Exchange Agreements. Introduction. Parties enter into an Exchange Agreement in order to exchange tangible goods, intellectual property, real property or securities. An Exchange Agreement may arise from an independent business arrangement or be part of a merger, acquisition, reorganization or other business transaction.
At exchange: Both parties' solicitors are in possession of a signed contract. The seller's solicitor also holds the signed transfer of title deed (TR1 form) The buyer's solicitor is in possession of cleared deposit funds, a mortgage offer and buildings insurance policy, if required.
During the exchange of contracts, the solicitor or conveyancer from each side will read out the contract over the phone in a recorded conversation. They will make sure the contracts are the same and then post them to each other. Once contracts have been exchanged you're legally bound to buy the property.
Usually, the time between exchange and completion is around 1-2 weeks. This allows enough time to arrange for things such as removals and to organise everything for the move.
Posted 29th May 2024 in Help & Advice. Once a property has been sold the focus of both seller and buyer will usually turn to the key stages of exchange of contracts and completion. Exchange of contracts is the point at which both the buyer and seller are legally committed to the sale.