Moving house? Why you should talk to your solicitor earlier than you think

Sellers that instruct a solicitor when they first list their property for sale move on average up to 11 days faster

Experts warn of a ‘notably strong’ property market and the creation of a new bubble (PA)

Research from the Move with Us suggests that most homemovers are suffering from delays because they are not instructing their solicitor or conveyancer sufficiently early in the process.

The survey, conducted among independent estate agents from the Move with Us network, found that 84 per cent of customers instruct a solicitor once an offer has been accepted on a property rather than when they put their house on the market or when they first start looking to buy.

Sellers that instruct a solicitor when they first list their property for sale move on average up to 11 days faster and Move With Us argue that it also helps to lower the risk of the buyer or seller pulling out of the sale.

"The property market is quickly gathering pace and it is likely that there will be more buyers than sellers on the market this year," said Robin King, Director at Move with Us. "With such increased competition, being legally prepared early puts buyers in a good position by being able to stand out from the competition and demonstrate that they are a serious, motivated and reliable contender.

“There are lots of steps that home owners can take to speed up their move and reduce the chances of their sale falling through. This is particularly important in the current market as larger volumes of files for solicitors to work on are naturally increasing transaction times as they try to keep up with demand."