Buying real estate property is an expensive undertaking, so you need all the help you can get to ensure you go about it the right way. One of the professionals you will need to get the transaction closed is a conveyancing solicitor. These professionals are responsible for handling all legal aspects pertaining to the transfer of property ownership rights from the seller to the buyer.
If you are in the market to hire a conveyancing solicitor, you should know that not all conveyancing solicitors are the same. Taking the time to choose the best conveyancer to handle all the legal aspects of your transaction is vital for ensuring a smooth and successful property transferral.
With that said, here's what to review when choosing your conveyancer.
Affiliation with conveyancing and property lawyers
As already mentioned, conveyancing involves legal work. Ironically, practising conveyancers are not required to obtain any legal training because of the simple fact that they are not lawyers. No matter how experienced a conveyancing solicitor may be, they may not be able to provide you with legal counsel in case something goes wrong during the property transferral process. For this reason, it is important for you to hire a solicitor that is either a qualified lawyer or affiliated with a qualified lawyer. In the latter case, this will ensure a lawyer is readily available to provide legal assistance to the solicitor whose services you have enlisted. You wouldn't want to incur the extra cost of hiring a conveyancing and property lawyer if a problem arises during your conveyancing process.
Areas of focus
Even though all conveyancing solicitors are trained in conveyancing work, they are not all experienced in the ownership transferral process for all types of property. If you are buying a house, for example, it is a sensible thing to choose a solicitor who focuses on residential property transactions. If you want to buy a hotel or restaurant, it could be best to hire a solicitor that is experienced in handling property transactions in the hotel and hospitality sector. In short, choose a dedicated solicitor who only works on handling property transactions of the same type as the property you want to buy.
While you are under no legal obligation to enlist the services of a conveyancing solicitor, they can potentially save you additional expenses if something goes wrong during a DIY property transferral process. The peace of mind you will enjoy during your conveyancing justifies the cost of hiring a solicitor.
Share24 October 2018
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