I have been told that property searches are the primary reason for stalling in Exeter house deals. Is that correct?

The Council of Property Search Organisations (CoPSO) released conclusions of research by MoveWithUs that conveyancing searches do not feature amongst the most frequent causes of hindrances during the legal transfer of property. Local searches are not likely to feature in any delay in conveyancing in Exeter.

I'm purchasing my first flat in Exeter with a loan from . The sellers refused to budge the price so I negotiated £7000 of additionals instead. The property agent told me not disclose to my solicitor about the extras as it would adversely affect my loan with the lender. Should I keep quiet?.

All lenders require a Disclosure of Incentives Form from the builder of any new build, converted or renovated property, It is available online from the Lenders’ Handbook page on the CML website. CML form is completed and handed to the lender's surveyor when the inspection is done.

Lenders have different policies on incentives. Some accept none at all, cash or physical, while others will accept cash incentives up to 5%.

Hard to understand why the representative of a builder would be suggesting you withold information from a solicitor when all this will be clearly visible on forms the builder has to supply to its solicitor, the buyer's solicitor and the surveyor.

Am I best advised to use a Exeter conveyancing practitioner who is local to the property I am hoping to buy? We have a good friend who can conduct the legal work but his firm is located 200kilometers away.

The primary upside of using a high street Exeter conveyancing firm is that you can visit the firm to sign documents, present your ID and apply pressure on them if necessary. Having local Exeter know how is a plus. That being said it's more important to get someone that will pull out all the stops for you. If you know people who instructed your friend and they were happy that must outweigh using an unknown Exeter conveyancing lawyer solely due to them being based in the area.