A solicitor or conveyancer is likely to be the first member of your team. Before any property is placed on the market, the vendor is obliged to have a contract of sale drawn up by a solicitor/conveyancer (it is a legislative requirement). Agents are not allowed to market a property, or conduct viewings until they have the contract. When viewing any property, the buyer has the right to sight the contract – this outlines the type of ownership they will have on the property (known as the type of “title”), it will also show any by-laws that are in effect, whether there are easements, rights of way, covenants, caveats, mortgages etc.

Your conveyancer / solicitor will pull together the relevant documentation.

Ensure that the contract is in order and confirm ownership of the property.

in addition, Your conveyancer / solicitor will: -  

Explain the terms of the contracts;

Explain the special conditions;

Act on your behalf to vary the contract if need be;

Explain your legal rights, and what commitments you’ll be making as you progress through the exchange, "cooling-off" and settlement phases;

Liaise with the buyers legal representative.

Whilst it’s not mandatory that you engage a legal representative, it is strongly recommended. The last thing you want is to fall into a technical loophole without any legal representation.

When you’re looking for a legal representative, make sure that you choose someone you feel comfortable with and preferably someone who is familiar with your chosen area; a local representative – remember that your legal team work for you – not the other way around! Do not get stuck with a team member that thinks that you should fit into their schedule – Set each others expectations up-front, talk about how long the process should take, and how willing they are to act quickly on your behalf. Some sales get held up (and even fall through) because solicitors / conveyances have acted too slowly, the all too important momentum starts to wane and the buyer starts to back-off or look at other properties while waiting.......