Background

Buying & Selling A Property

You have agreed to buy or sell a home or possibly even both, but what do you do next?

For most people, buying and selling their house is one of the most important and valuable transactions they will ever undertake and at Hunt & Coombs we understand how important and sometimes stressful it can be. Our residential property lawyers will make sure that the legal aspects of the move proceed as smoothly as possible and our dedicated team will be there to help you with any queries that you may have.

We will keep you updated on your transaction throughout and try to work to a completion date that suits you, subject to the progress of the rest of the chain.

Removing Anti-Fraud Restrictions at the Land Registry

This is is a service that we are not able to offer, for further information please view our anti-fraud restrictions leaflet.

Pricing and timescales

To provide you with the accurate and relevant pricing information to help you make a considered decision when choosing and purchasing legal services from our Residential Property team please visit our Legal fees for Residential Property page or contact us.

Advice on protecting yourself against online fraud

Online fraud is on the increase specifically in property transactions. To help keep yourself safe from this threat please view our advice on protecting yourself.

Contact us

To request further advice or a quote from the Residential Property Team, please call 01733 882 800 for Peterborough, 01832 273506 for Oundle, 01480 411224 for Huntingdon, email [email protected] or contact us via our enquiry form.

Residential Property Lawyers

Pippa Woodcock

Associate - Team Leader Residential Property

Claire Burns

Associate

Jo Wood

Senior Conveyancing Executive

Buying & Selling A Property FAQs

These are a Bankruptcy Search against you (required only if you are having a mortgage) and a Land Registry Search. This search gives you priority at Land Registry to complete registration of your purchase without any further entries on the title. These searches are only undertaken just before completion.

This is your moving day. Generally speaking, the keys to the property should be at the Estate Agent’s by 2pm.

Although the contract provides that the property is to be insured by the buyer from exchange, the seller must continue their insurance cover until legal completion to ensure they are fully protected in case of a claim.

View more FAQs

Testimonials

"Having used James Steward on previous occasions we were confident in receiving a professional, reliable and friendly service for our new home purchase and that is exactly what we received. We couldn't be happier and thoroughly recommend Hunt & Coombs for conveyancing."


"James Steward had done previous work for us and we were happy to use him again."


"I am very satisfied with your efficient, professional but also friendly approach to the sale of and purchase of both properties."


"Wow, Pippa Woodcock is a pro, she does everything and leaves no stone unturned, even the slightest thing she will not let go; it has to be 100% for Pippa. Also, she has a brilliant team working with her. I cannot see where any improvement can be made."


"Pippa has been amazing through our sale and purchase. Despite it being an exceptionally busy period of time, Pippa was always on hand to answer our queries, and always provided updates without prompting. We would highly recommend Pippa to others seeking conveyancing services. Thanks so much Pippa!"


"Very efficient service. Very good response to emails - better than expected."


"Very happy with the prompt and efficient service received. I have used Hunt & Coombs for a long time and will continue to do so. Many Thanks."


"Very satisfied with the professional service offered by Hunt & Coombs. No issues of concern and will have no reservations in requesting advice and services from Hunt & Coombs in the future."


"We have received a very professional 'Goldstar' service over a long period of time due to complex circumstances. Many thanks to Pippa."


"Excellent customer service. Please keep it up."


"Thank you so much for all your help. We are so pleased to have our first home."


"Very professional and helpful at all times. Very friendly when we came into the office. Very impressed with the overall service. Would highly recommend."


"Very good service indeed. Very pleased with the way Pippa dealt with all our needs. I would recommend Hunt & Coombs to anyone. Very good indeed."


"I was very happy with the whole process. Very efficient and organised."


"I was very happy with the service and my Solicitor couldn’t have been more helpful. I would certainly recommend him to anyone, if I lived in Peterborough. Thank you again, I don’t intend to move house again in the near future, I’m fed up with all of these boxes, but, if I were to move I would see you every time."


"In the purchase of my property, I found the service to be friendly, efficient and fast. I initially chose Hunt & Coombs as they provided me with the best quote and I am satisfied that I made the right choice. A modern and professional service, I will definitely use again when required."


"Very good service by all staff."


Pippa Woodcock and her team continue to provide exceptionally good service. Pippa significantly exceeds expectations even though those expectations were high. I have recommended Hunt & Coombs Commercial and Residential conveyancing services to a large number of people who have all come away satisfied with their services. Well done Hunt & Coombs, Keep it up!


"I am very happy with the service provided by Hunt & Coombs LLP."


