Instructing a solicitor - when offer is accepted or when the full chain is in place?

[PowerslidePanda]

Previously, I've always instructed a solicitor as soon as my offer was accepted, but our buyer said he wasn't prepared to do that until the full chain was in place - which seemed fair enough. We haven't yet found somewhere, so agreed to move in with family to get the sale through.

We're now making an offer ourselves and want to take the same approach - we don't want to be left out of pocket if our vendors (or their vendors, etc) can't find somewhere and the whole thing gets called off. But the estate agent isn't happy about our lack of "commitment to the sale"! So just wondered what's the norm here?

We waited until the chain was complete and the estate agents had done prelim finance checks

Somewhere inbetween the two is probably best.

Identify a solicitor that you wish to use, instruct them to act on your behalf, sign their terms.

But instruct them that at the present moment the chain is not complete and you do not wish to incur any legal fees at this stage, in case the matter does not progress.

As I've just posted on another thread, use this time to get your documents orgasnised.
*Planning permission for any extensions
*Building regs for any structural work/extensions/loft conversion.
*FENSA for windows
*NICEC for any electrical work
*GasSafe if you've had a new boiler.

It can help to reduce delays later on if everyone is organised.

I've always had my solicitor lined up ready to go. No EA that I've ever dealt with would do anything until you provide their details. They don;t need to do anything else, it just means that when the time comes things can start to happen

I instructed day offer was accepted. My first purchase fell through - I phoned the solicitor, who said “oh, we haven’t applied for searches yet so it’s easy to transfer”. Meant we were all systems go for the next (better ) house we offered on.

Thanks all! @Mildura, that sounds like the way to go.

The conveyancing for the sale is already under way (since we agreed to the break the chain), so it'll be the same solicitors for the purchase and we'll be the start of that chain.