up until August 2007 Conveyancers were in great demand which was reflected in their remuneration packages. However, many are now being made redundant, suffering pay cuts or faced with extremely poor job security. It is difficult to recall in recent times any other trade or profession to be devalued by so much in such a short period. It is not just the staff employed in the profession who are suffering but those who have spent years training to become Conveyancing Solicitors or Licensed Conveyancers, many now find the skills they have obtaining are practically worthless. Many Conveyancing Solicitors Firms are in a fortunate position of being able to downsize. However, many smaller solicitors’ offices and sole practitioners who are entirely dependent on conveyancing work are unable to take such action. They now face a difficult decision as to whether or not it is worth carrying on or closing down. Very few Solicitors have closed down so far. The reason for this is that they have insurance until 30th September 2009. However the cost of insurance for conveyancing firms is set to increase considerably as it is predicted that the drop in house prices will cause more negligence claims against Conveyancing Solicitors. Conveyancing Firms also face another obstacle from what is known as ‘run off’ insurance. This is an additional insurance premium that a Solicitors Office must pay if they close down without a successor practice. Nobody wants to buy or take over a conveyancing firm at the moment! The run off premium is usually between 200 – 225% of the initial premium. The true effect of the credit crunch on Conveyancing Solicitors is not yet known. On 1st October 2009 it will be interesting to see exactly how many have decided to run the risk of trading for another year and how many Solicitors Firms close down

Conveyancing solicitors essentially handle all the legal implications that are involved with buying and selling a property. “Conveyancer” is the generic term given to either a conveyancing solicitor or licenced conveyancer. All solicitors practising law in England and Wales must also be registered with the Law Society.

While purchasing or selling the property the conventional way, you might be required to spend a lot of time to get things in place. If this is the first time that you are purchasing or selling your property, you might find it difficult to locate a good solicitor or might be misled into paying a huge legal fee. It might also be a hindrance to your professional life since you might have to take time off your busy schedule in order to keep the process going.

The technological advancement has provided a solution to all the problems. Thanks to the conveyancing services! Now, it has become so easy to get the best deals out of buying or selling your property even if you do not have any experience in the field.

In UK conveyancing firms are classified as high street firms and volume firms:

High Street firms- Your local solicitor with one or two offices. They offer 1 on 1 advice, and generally do a thorough job. Unfortunately, to make ends meet a lot of high street firms have to multi discipline i.e. your solicitor may be drafting someone else’s will or representing someone in court so may not always be available to speak to. High Street firms also tend to be more costly. Finding the right high street firm is best done by word of mouth.

Volume firms – the big multi office firms. A lot of people refer to these as “conveyancing factories” as they churn out hundreds of transactions a month. They have teams of people doing nothing but conveyancing transactions. These are big firms that invest heavily in hi-tech systems to make your transaction faster. As they spend less time on the case it takes up less of their time and they can charge less than a high street conveyancer. However you may not speak to the same person every time you ring and you probably won’t have the option of seeing them face to face.

To save money while conveyancing will depend largely on the conveyancing firm you choose. For a simple straight forward remortgage, a simple purchase of a freehold property. It would be a good idea to deal with a volume firm. They have a wide range of hi- tech systems that can handle a simple case in no time.

It is best not listening to the recommendation of a real estate agent. Most of them take a commission from the conveyancing firms. It is advisable to contact a high street firm when you are buying a complex new build or leasehold. This way you can sit down with your conveyancer face to face and discuss all the complexities of the property with him.

Many people often wonder, what is property conveyance? The concept is quite simple. Conveyancing is the process of legally transferring property from one person to another. The real conveyancing process takes place after the sale of the property. At first glace the entire process appears very simple but this is not always the case. There are strict legal and procedural requirements for property transfer. The degree of complexity of the process can depend on whether the property is free from any interest or there are taxation or liability considerations involved. During the conveyancing process, once properly carried out by conveyance solicitors, ensures that the purchaser actually owns all the property, land and rights that have been paid for.

It is always best to use the skills and knowledge provided by good and reliable conveyancing firms as opposed to venturing into selling or buying your house on your own. This is mainly to avoid any complications that might arise during the conveyancing process. Professional help is always useful. There are many solicitors available through the Internet, agencies and through insurers referrals.
The role of a Property Conveyance Solicitor is to obtain property deeds, completing a property information form and a list of the fixtures, fittings and contents within the house, sending a draft contract providing full details of the property and its services, agreeing upon a date when the purchase will be complete, exchanging contracts and overseeing any other pertinent matters.

