What is the risk if a seller's lawyer registers title before sale funds are confirmed as cleared?

If a seller's lawyer registers the transfer before confirming that the buyer's funds have actually cleared into trust, the seller loses much of their practical leverage: title has already moved to the buyer, but the seller may not yet actually have the money they were selling for. Should the expected funds then fail to arrive, whether due to a bank error, a bounced item, or fraud, the seller is left trying to recover a property that is no longer legally theirs rather than simply withholding registration until payment is confirmed.

This is why the standard, careful practice is the reverse order: confirm funds are genuinely in trust and available first, and register only once that is settled, or proceed through a properly structured gap closing with clear undertakings if timing genuinely requires a different sequence. A seller's lawyer registering prematurely without that confirmation is taking on real, avoidable risk on the seller's behalf. If you are a seller, it is reasonable to ask your own lawyer to confirm they will not register until your sale funds are actually secured.