Residential Property
Moving house or purchasing a buy to let property is likely to be one of the biggest or the biggest financial transaction of your life.
House sales and purchases
We’re 100% para-legal free!
At Armstrong Solicitors, we’ve developed what we think is Northern Ireland’s first (and possibly only) in house conveyancing web app. This allows you as the client to keep control of your next move by receiving real time case updates by email and sms message every time a new step is progressed on your case, and you get one step closer to completing your move. With explanatory emails along the way, and with update emails also going to your estate agent (and mortgage adviser), we aim to make your home move as transparent as possible.
That transparency starts from the moment you first arrive at our website; you can obtain an instant no obligation fee quotation on your next property case, which breaks down the professional fees, outlays, taxes and charges in a clear, accurate and concise manner. The more information you can provide, the more accurate the fee quote is. Just click on GET A QUOTE at the top of this page to get started right now.
Most solicitor firms deal with conveyancing work. “Conveyancing” is simply the process whereby the legal ownership of property is transferred from one person to another. When you move house, you need a solicitor to deal with the conveyancing.
Some large conveyancing firms tend to use paralegals to run conveyancing cases. Paralegals are not qualified solicitors.
We believe that when you instruct a firm of solicitors to carry out your case, you should expect that all major decisions and work carried out in relation to your case should be carried out by a solicitor. We agree! We don’t use paralegals on our files.
When you instruct us, you will be allocated a fully qualified solicitor to work on your case, and that solicitor will make all decisions on the file in consultation with you. Our property law solicitors don’t cover any other areas of law, so when you contact them, they’re not at Court, or at a police interview, or at a site inspection.
House Sales and Purchases
Moving house or purchasing a buy to let property is likely to be one of the biggest or the biggest financial transaction of your life.
Fixed Fees
Fees are always an important issue when conveyancing is discussed. The professional fees that solicitors charge vary widely across Northern Ireland and even in the same town. By all means shop around, but please, please, don’t automatically opt for the cheapest quotation.
Think about what you’re being offered. Consider how your request for a fee quotation was answered. Was the call answered quickly? (Or was the online process easy?). Were they friendly? Did they seem to know what they were talking about? How quickly were you provided with a quotation? Remember that ALL quotations for residential conveyancing MUST be in writing and in the format set down by the Law Society of Northern Ireland. Did the person seem interested in you? Did you feel that you could rely on them to act for you?
Legal Fees
Armstrong Solicitors’ fees for conveyancing services are cost effective, they’re transparent, and they’re available immediately. We won’t always be the cheapest in every single case, but based on the quality service that we provide, we believe that our costs represent excellent value for money.
Remortgaging
Instruct us
If you are planning to remortgage your home, you may be encouraged to use a "fee free" deal with one of the large lenders where you don't pay legal fees up front. Often that looks like an attractive option, but there's a catch. When you instruct us, we act for you, and we have a contract with you to provide legal services. We also act for your lender as well, and in truth we owe a duty to both of you. Importantly, however, we do have a duty to you as our client.
When you opt for a 'fee free' deal, the panel solicitor chosen by your lender usually acts only for the lender, and it's up to you as the borrower to take your own legal advice. Many people don't take independent legal advice at this point, and that's often a mistake.
We can protect your interests.
If you opt for a 'fee free' deal, remember that no one is obliged to give you independent legal advice, and the lender's solicitors do not have any particular duty to you. If you sign the mortgage documentation without it being explained to you by an independent solicitor, then you may not be aware of the consequences of what you are signing.
If you're thinking about remortgaging or considering a 'fee free' deal, request a call back from us and let us explain how we can protect your interests.