Buying A House: The Legal Process

Buying a house can be an immensely stressful time, especially if you are moving a long distance or trying to buy your dream home. You should ensure that you engage a solicitor who is experienced in property law and can help to push the purchase through smoothly, as there are many legal issues that have the potential to delay or even threaten your purchase.

It can help if you have an understanding of the legal processes you will have to follow, as you will be able to prepare yourself and respond more quickly to enquiries and problems that may arise. Our solicitors at Irwin, Kilcullen & Co Solicitors are experts in all aspects of property law and will be delighted to help you with your purchase.

Your House Purchase And The Law:

It can be useful to know what your solicitor is doing for you, and how the process of buying a house usually unfolds. Here’s our quick guide to the legalities of your house purchase. Your solicitor will handle the following for you:

1.    Searches. It will be vital to ascertain that the property is not at risk from environmental factors, and that issues such as building developments in the area will not compromise your investment. These searches and more will be arranged by your solicitor, and he or she will liase with you about the results and their implications. This process will also establish that the seller is legally entitled to sell the property to you.

2.    Potential problems. Your solicitor will discuss your survey with you, and obtain further information regarding any issues that have been highlighted in the results. For example, if there is a septic tank at the property you wish to buy, you will require further documentation and information from the seller.

3.    Contracts. Your solicitor will draw up contracts relating to the property sale once you have formalized your purchase agreement with the seller. You will need to sign these contracts in front of an independent witness, and these will be exchanged with the seller when all of your enquiries about the property have been satisfied.

4.    Financial transactions. You will pay a deposit for the property when you initially agree a purchase price and sign contracts. Your solicitor will hold these funds, and will also be responsible for receiving cleared funds from you ahead of the closing date and for transferring these to the seller once the final searches have been carried out satisfactorily.

5.    Registration. After the closing date of your sale, once you have paid stamp duty, your solicitor will be able to register your ownership of the property with the Land Registry or the Registry of Deeds. This will complete the sale process and ensure that the property is legally yours. Your mortgage will appear on the title documents if applicable. Your solicitor will then contact you to confirm that your registration has been completed.

Find Property Solicitors in Cork

Here at Irwin, Kilcullen & Co Solicitors, we can help you to buy the house you want. Simply contact us online or call us today on +021 4270934 to discuss your purchase with our friendly team.

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