Sharing is caring!

There is no denying that coronavirus has put a stopper in many a house-moving plan this year, however, what may shock you, is that the demand for homes post-lockdown has created a mini property boom. Zoopla predicts that market conditions will remain stronger than 2019 for the rest of the year, with house prices increasing by a couple percent by the end of 2020.

During lockdown we were seeing unprecedented low figures in the conveyancing industry, with the Land Registry reporting that the number of applications received dropped from 55,000 in March 2020, to just 440 for the entire month of April 2020.

Aldermore’s First Time Buyer Index revealed that one in five (20%) first-time buyers pulled out of their property transaction due to lockdown.

As a result of these low numbers, and of course due to lockdown resulting in many employees working from home, delays started to creep in. The Land Registry were not the only organization unprepared for this shift to home working. Many of the search providers experienced the same issues with Local Authority Councils and so the delays snowballed. The domino effect was in full flow and it was the average homebuyer or seller that suffered. The experiences delays were not solely at the hands of the mentioned organizations – their conveyancing solicitors were in the same boat; working from home and experiencing delays of their own, unable to chase councils for search results or suffering due to the lack of access to office equipment, whilst working from home.

Fast forward to September 2020, post-lockdown, and the market has not only caught back up, but has actually surpassed the numbers we are used to seeing. Lockdown has seen people cooped up in houses that no longer tick all their boxes. People want different things now; houses with bigger gardens, apartments with terraces, proximity to parks and open spaces. This massive surge in demand has, unfortunately, not been met with a ready and willing conveyancing system, for the most part. The delays that were already in place are, if anything, becoming commonplace as the industry gets busier.

This is where we step in. We are still here. We are in the office, ready for your calls and face-to-face meetings. You can come in to see us, to sign those papers or discuss a query that you may have. It also means that we still have all the usual tools at our disposal and can chase the search providers or mortgage lenders as much as necessary to ensure that your transaction goes through as quickly and as smoothly as possible.

How can Step Legal Solicitors help you?

Our experienced team of conveyancing lawyers understand how time-consuming and expensive buying a home can be and what a difference saving time on the little things can make to the whole experience.  For this reason, when you choose us to handle your forthcoming house purchase we promise to do all we can to ensure that the transaction proceeds smoothly, to deal effectively with any unexpected difficulties that may arise and to do whatever it takes to ensure that the matter completes as quickly as it can.

Our reputation for delivering a first class service is well established in Crewe and the surrounding area, which means that you can trust us to get you moved quickly.  We are also extremely competitive on price – just use our online conveyancing costs calculator to generate an instant quote.

To find out more, please call us on 0800 195 6412 or 01270 254064 and ask to speak to the head of our residential property department, Anees Khan.  You may also find it helpful to look at the conveyancing section of our website https://www.steplegal.co.uk/buying-and-selling-residential-property/ and to read a recent blog highlighting the benefits of using us as your chosen property advisor https://www.steplegal.co.uk/blog/tips-for-choosing-a-conveyancer-and-what-we-can-bring-to-the-table/.

We can help whatever type of residential property you are looking to buy, including where you intend to buy a new build, a shared ownership home, an auction property or a buy-to-let investment.