In 2015, we have continued to write articles for the blog on our website.
Some of the articles have been about topical legal issues but most have been general explanations about particular issues which come up a lot in practice.
The articles have covered:
Less legalistic subjects have included:
At the end of another year, we have reviewed the number of viewers each of these articles has had, in order to compile a ‘Top 5’ list.
As it turns out, the most popular articles on our website this year all relate to Estate Agency and Conveyancing.
Despite the fact that we are a general practice firm, covering a wide range of areas of the law, house sales and purchases are our main areas of business. Taking that into account, it’s not surprising that property-related topics are of most interest to visitors to this website.
So, counting down the list from 5 to 1, we can announce the following results.
5. How much does it cost to buy a house in Moray?
The ‘costs’ discussed in this article include:
- Mortgage set-up costs;
- Deposits;
- Common outlays, such as Land and Building Transaction Tax and Land Register fees;
- Solicitors’ fees; and
- Possible hidden costs to look out for.
4. What are missives?
Basically, the missives are a series of letters, usually between solicitors, which, when taken together, form a contract in connection with the sale / purchase of a property.
This article breaks down the procedures involved and explains some of the common terminology.
3. Title deeds In Moray – a thing of the past?
This article is headed up with a classic title deeds image: the bundle of dusty documents secured with pink ribbon.
Whether the deeds must be retained in that form or not depends on the registration system which applies to your property transaction.
It is a good idea to try to keep track of where the title deeds for your house are kept and this article will help you understand how to do that.
2. What happens after an offer on a house is accepted?
As the title suggests, this article looks at what happens after an offer on a house is accepted.
The article includes discussion of:
- Anti-Money Laundering requirements;
- Making sure your mortgage is in place; and
- Making sure any additional funds beyond the mortgage are available.
And, at number 1 …
1. Backing out of a house purchase or sale (when is it too late?)
What do you do if you think you may be making the wrong decision in relation to purchase or sale of a property?
Much depends on whether there is a binding contract in place.
This article considers the situations where you can walk away without penalty. It also looks at the potential negative financial consequences if your failure to go through with the transaction might amount to a breach of contract.
How we can help
That concludes our round-up of the most popular blogs of 2015 on the Grigor & Young website.
As you can see, the headline of each of the featured articles included a question. In at least some of these cases, the question came from a client or potential client of the firm.
We are always happy to receive questions about any aspect of the law as they help us formulate new material for the website – which is of benefit to you and to us.
It is a recurring problem in every industry that the producer or service provider fails to see a gap in the information they are providing. This is often referred to as ‘the curse of knowledge’. You can’t see the topics you should be covering in articles because you think (incorrectly) that it’s covered already or ‘obvious’.
So, please do get in touch if you have any comments or queries. We would be glad to hear from you.
You can contact us on the phone at 01343 544077 or by sending us a Free Online Enquiry.
Links you might like
Staying on the theme of Estate Agency and Conveyancing, you might find the following pages and articles on our website are also of interest to you: