I am in a contract race with another prospective purchaser for a property in Bournemouth. What can be done to accelerate the legal process?

In a situation where the seller is applying pressure for your conveyancing we would recommend that your lawyer is familiar with the area as they will benefit local contacts and insight. It is possible that they would have transacted previoushouses in the same road. You would be best advised to use a Bournemouth conveyancing solicitor. Second, double check that the lawyer is on the on the approved list for your mortgage company. It is understood that just under twenty per cent of Bournemouth conveyancing transactions are frustrated or jeopardised after discovering a buyer’s conveyancer was not on their banks member panel. In many cases this discovery resulted in the home move being delayed by almost three weeks. It is claimed that this issue affects in the region of one hundred thousand home sales every year. Many Bournemouth conveyancing practices can not act for certain lenders so do check at the outset.

My colleague recommended that if I am purchasing in Bournemouth I should carry out a Neighbourhood, Planning and Local Amenity Search. Can you explain what the purpose of this search is?

This is a search is sometimes quoted for as part of the standard Bournemouth conveyancing searches. It is a large report of about 40 pages, listing and detailing significant information about Bournemouth around the property and the people living there. It includes an Aerial Photograph, Planning Applications, Land Use, Mobile Phone Masts, Rights of Way, the local Housing Market, Council Tax Banding, the demographics of People living in the area, the dominant type of Housing, the Average House Prices, Crime details, Local Education with plans and statistics, Local Amenities and other useful data regarding Bournemouth.

How does conveyancing in Bournemouth differ for newly converted properties?

Most buyers of new build residence in Bournemouth contact us having been asked by the developer to exchange contracts and commit to the purchase even before the residence is finished. This is because new home sellers in Bournemouth typically acquire the real estate, plan the estate and want to get the plots sold off as they are building the properties. Buyers, therefore, will have to exchange contracts without actually seeing the house they are buying. To reduce the chances of losing the property, buyers should instruct property lawyers as soon as the property is reserved and mortgage applications should be submitted quickly. Due to the fact that it could be several months and even years between exchange of contracts and completion, the mortgage offer may need to be extended. It would be wise to use a lawyer who specialises in new build conveyancing especially if they are accustomed to new build conveyancing in Bournemouth or who has acted in the same development.

I have been on the look out for a flat up to £195,000 and identified one near me in Bournemouth I like with open areas and station nearby, the downside is that it's only got 51 remaining years left on the lease. There is not much else in Bournemouth for this price, so just wondered if I would be making a grave error buying a short lease?

If you need a home loan the shortness of the lease will be problematic. Reduce the offer by the anticipated lease extension will cost if not already taken into account. If the current proprietor has owned the property for a minimum of twenty four months you may ask them to commence the lease extension formalities and then assign it to you. An additional ninety years can be extended on to the existing lease with a zero ground rent applied. You should consult your conveyancing lawyer regarding this.

I am considering choosing a web based conveyancer rather than a Bournemouth conveyancing firm. Should I ‘stay local’?

There are advantages of being able to pop in to a local Bournemouth conveyancing solicitor for example

• signing papers and and when necessary
• getting one on one explanations of issues you don't understand
• the ability to complain if things need to addressed

When analysing quotes, look carefully for hidden extras. The majority decent Bournemouth high street solicitors give an all-inclusive price. Many online agents seem to offer low cost fees, but have hidden 'extras' in the fine print.