Why do I work at weekends? Because when buying a flat, time matters
When a buyer needs to sort something out about a property, a few hours can make all the difference. Working on Saturdays and Sundays lets me prepare a strategy with you to act first thing on Monday morning.
When you need it most, law offices are closed
Many home purchases are decided at the weekend. It is when most people can view flats, when the agency shows the property to several buyers one after another and when, quite often, you are told that if you want the flat you have to pay a deposit "before Monday". Just when you most need someone on your side to look at the deal, law offices are closed.
That is why I also work on Saturdays and Sundays. It is not about opening hours: it is about time, and in a property purchase time is money.
Why time matters so much when buying
- There are other buyers. If the flat is in demand, the pressure to decide is real. Reaching Monday without having thought it through can mean losing it or, worse, committing blindly.
- The deposit has consequences. Once the deposit contract (arras) is signed, pulling out usually costs you the money paid. Whatever is not checked before cannot be negotiated afterwards.
- Deadlines do not stop. The deposit contract sets a date to sign at the notary, and the mortgage has its own timing. Every day lost at the start shows at the end.
- The seller already has someone working for them. The agency does work at weekends. It makes sense for you to have someone on your side too.
What we do over the weekend
Not everything can be solved on a Saturday or Sunday: the land registry, notaries, banks and town halls are closed. What can be done is the most important part, preparing the strategy:
- Reviewing what you already have: the listing, the information the agency has given you, the draft deposit contract or the land registry extract, if you have seen it.
- Spotting what is missing and what could be a problem: charges, community debts, unauthorised works, tenants, contract terms that work against you.
- Deciding what needs to be requested, from whom and in what order.
- Preparing the negotiation: which arguments support a price reduction and which conditions to require before paying anything.
- Drafting the changes to the deposit contract so your money is protected.
Monday morning, with a plan
The result is that on Monday morning you do not start from scratch. You know which documents to request and we request them first thing, the agency receives a clear, well-argued proposal, and the bank or the notary have what they need from the start. While other buyers are just starting to ask questions, you are already negotiating.
That is the idea behind all my work: with a lawyer on your side you gain security, because nothing is signed without being checked, and you gain money and efficiency, because I negotiate for you and help you avoid costly mistakes.
If you are asked for a deposit this weekend
Do not pay in a hurry. Before handing over any money, read what to check before paying a deposit and which type of deposit contract you are being offered. And if you want us to look at it together, message or call me: I work Monday to Sunday, including Saturdays and Sundays from 10:00 to 14:00 and from 16:00 to 20:00. The first consultation is free.