When you instruct Beswicks’ conveyancing solicitors' team, the first thing we will do is contact your seller’s solicitor to let them know that we are acting for you and to request a copy of the draft contract and other important documents.

We examine the contract and supporting documents and order your searches and then go back to the other party’s solicitor with any questions that we might have.

If you need a mortgage, you now need to ensure this is in place. When your mortgage is approved your mortgage lender will send a copy of the mortgage offer to us so that we can go through their conditions to make sure they are complied with.

Your lender will arrange a mortgage valuation, which is for their purposes only to make sure the property is worth the same or more than the sum you are borrowing. It is always a good idea to carry out a survey of your own to make sure you have a complete picture of the condition of the property that you are purchasing.

Once all questions have been answered and search results and mortgage offer received we will invite you into the office to sign the contract papers. Alternatively, we can post or email the papers to you for signing. We will also provide a comprehensive report outlining all pertinent points that you need to be aware of.

Once you have signed your papers and a completion (moving date) is agreed we will seek your authority to exchange contracts and legally commit you to your purchase. Exchanging contracts is actually a telephone conversation between the seller and buyer’s solicitor and you pay a 10% deposit when the contracts are exchanged.

We then request your mortgage advance from your mortgage lender to ensure we receive it in time for you to complete your purchase. You need to place your buildings insurance on risk from the date contracts are exchanged unless you are buying a newly built property from the developer.

On the completion date we send the purchase monies to the seller’s solicitor and when they acknowledge receipt your purchase is complete. The solicitors acting for the seller will authorise the estate agents to release the keys to you. You can then collect the keys from the estate agent and begin the process of moving in. Typically, the whole process takes 10-12 weeks.