A conveyance solicitor usually sets a fixed fee, which is usually competitive, due to the high level soliciting taking place in the UK at present. Your case is tracked and all legalities are taken cared of. For the sake of security, please ensure that your conveyance solicitor is Regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority – so you can be confident that your conveyancing transaction is in safe hands. You should also be aware of The Council for Licensed Conveyancers (CLC), which is the regulatory body for licensed conveyancers. Their duties include dealing with complaints against licensed conveyancers. Sometimes a licensed conveyancer’s service falls below the standard you expect and you may wish to complain. This organization would be the one to contact in such a case.

Even though the cost of property in the UK is fairly costly, the cost of buying property abroad is likely to be higher than it is in the UK, according to a new study published by the European Commission, the report, which could be of interest to those taking out mortgages, found that the deregulated legal systems used in England and are better for consumers in terms of cost and the choice of conveyance services.

Choosing a conveyancing firm
While choosing a conveyancing solicitor here are a few things that you should keep in mind:
The service- Always avoid a solicitor who is either too overworked or inexperienced. You will lose out on attention and experience.
Recommendation- It is a good idea to survey the market and find out what experiences other buyers or sellers have of a particular conveyancing firm.
Online conveyancing- Some property solicitors offer the opportunity for clients to track the progress of their property transaction online. This means that you can access your particular case online 24 hours a day to see how it’s progressing. In some cases, you can also receive updates via e-mail and text message and all the documentation dealt with through the post, cutting out visits to the solicitor’s offices.

Introduction

Some people choose to handle the conveyancing process themselves in order to save money, but this can be a high risk strategy. It is always a good idea to hire a professional conveyancing solicitor when buying, selling or remortgaging property, but this can be a rather tricky task. I have given below a few tips that might be able to help you choose the right conveyancing firm.

Choosing a conveyancing firm

Here are few things that you should keep in mind when choosing a conveyancing firm:

The service- Always avoid a solicitor who is either too overworked or inexperienced. You will lose out on attention and experience. Try and find a firm that you can trust and feel comfortable with. Make sure the solicitor explains the either conveyancing process to you in detail using lays mans terms. If you have any doubts about the conveyancing process make sure you are able to ask him to clarify.

Price considerations- It is not always a good idea to choose the cheapest conveyancing firm. Some firms charge a low fee as they handle a high volume of transactions at a time. This will in turn result in poor service. Solicitors charge their clients in a variety of ways. Some may charge a fixed fee, while others will charge you a percentage based on the value of the house or flat in question. In addition, there may be extra fees to cover the cost of paperwork, any complex issues that require additional work, or if the process requires more time and attention than anticipated.

Recommendation- It is a good idea to survey the market and find out what experiences other buyers or sellers have of a particular conveyancing firm.

Online conveyancing- Some property solicitors offer the opportunity for clients to track the progress of their property transaction online. This means that you can access your particular case online 24 hours a day to see how it’s progressing. In some cases, you can also receive updates via e-mail and text message and all the documentation dealt with through the post, cutting out visits to the solicitor’s offices.

Convex Conveyancing

Convex is a conveyancing firm that makes the conveyancing process very easy. Convex has highly qualified and experienced conveyancing solicitors. The conveyancing solicitors at Convex handle the entire conveyancing process online; this allows the conveyancing process to proceed quickly without any hitches and hang-ups. Convex makes sure that the entire conveyancing process proceeds in a professional manner. The proof of their professionalism lies with the large number of satisfied customers. You can view the case studies on the Convex site. The conveyancing solicitors at Convex were very professional and they explain the entire conveyancing process in great detail, giving good advice. Convex charges a fixed amount for their services and does all the background property checks for you. The entire conveyancing process is handled online this makes the transaction faster.

What is remortgaging?

⁽¹⁾ A remortgage is a process that replaces an existing mortgage loan with a new loan either from a different lender or from your existing lender. The lender repays the existing mortgage debt to the original loan provider. The borrower is then left with just one mortgage loan, repayable to the lender. Borrowers consider remortgaging for various reasons. Often, the purpose involves saving money. Securing a new mortgage, at a lower interest rate than is afforded by the existing mortgage firm, may reduce the borrower’s monthly repayments. Obtaining a lower rate may also reduce the total amount of money the borrower must repay over the full life of the loan.