"Efficient, friendly team, excellent service throughout the entire process. Always answered any questions/queries promptly. They worked so well with the estate agent we used. The process was seamless. Thank you very much."


"Very happy with the speed of the work done with the purchase of my property. Many thanks to all the staff."


"Excellent service. Highly recommended."


"Hunt & Coombs took a very personable approach to the whole process. They made, what is usually, a stressful process much easier than I could have expected. I didn’t need to continually chase them up; they were on top of everything and kept me fully informed. I felt completely confident in their ability to successfully complete everything on time and to a great standard."


"Hunt & Coombs did a very professional job making the sale of our house go smoothly and were more than happy to help with any problems we had."


"We were exceptionally happy with the service Hunt & Coombs provided us with whilst buying our new home. The service was efficient, detailed, incredibly professional which was very welcome given we were very time pressured in our day to lives."


"Excellent service and would highly recommend to anyone needing Solicitors. Good communication throughout process."


"Thank you for your excellent service. We are particularly appreciative of James Steward who is always friendly and extremely knowledgeable."


"We have used HC over the past few years for various reasons and will continue to in the future. Their professionalism, knowledge and ability to be time efficient mean we will choose to work with HC over others available to us."


"James Steward worked extremely hard in sometimes difficult circumstances, to complete on time the sale of our existing property and the purchase of our new property. This involved working extended hours on a number of occasions."


"Excellent service, great communication, prompt and reliable."


"I chose Hunt & Coombs because I used them previously when I bought my house and their service was excellent. So when it came to selling my house I didn't think twice I knew they would take care of things like they did before."


"Everything was very good."


"I have developed a good rapport with James Steward. This is our 9th buy together."


"Recommended by Woodfords Estate Agents and locally based in Oundle."


"During a very difficult sale Hunt & Coombs were the one organisation that we could rely on. Always contactable, always professional, always delivered on what they said they would. Would not hesitate to use again!"


"Our solicitor was very knowledgeable, ensuring everything was in order before completing the purchase."


"Pippa has dealt with several house sales and purchases for me in recent years. I have always been happy with how matters have been dealt with so will always return to Hunt & Coombs should the need arise in the future."


"We were recommended by Mr A Cave at Hunt & Coombs Peterborough branch and thank him for mentioning Pippa Woodcock who has been extremely efficient and courteous throughout."


"Thank you very much for all the work and time you put into this transaction, and for all previous work you've done too, Pippa...With much warmth, I'm thanking you."


"Great service. Thanks."


"Superb service - nothing to add."


"Nothing but praise particularly to James Steward for his help, kindness and politeness during these difficult times."


"Thank you for a trouble free sale. Everyone has been friendly, helpful and shown excellent professionalism even in the difficult times when working from home. Highly recommend this residential sales team."


"Due to circumstances outside of our control the house purchase fell through, however because of the brilliant service we received throughout we have again instructed Hunt & Coombs to act on our behalf."


"Excellent service, thank you."


"Thank you to James Steward for his patience in handling this purchase and the sale that he saw us through last summer. We are more than pleased with all the help and support that James provided."


"I was happy with service provided and found everyone I worked with approachable and helpful. Thank you."


"We could not fault the service we received from Hunt & Coombs especially from James. We have never had such a good service from any solicitors firm previously and we will return with any further legal matters without hesitation. James made the process of buying our house so much easier. This was done by prompt returning of phone calls, extremely friendly and professional handling of our purchase. Many thanks again."


"Another hassle free purchase with the help and assistance of Pippa. Thanks for the continued help and assistance."


"We have been very happy with your service. Both for the first registration of our property and also for the sale of my sisters maisonette. We appreciated the prompt provision of an itemised quote in the above occasions."


"The whole process has been hassle free and I have been completely satisfied with the service. Many Thanks."


"Excellent job!"


"Excellent service!"


"Could not fault the work of James Steward. He was extremely helpful during a house move which was not straight forward. Would 100% recommend to others. Thank you."


"Have used Hunt & Coombs Solicitors a number of times and always received a friendly and professional service. Hunt & Coombs are my number one go-to. Thank you for a stress-free and seamless service and transaction."


"Excellent service. No faults to be found."


"The process was extremely stressful but the positive advice from your solicitor got me through it."


"I was impressed with how quickly you were able to pull everything together from the very beginning, and your clear communication with me throughout. I felt well informed and well represented throughout the entire process, and I knew I could trust you to get the job done. I won’t hesitate to recommend you."


"James Steward was excellent from start to finish. He covered all the technicalities well but was also great in dealing with the negotiations and people involved which really helped to move things along. Also, great communication and easy to pick up the phone and have a quick conversation which we really appreciated. Thank you also to Helen, who was most helpful along the way."


