A Guide to Conveyancing for First Time Buyers in Glasgow, Scotland

Buying your first property can be very exciting and receiving the keys to your first home is an unforgettable moment. However, the conveyancing process leading up to your eventual move-in day is complex, requiring the assistance of an expert property lawyer. At the Glasgow Law Practice, we have extensive experience in working with first-time buyers across Scotland, and our expert conveyancing solicitors will be on hand to guide you through your transaction helpfully and efficiently.

Buying your first home

It is helpful to contact a solicitor as soon as possible if you are considering buying a home. Once you have determined your budget for the new property with a mortgage lender, you will be in a position to view properties on the market and consider making offers. The advice of an expert property solicitor is key at this stage.

Your property solicitor will then work through the following steps in the conveyancing process with you:

• Noting interest: We will contact the seller’s solicitors to advise them that you are considering purchasing the property
• Submitting an offer: The guidance of a solicitor with experience in the Scottish property market is invaluable in determining an appropriate offer and the likelihood that it will be accepted. Some properties sell for significantly more than their ‘asking price’, while in other instances a lower offer may be acceptable. The seller will sometimes wait until they have received several notes of interest and then call a closing date, where all formal offers must be submitted at once by a set time on a set day. Prospective buyers only get one opportunity to make an offer at a closing date, and expert advice can mean the difference between joy and heartbreak. Your solicitor will submit your offer to the seller on your behalf.
• Missives: If the seller chooses to sell the property to you, they will usually send a qualified acceptance (i.e. detailing various specific conditions, such as the date of entry) rather than accepting the offer outright. We will enter into correspondence known as missives to ‘fine-tune’ the offer and acceptance. In due course, the contract for sale of the property will be concluded. An expert solicitor will be able to fully advise you on the terms of the Missives and ensure your interests are safeguarded.
• The disposition: Your solicitor will draft the disposition, the formal document transferring ownership of the property from the seller to you. Once it is signed by the seller, the solicitor will register this in the Land Register of Scotland to formalise your right to the property.

At each of these stages, your solicitor will keep you fully informed and answer any questions you may have.

Those purchasing a property for the first time will often be residing in a rented property prior to the date of entry. Your lease should clearly set out the procedure for giving your landlord notice that you will be leaving the property. If this process is at all problematic, our property solicitors will be able to assist you in ensuring that you do not incur any unnecessary liability to your landlord.

Buying your first home may also raise other legal issues. It is increasingly common for couples to purchase properties together where they are not married or in a civil partnership. Alternatively, you might be purchasing the property in your own name, but intend for your partner to live in the property with you. In such cases, it is advisable to discuss writing a cohabitation agreement with a member of our expert family law team.

Contact The Glasgow Law Practice

We welcome enquiries from all first-time buyers, and look forward to working with you in securing your ideal home. Call us today on 0141 471 9278, fill in in our contact form opposite, or come in to see us at one of our offices.