The conveyancing process for remortgaging

• If you have chosen a conveyancing firm like Convex, you will have to instruct the firm to act on your behalf. Once your instructions are received, your conveyancer will request that you provide the details of your existing mortgage. That is the existing mortgage account number, so as to obtain the title deed and redemption figure as soon as possible. You will also need to provide the details of your new mortgage lender and the building company insurance policy, which will come into effect once the remortgage has been completed.
• A survey or valuation is normally undertaken on the property by your new mortgage lender. Once the valuation has been completed, and your new lender has agreed to your mortgage, they will post you and your conveyancer a formal mortgage offer letter. This will include any special instructions which must be carried out in order for the transaction to be completed.
• Conveyancing firms will undertake all the appropriate searches for you such as, local authority and land registry. Once the mortgage deed has been drawn up, it will be sent to you for your signature and return. If as a part of any deal you have struck with your new lender, you are sending some of your own money; your conveyancer will require these from you.
• ⁽²⁾ Once your Conveyancer has received the necessary redemption figures from your existing mortgage lender. They will be possible for them to provide you with a Statement of Account delineating the balance which is due to you or from you on completion of your remortgage transaction. This is done in order to ensure that there are sufficient funds to meet all liabilities and expenses in relation to your remortgage.
• ⁽³⁾A completion date will be agreed with you. Completion is the day when your new mortgage monies (which will have been sent to your conveyancer a few days in advance) are used (along with any additional funds you are providing yourself) to pay off your old mortgage (and any others debts which are being reduced/settled as part of the transaction)
• The final part of the process is for a new Land certificate to be produced by the Land registry. This shows that the new lender has a First Legal Charge over your property, and also confirms that the previous lenders details have been removed. The original of this document will be sent to your new lender, with a copy to you.

A few complications could arise while you remortgage your house; good conveyancing firms can handle these small obstacles easily. Hence it is important that you choose a conveyancing firm that is well experienced in the process of remortgaging.

Source: ⁽¹⁾http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-remortgage.htm

⁽²⁾http://www.lsols.co.uk/remortgagingguide.php

⁽³⁾http://www.web-conveyancing.co.uk/remortgaging.asp

Introduction

Some people choose to handle the conveyancing process themselves in order to save money, but this can be a high risk strategy. It is always a good idea to hire a professional conveyancing solicitor when buying, selling or remortgaging property, but this can be a rather tricky task. I have given below a few tips that might be able to help you choose the right conveyancing firm.

Choosing a conveyancing firm

Here are few things that you should keep in mind when choosing a conveyancing firm:

The service- Always avoid a solicitor who is either too overworked or inexperienced. You will lose out on attention and experience. Try and find a firm that you can trust and feel comfortable with. Make sure the solicitor explains the either conveyancing process to you in detail using lays mans terms. If you have any doubts about the conveyancing process make sure you are able to ask him to clarify.

Price considerations- It is not always a good idea to choose the cheapest conveyancing firm. Some firms charge a low fee as they handle a high volume of transactions at a time. This will in turn result in poor service. Solicitors charge their clients in a variety of ways. Some may charge a fixed fee, while others will charge you a percentage based on the value of the house or flat in question. In addition, there may be extra fees to cover the cost of paperwork, any complex issues that require additional work, or if the process requires more time and attention than anticipated.

Recommendation- It is a good idea to survey the market and find out what experiences other buyers or sellers have of a particular conveyancing firm.

Online conveyancing- Some property solicitors offer the opportunity for clients to track the progress of their property transaction online. This means that you can access your particular case online 24 hours a day to see how it’s progressing. In some cases, you can also receive updates via e-mail and text message and all the documentation dealt with through the post, cutting out visits to the solicitor’s offices.

Convex Conveyancing

Convex is a conveyancing firm that makes the conveyancing process very easy. Convex has highly qualified and experienced conveyancing solicitors. The conveyancing solicitors at Convex handle the entire conveyancing process online; this allows the conveyancing process to proceed quickly without any hitches and hang-ups. Convex makes sure that the entire conveyancing process proceeds in a professional manner. The proof of their professionalism lies with the large number of satisfied customers. You can view the case studies on the Convex site. The conveyancing solicitors at Convex were very professional and they explain the entire conveyancing process in great detail, giving good advice. Convex charges a fixed amount for their services and does all the background property checks for you. The entire conveyancing process is handled online this makes the transaction faster.