"Jo is hands down the best solicitor we’ve ever worked with. She is brilliant, no-nonsense, and actually makes the whole process fun, which is a rare thing to say about moving house! She is head and shoulders above anyone else we have used in the past. If you want someone who gets the job done efficiently while being incredibly friendly and approachable, Jo is the one. We would 100% recommend her to anyone. Thanks again, Jo!"


"We used James Steward for our Conveyancing and had a very good service."


"James Steward was extremely helpful and very patient in dealing with our problems. I was grateful for his help."


"I was impressed with how quickly you were able to pull everything together from the very beginning, and your clear communication with me throughout. I felt well informed and well represented throughout the entire process, and I knew I could trust you to get the job done. I won’t hesitate to recommend you."


"I am currently being represented by James Steward in the conveyancing department at Hunt & Coombs, and I have been consistently impressed with the exceptional level of expertise, care and attention he has provided throughout the handling of the two property sales. The speed and efficiency with which these transactions have been completed, and how seamlessly everything has gone, has truly exceeded my expectations. I've been a client of the firm for years, utilising two locations and working with various staff members on both personal and business matters. Time and again, they go above and beyond to deliver outstanding service with minimal fuss. One thing I particularly appreciate is their consistent and transparent approach to billing, which is a rare quality in today's market. It's a testament to their professionalism and integrity. My first experience with the firm was in 2013 when I worked with Henry Anstey. Henry was the first solicitor I instructed, and he truly set the bar high. He helped me navigate a complex estate, probate, Will and Testament setup, and the creation and ongoing management of my trust. Henry's knowledge, dedication, and passion for solving problems made the impossible possible. I am forever grateful to him for his unwavering support over the years. I cannot recommend Hunt & Coombs highly enough. Their professionalism, attention to detail, and commitment to client care make them stand out, and I look forward to continuing to work with them for many years to come."


"I had the pleasure of working with Jo Wood during the sale of my mother-in-law's property. I feel we established a great professional/client relationship. Jo was always quick to respond to my queries and buyer's solicitor. Nothing was too much trouble. Jo was patient and reassuring. We will be looking to move in the near future. I have already asked Jo to deal with our sale and purchase of our new property when the time comes. I can't thank Jo enough."


"I was very satisfied with my solicitor's work and quick turnaround on such tight deadlines. I am very grateful for Claire Burn's hard work."


"James Steward guided us through our house purchase, he was professional, responsive and reliable throughout. We would highly recommend him and Hunt & Coombs to others."


"Thank you for your continued support and diligence through this process. You have communicated and followed up on this regularly, helped us through the process and answered our many questions."


"I worked with Jo on the sale and purchase of our homes and am beyond words for how incredible she was throughout our journey, she was always incredibly responsive and helpful throughout, I could trust her to handle anything that was thrown at her, she provided incredible advice and guidance throughout and was incredibly supportive of any decisions we made along the way. Thank you ever so much Jo for being so incredible and I'd love to say we will work with you again but hopefully we are in our forever home thanks to your assistance. Would 100% recommend you to anyone we know!"


"We were fortunate to have Claire Hogben handle our case, and she was absolutely brilliant throughout. Claire was efficent, clear, concise and highly professional, and she gave us complete confidence even when there were many obstacles along the way. She always seemed genuinely dedicated to us as her clients and made the whole process far less stressful than it might otherwise have been. Based on our experience, there is little we could suggest to improve the service - it was excellent from start to finish."


"The purchase of the property was not straight forward and James handled the whole process with effciency and professionalism. James Steward looked after us extremely well and we would like to continue to use Hunt & Coombs for other requirements."


"I just wanted to express my sincere thanks once again for your incredible support, patience and diligence throughout the purchase of my home. We did it - we finally got there! You have truly been a breath of fresh air during what has, at times, been a stressful process. Your professionalism made all the difference, and I am so grateful to have had you guiding me every step of the way. We really do appreciate that you stepped in and everything you have done for us - thank you ever so much!"


“Thank you very much for the professionalism, such a warm atmosphere and great attitude towards me. I am very lucky to have such a professional solicitor”


Related News & Insight

Get your home Sale Ready

How a pre-sale legal service can help to speed up the process of moving home and reduce the risk of your house sale falling…

Getting your house ready to sell

Our Sale Ready Legal Pack is a pre-sale legal service for a smoother, faster and less stressful property sale.

Read more

Key contact

Pippa Woodcock

Associate - Team Leader Residential Property

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