You may wonder what it’s like to be a homeowner. As a homeowner, your biggest concern will be keeping your property in good condition and looking after it.
You’ll also have to keep an eye on your finances, as even if you’re in good financial shape, property maintenance can be expensive. Having your own home means you can decorate it to your taste, choose your furniture and add storage space.
But before you can do all that, there are a few things you need to do. Buying a home is one of the biggest financial decisions you’ll ever make. You will have to be prepared to get in a lot of work and research to get this process right. One of the processes you must familiarise yourself with is conveyancing.
Conveyancing (the buying or selling a house) is just transferring property ownership from one owner to another. Conveyancers are the professionals who handle the legal side of buying and selling property in the UK.
A conveyancer will oversee the purchase of your new home by checking the title deeds, getting your mortgage approval and finalising the legal side of the sale. If you have bought or sold a property before, you’ll know that a conveyancer can do a lot to smooth the process for you and your buyer or seller.
Conveyancing involves a lot of paperwork which can be time-consuming, costly and legally complex. A conveyancer can oversee this work and advise on the best way to transfer a property from one owner to another.
But can you do it yourself? Today, let's explore whether or not DIY conveyancing is a good idea for you. Here's what you need to know:
How Does the Conveyancing Process Go?
If you are buying a property, you must make an offer at a price. The owner or their agent will usually accept your offer or agree to negotiate with you on the price.
If the property owner or their agent accepts your offer, the parties will have to agree on the terms of the offer, which are called the ‘Conditions’. Once the property title deeds have been checked to ensure they are free from encumbrances, the purchase will be registered at the Land Registry.
The conveyancer will then obtain mortgage approval, and your solicitor will arrange the money transfer and sign legal documents. Before you go ahead with the purchase of a property, you need to be sure that you can afford it. Always secure a mortgage before you buy a property.
How to Do it Yourself
The first thing to do is work out what you want from the process. If you're a first-time buyer or buying your first property, you will probably be more than happy to leave the conveyancing process to the professionals. But if you are buying your second or third property, you might be interested in saving money by doing it yourself.
Doing it yourself is not impossible, although it is complex, with a lot of paperwork that must be completed correctly. You'll need to understand the legal process and some more complex aspects of buying a property, like contracts and mortgages.
Conveyancing is separate from estate agents, although they work together. But if you do your conveyancing and are also using an estate agent, they'll have to communicate regularly to ensure your property purchase goes through smoothly.
The Advantages of DIY Conveyancing
There are many advantages of a DIY conveyancing process. Here are the top ones:
It can be cheaper than using a professional. Because you don’t have to pay for a lawyer, there are no court fees or stamp duty. You can save a lot of money by completing this process alone.
Find Property Faster
Once you have done your research and know what sort of property you want, you can find it much faster. You’ll have the help of estate agents, but if you start your search asap, you can save a lot of time and money.
Flexibility
DIY conveyancing allows you to make changes to your offer anytime without having to wait. This way, you can make an offer, but if you find out something isn’t right and can’t go through with the purchase, you can pull out of the deal.
Save Money
When you do your conveyancing, you are in complete control of the process and decide when to move forward and when to halt the sale. This means you can save money by only moving forward with purchasing a property once it’s right.
Familiarisation
You will learn how the process works, and when you do it yourself, you'll be able to ask questions before and during the process. This is important for the time in the future when you buy your next property.
The Disadvantages of DIY Conveyancing
Conveyancing is a complex process that requires you to be well-informed, especially if you decide to do it yourself. Doing the whole process yourself can be very time-consuming, and you may make mistakes. Here are the top disadvantages of DIY conveyancing:
Complex Documentation
It can be challenging to understand and process the legal documentation, especially if you are unfamiliar with the terminology. You need to make sure you understand everything to prevent any mistakes. If you make a mistake, the entire process can be halted, causing a lot of frustration.
Setting Yourself Up
You will need to set yourself up to do your conveyancing. You will need to know and understand the various laws surrounding conveyancing and the various legal terms used in contracts. You need to be able to understand the paperwork you will be receiving from your estate agent.
Takes a Long Time
The title deeds can take a while to be transferred to your name. After the completion of the purchase, the documents must be checked by the Land Registry and then sent to the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA). When you do your conveyancing, you don’t have the advantage of a conveyancer who can do these tasks for you and save a lot of time.
DIY Conveyancing - Is it a Good Idea?
The answer depends on your wants and how much work you can put in. If you have patience and time, looking for a property and doing your conveyancing can be a great way of saving a little money. If you are an experienced DIYer, you can save a lot of money by doing it yourself.
However, many first-time buyers are not experienced and unprepared for the lengthy, complex process of buying a property. I recommend you do your conveyancing only if you are confident about the entire process and know what to look for when buying a property.
The Bottom Line
Doing your conveyancing is a big job, and you must be prepared to put in a lot of extra time and effort. If you are a first-time buyer, I recommend spending a little extra money and letting the professionals do the work for you.
You can save a lot of money by completing your conveyancing. However, it's a complex process that is difficult to learn, so I recommend you get a professional conveyancer to do it for you as a first-time buyer.
If you need to find conveyancing quotes in the UK, we’re here to help you. Conveyancing Calculator is an online residential conveyancing calculator. We use our trust and accurate conveyancing fees calculator to ensure you get the best idea of the costs you are facing. Browse through our website for more information.
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