Home buyers and sellers in Sussex  are being urged to ‘go local’ to speed up transactions this summer.

Rising mortgage rates, new mortgage products for first time buyers and an increase in sales of rental properties are set to send the traditionally busy summer home moving period stratospheric.

With some buyers already waiting up to four months for conveyancing property searches to be returned, X-Press Legal Services has shared the inside track on how to beat the backlog on what is the first part of every property transaction. 

Property searches ensure that homebuyers have all the facts about a property before they buy it and are mandated by mortgage providers.  A solicitor or conveyancer acting on the purchase of a property will order property searches on the buyer’s behalf from local authorities and specialist firms depending on where the property is located and the type of land it sits on.

Now, Jonathan Howgill owner of X-Press Legal Services Sussex has revealed a simple hack to speed through the searches stage:

“Those looking to buy or sell should ask their solicitor or estate agent to use a local company to conduct property searches,” commented Jonathan Howgill of X-Press Legal Services Sussex.  “Delays in property searches can lengthen the property transaction process from an average of six months to a very lengthy ten, risking transaction chains collapsing and causing huge unnecessary stress for all parties.

“At present there is an increasing problem with estate agencies telling clients that they must outsource their local property searches to nationwide providers.  These companies typically have no knowledge of the local area in which they are requesting property searches or contacts within the local council planning departments.  It’s causing huge jams in the system when these searches are requested in bulk, meaning customers are often left waiting for months for their results.” 

X-Press Legal Services is supporting IPSA’s Make the Switch campaign to encourage the use of local search agents rather than outsourcing to external panels.

“By using local search agents, home buyers and sellers can receive search reports in a matter of days,” continued Jonathan Howgill.  “Being based in Sussex I know all the local planning departments and will often pop down in person to sort out any delays or queries on searches.  Returning a few simple reports for a recognised local company like X-Press is far easier for planning departments to handle than responding to reems of requests from faceless national firms.  As a result, our clients receive a far superior and swifter service.  I would urge anyone involved in a property transaction this summer to insist on using local search companies whose expert knowledge and on the ground personal service is certain to beat any online behemoth.”

X-Press Legal Services Sussex works alongside solicitors and conveyancers across the region to swiftly provide property searches.  With locally owned offices throughout England & Wales, the independent property partner specialises in data and e-conveyancing.  For further information contact Jonathan on 01273 526061 or email JonathanH.1366@xpresslegal.uk