Easymover

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STEP 1: Advising your solicitors

Your solicitors need your instructions before they can act, it’s important that you contact them personally as soon as possible giving them details of your proposed purchase.

STEP 2: Safeguarding your purchase

Our legal office will send a contract to your solicitors with details of your chosen plot, the agreed price and conditions of your purchase.

This contract must be signed and returned to your solicitor and exchanged conditionally within 14 days of the date it was issued. By exchanging this contract, you are agreeing to the following conditions: 1. You must have a formal mortgage offer in place no later than 14 days after conditional exchange. 2. You must have a buyer for your own home, with a completed chain, by the review date given in the contract. This is normally 8 weeks from reservation or otherwise agreed. 3. You must exchange contracts on the sale of your own home no later than 12 weeks after your conditional exchange with us or by the date given in your contract.

When these conditions have been met, the contract with George Wimpey will be considered unconditional and the agreed deposit will become payable at that time.

As you will appreciate, the timescales shown above are given on the understanding that your property is marketed in a committed and realistic way.

(Please see the information at the end of this guide regarding refund of your £1000 reservation fee if you cannot proceed.)

STEP 3: Getting your mortgage offer

As a formal mortgage offer is a key condition of your contract, it is vital that your lender understands the timescales involved. Please let both your solicitor and Meridian Sales Counsellors know as soon as you receive a satisfactory mortgage offer. Your solicitor can then tell us that this condition has been met.

Whatever your circumstances, it is George Wimpey’s company policy that you have a confidential and informal chat with our recommended Independent Financial Advisor at the point of reservation. This will be arranged by your Sales Executive and is a safeguard to check that it is feasible to secure suitable finance within the agreed time frame.

STEP 4: Keeping your sale on track

By now, you will have discovered the invaluable help and support of Meridian Sales Counsellors. They will have been in touch with you to check on progress if your home is already on the market, or to help you choose a local agent and decide an appropriate selling price if it is not.

Meridian will continue to help and support you every step of the way, from monitoring viewings to liaising with professional advisers.

As soon as you have a suitable buyer and an acceptable offer on your property, please tell Meridian and your solicitors straight away. Arrangements can then be made for exchange of contracts on your sale, enabling the contract on your purchase to become unconditional.

STEP 5: Arranging legal completion

Throughout the purchasing process, the sales team will keep you updated regarding build progress. However, before your property can be transferred to you, it must be inspected by the National House Builders Council (NHBC), in order to issue a Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) certificate.

Our legal office will contact your solicitors when this has been issued, so that arrangements can be made for legal completion (the date on which the balance of the agreed purchase price is paid and the property is transferred to you) to take place. This will normally be within the next 10 working days, or alternatively as agreed.

It should be noted that drawing down of purchase funds by your solicitor from your lender can take up to 5 working days.

Once these funds are available, your solicitor will arrange to pay these to us on the day of your move. This will usually be some time after 12.00 noon in line with standard banking procedures.

STEP 6: Moving In!

When you arrive on site after legal completion, your Site Manager will have the keys ready for you and will read the meters before asking you to sign the official “Handover” form.

Now all you have to do is unpack and relax in your brand new home.

Important information about your reservation fee

Your £1000 reservation fee will count towards the deposit payable when the contract becomes unconditional. However, in the unlikely event that you cannot proceed with your purchase, this fee will be refunded as follows:

(a) Should you choose to cancel prior to signing and returning your conditional contract, we will refund 50% of the reservation fee and retain the remainder to cover administration costs.

(b) If you are unable to obtain an appropriate mortgage offer or a realistic sale of your own home within the agreed timescales, the contract may be rescinded. In that event, we will refund 50% of the reservation fee and retain the remainder to cover administration costs.

(c) If your sale falls through and you cannot find another buyer within the agreed timescales, the reservation fee will be forfeited and your contract cancelled.

We have tried to keep everything as simple as possible - but if you should encounter any unexpected difficulties along the way, do remember that we are ALWAYS here to help. Please contact either your Sales Executive or Meridian Sales Counselling Services.