Conveyancing is the process of legally transferring data from one person to another. The real conveyancing process takes place after verbal agreement for the sale of the property has been reached. At first glace the entire process appears very simple but this is not always the case. There are strict legal and procedural requirements for property transfer. The degree of complexity of the process can depend on whether the property is free from any interest or there are taxation or liability considerations involved. Completing the conveyancing process smoothly involves transferring the property without third party interest or claim. Banks and mortgage companies can hold legal claim to the title of the property. In the case of business transactions, property can be used as collateral to secure a loan. Doing the necessary background checks to make sure the property is free of any registered interests is an important part of the conveyancing process. There are several different options for the conveyancing process. Often, the real estate agents recommend services or legal personnel they are familiar with. Since the advent of the internet, online conveyancing companies are becoming a more popular choice for individuals who want to complete the process digitally. The modern conveyancing firms deal exclusively online and save both time and money.

The following is a general guide to the conveyancing procedure when buying a property. If you are in doubt about any specific issue you should consult your conveyancing solicitor.  

Initial Stages: Once you have told the solicitor that you wish to use their services you should receive a Letter of Engagement or confirmation of Terms of Business. You should sign and return this as soon as possible so that they can start work. Funds will be requested to cover initial expenditure such as the cost of the searches. Your solicitor will write to the seller’s solicitor to confirm that they are instructed and request the draft contract. This should arrive with a pack that includes information on the property title and the standard forms collected by the seller. If the property is leasehold a copy of the lease will also be included. Many people buy houses in joint names and, as such, need to be aware of an important decision to be made in relation to joint ownership. There are two ways that you can jointly own property.                                              Joint tenants: this is where both parties have equal interest in the property and if one dies the survivor automatically owns the property.                                                                                                             Tenants in common: each one owns a specific share of the property and can leave that by Will, in the event of your death.                                                                                                                                             Before you commit to buying the property your solicitor will ask you your wishes regarding shared ownership: You need to let your solicitor know from the outset if you are also selling a property and need the transactions to be tied together. Inform your estate agent which solicitor you plan to use so that they can send a “Memorandum of sale” to all the relevant parties together with a copy of the property particulars.  

Legal Work prior to Buying: The solicitor will examine the draft contract documents and if necessary raise enquiries with the seller’s solicitor. You will be required to go through the standard forms that the seller has completed and let the solicitor know if everything is as you expected. If the property that you are buying is leasehold your solicitor will send a standard Managing Agents Questionnaire to the seller’s solicitor which will in turn be sent on to the relevant Landlord/ Managing Agents/ Residents Association.

Mortgage and signing of contracts: If you are taking out a mortgage your solicitor will receive a copy of the offer and go through the conditions. He will normally undertake legal work on behalf of your lender as well. Once the answers to all the enquiries have been returned they will be examined by your solicitor. If they are satisfactory you will be invited in to sign the contract and any mortgage documents. You will need to make arrangements for the deposit to be transferred into your solicitor’s bank account so that it is cleared in time for an exchange.

Exchange of contracts: Before exchange of contracts can take place your lender will require you to have a Building Insurance policy. All the parties involved need to agree on a completion date. From the point at which contracts are exchanged you are legally bound to buy and the seller legally bound to sell. Should either party back out the other will be entitled to claim compensation for losses arising. At the point that contracts are exchanged your solicitor will send your deposit to the seller’s solicitor. This acts as security for the seller in case you change your mind or for some reason are unable to pay the balance and complete the purchase. If that happens, the seller can keep your deposit, and may take you to court if the deposit is not enough compensation for breaking the contract. In the same way, if the seller exchanges contracts and then refuses to complete the sale, you could apply to the court for an order to force the seller to complete, or else get your deposit back and sue the seller for compensation. It is rare for the sale not to complete once contracts have been exchanged.

Between Exchange and Completion: Your solicitor will draw up the transfer deed so that the property can be registered as soon as possible after completion. Your solicitor will also carry out some further searches of a technical nature. During this period you should receive a statement from your solicitor showing all expenses and giving you a final figure, you should clear this amount before completion. If you are taking out a mortgage your solicitor will draw down the loan amount in time for completion.

On Completion: Completion is normally set for around lunchtime on the specified day although in practical terms completion takes place when the seller’s solicitor confirms that they have received all the money that is due. Once this has happened the seller should drop the keys off to the estate agent ready to collect. Your solicitor will arrange for the title deeds to be registered in your name and if the property is leasehold ensure that your name is entered on to the lease. They will also get the transfer stamped to officially approve the sale. Finally, if you have taken out a mortgage, the deeds are sent to your lender for safe keeping until you either sell the property or pay off the loan.     

Conveyancing solicitors are a more costly option but can provide legal recourse if negligence or fidelity issues become a concern during the transfer process. If you have more complex issues such as taxation or will entitlements to deal with, the additional funds invested in a professional service can save you headaches and valuable time. Before you choose a conveyancing service, it is important that you consider all the issues that apply to your circumstance and engage a service that is most appropriate for you.  

Source- http://www.mypropertyguide.co.uk                                                                                                          

Introduction to remortgaging

People today prefer to remortgage their homes every few years as remortgaging allows them to take advantage of the new rates on offer. Remortgaging simply means switching your current mortgage to a new deal arranged either with your existing lender, or with a new lender. The few people who choose to remain on the same deal for the full term of their loan could lose out on a range of potential benefits, not least the opportunity to reduce the total amount paid back, which could be a significant amount in some cases. Remortgaging allows you to release some of the equity that you hold in your home and consolidate other debts. Car loans and credit cards attract higher rates of interest than that of your mortgage.

⁽¹⁾Here are a few benefits of remortgaging:

·                     If you took a loan when the interest rates were high or a deal you had has now come to an end, the chances are that you can save money by switching/ remortgaging.

·                      If you are paying your lender’s Standard Variable Rate (SVR), it’s highly likely that your existing lender will offer a better rate and greater flexibility on other available products. This could allow you to save money on your monthly repayments, or to repay your mortgage sooner. And if your current lender doesn’t offer better rates or greater flexibility on its other products, you may want to consider switching your mortgage to another lender, even if doing so would trigger early repayment charges payable to your existing lender, as this could mean a net saving to you.

·                     Many banks will offer new customers temptingly low deals in order to win their business, while leaving existing customers paying older higher rates. By switching to a new lender, you can take advantage of these deals to get yourself lower monthly repayments.

·                     The interest rates are low at the moment but experts predict that they will rise in the next 12 months. By remortgaging with a fixed rate deal, you could ‘lock in’ a low interest rate for your mortgage that will stay low for the next few years regardless of what happens to the base rate.

·                     Higher income or a rise in your property’s value means you could increase your mortgage to help pay for major outgoings such as weddings or your child’s university costs, rather than borrowing separately and in some cases more expensively, for the outgoing itself.

·                     With property prices having risen so quickly over the last decade, many home owners have a large amount of equity in their homes. Taking out a remortgage that is higher than your mortgage balance will release some of this equity for you to spend, usually at a lower rate than a secured loan.

·                     It can be cheaper and more convenient to adapt or add an extension to your existing home, paid for by remortgaging or a further advance, than to move home.

·                     Offset mortgages are a completely different kind of mortgage to the traditional type that most people have, and this can offer significant benefits to many. Offsetting might not have been available when your current mortgage was taken or you were not aware of its benefits. A remortgage will allow you to move over to this kind of package.

Convex and remortgaging

Convex is a conveyancing firm that offers easy remortgaging. The conveyancing solicitors at Convex handle the entire conveyancing process online; this allows the conveyancing process to proceed quickly without any hitches and hang-ups. Convex makes sure that the entire conveyancing process proceeds in a professional manner. If you have decided to remortgage you house you might want to consider using Convex conveyancing.

⁽¹⁾Source:

http://www.charcol.co.uk/knowledge-resources/guides/remortgaging/why-remortgage/

http://www.fast-remortgages.co.uk/why-remortgage.html

http://money.uk.msn.com/Mortgages/remortgaging/article.aspx?cp-documentid=4760909

Getting a buyer

When you want to sell your house and attract customers that is put your house up in the open market there are a few things to be kept in mind. Your house is now a ‘commodity to be sold and not a ‘home’ filled with emotional ties and memories. It will help if you can make some effort to prepare and present your house so it’s immediately appealing to buyers. The outside of your property also need to make a good first impression. A prospective buyer will first notice the outside of your house. These few and inexpensive modifications will help you get a buyer quickly and your house can be sold at its maximum price.

Why do you need a conveyancing solicitor?

After you have been able to find a prospective buyer, remember property transactions generally take a long time because of the tiresome and cumbersome legal and administrative process. The Government launched its e-conveyancing pilot scheme in 2005/6 and both the home sellers and buyers have to deal with the complicated and time- consuming conveyancing process. Even though house sellers have very few administration issues to bother about, it is still advisable that a professional solicitor or conveyancer is hired. Conveyancing involves a lot of legal aspects and takes about 2-3 month before the entire procedure is completed. You can contact a conveyancing solicitor as soon as you decide to sell your house and get him to start the setting up legal documents like the contract, this way you can avoid serious delays later on in the proceedings.  

The conveyancing process (1)

• The solicitors will exchange contact details and letters specifying the particulars of the sale. This is known as the sale agreement.
• Your solicitor will have to obtain property title deeds for the lender. These will be sent back to your solicitor at a later date.
• A property information form that lists all the details to be included in the draft has to be approved both by you and the buyer’s solicitor.
• The buyer’s solicitor will send a list with questions concerning property details, tenure, utilities, items to be included in the sale etc. to your solicitor. This should any ambiguities as early as possible.
• The draft contract might have been drawn up by your solicitor as soon as you instructed him. This is not a standard contract and will probably be changed quiet a lot before you sign it. The draft consists of two parts: Particulars of sale and conditions of sale. The particulars of sale spell out property details and items to be included in the sale. The conditions of sale concern the proposed completion date and deposit required on exchange of contracts.
•  As soon as the title deeds are returned, your solicitor will send the draft contract to the buyer’s solicitor. When the completion date and terms of the draft contract have been agreed by the solicitors, it will be sent to you for approval. As soon as approved, the standard contracts will be set up and sent to you for your signature. After signing the contract send it back to your solicitor. Remember that until contracts have been exchanged, the whole thing is not legally binding.
• Then comes the exchange of contracts, each party signs all the contracts and sends them back.
•  After this you will receive the buyer’s deposit if there is one. The buyer’s mortgage lender will send the money to your solicitor by electronic transfer.
• After the transfer of deeds, you are no longer the owner of your house.

While selling your house it is important that you go through a good and reputed conveyancing firm. You can get some referrals from friends and neighbours of good conveyancing firms they have dealt with. A good and professional conveyancing firm will ensure that you have a good, speedy and stress free conveyancing experience.

Source: (1) http://www.home.co.uk/guides/selling/conveyancing.htm

Conveyancing can pose a real problem to some people. Let’s take for example Elizabeth, a working mother juggling child care, household responsibilities and a career. Her previous experiences with buying and selling property have been very problematic for the simple reason that in the conveyancing process one has to go through a series of stages and each stage has its own set of hang-ups and hassles. The website www.convex.net explains the process of traditional conveyancing in detail.

If you are buying or selling a house you can hire a conveyancing solicitor who can handle the entire procedure and give you a stress free transaction. Conveyancing firms generally charge a fixed amount for their services and they do all the background property checks for you. Conveyancers also provide you with very valuable conveyancing advice.

Today, with everything going computerised, specialist solicitors can follow the entire process of buying, selling or remortgaging a house electronically thus making the whole process faster, less expensive, more efficient and even more professional. The process of electronic or digital conveyancing can be defined as: “The system of exchanging sales and mortgage documentation and property data electronically between vendor and buyer, agent and lawyer, broker and banks, government and land registry from the point of sale to contract to settlement with or without printed documentation.” Conveyancing firms supply specialised legal software and hardware systems to solicitors to do the required work and to ensure that one receives the highest standards possible.

Keeping in mind that each case is not the same and that an electronic conveyancing system cannot replace the expertise of a solicitor, conveyancing firms have qualified specialists working with them from the beginning to the end of a case so that any unforeseen problem can be dealt with quickly and efficiently. When a person opts to use computerized conveyancing they will get their own private secure pages on the firm’s website. When any correspondence is sent out to the person s/he will get an e-mail or a text message notifying them of this with a link to site. After having gone through the entire security check one will be able to view the correspondence online, reply to it and give instructions interactively when required. One can also see at a glance the status of the transaction, the work done to date, all of the stages required to be done before completion of the financial accounts. One can not only see the correspondence sent to them but also the correspondence on their file.

For the people who are not very familiar with online transactions and transactions by e-mail there is no need to worry the conveyancing firms can deal with you entirely by post and still be more efficient than traditional firms.