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Solicitors Fees should I shop around?

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CatFlap1_2
CatFlap1_2 Posts: 30 Forumite
in House buying, renting & selling
Morning all! :D

I am buying a property at 260,000 and have just recieved a quote from the solicitor along the lines of:

£490 Legal fees
£125 Fee for acting on behalf of the lender
£40 Stamp duty Tax form
£30 Bank Telegraphic transfer Fee
£200 Search fees (approx)
£220 Land Registry
£7,800 Stamp Duty (3%)

Total Plus VAT: 9,024.88

Is that in line with other Solicitors or should I be sure to shop around? :rolleyes:
Thanks a million for any advice!
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Comments

  • dondonsinspain
    dondonsinspain Posts: 36 Forumite
    You don't have to use a local solicitor to do this, I found I made a huge saving when I shopped online for one. Try doing a search on the internet and loads of online help comes up. I saved £2000 on my last sale!! try it and see!!
    :whistle:

    dondonsinspain its sunny so SMILE!
  • rchddap1
    rchddap1 Posts: 5,926 Forumite
    Always best to shop around.
    Baby Year 1: Oh dear...on the move

    Lily contracted Strep B Meningitis Dec 2006 :eek: Now seemingly a normal little monster. :beer:
    Love to my two angels that I will never forget.
  • CatFlap1_2
    CatFlap1_2 Posts: 30 Forumite
    Shopping online seems like a plan although a little detached....
    How can I be sure they are reliable at completing the checks?
  • cattie
    cattie Posts: 8,841 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper
    Yes it does pay to shop around as there can be a big difference in the actual legal fees that a solicitor will charge.

    In my own case my solicitor has a legal fee of £200 less than the legal fee charged by solicitors recommened by ea. This will save me a nice fat £400 on sale & purchase. Also as I used the solicitor for my last sale & purchase I know they do get on & get the work done & whenever I've needed to speak to solicitor I've always been able to.

    I'm paying £300 + vat for sale of a property a higher price than yours & it will be the same price for my purchase once I've found a suitable property to buy.

    The only comparable you can do is on the legal fee, as all the other charges are standard charges applicable to whatever solicitor you use.

    See if you can get any recommendations from people you know.

    I'm quite suprised you are buying at 260k & having to pay out 3% stamp duty. Did you not try to negotiate a better price with vendor, or did you already get the price down to a level that still represents good value for the house considering the jump to 3%?.
    The bigger the bargain, the better I feel.

    I should mention that there's only one of me, don't confuse me with others of the same name.
  • CatFlap1_2
    CatFlap1_2 Posts: 30 Forumite
    Thank you for your sound advice cattie ...Yes I negotiatedthem down to 260,000 and had already been dropped from £279 to 269,950 when I found it.

    Have spoken about them so highly....Would you be able to send me the name of the solicitor you use? Are we allowed to do that on this Forum?
  • rocky_robin
    rocky_robin Posts: 69 Forumite
    The 2 that have been mentioned regualrly on these forums are

    www.theconveyancing-warehouse.co.uk (which seems to have mixed reviews)

    and www.easylawyers.co.uk, who I used for my transfer of equity and it all went through OK, with the cheapest quote I had,although it did take 10 weeks for a straightforward transaction (they use Dickinson Dees as their actual conveyancing solicitor)
    I haven't spoken to anyone else who has used them
  • BrandNewDay
    BrandNewDay Posts: 1,717 Forumite
    Most of what you're paying is tax, and there's nothing you can do about that.

    I was advised by someone to beware of going for the cheapest you can find on the Internet. Sometimes, they're just fine, but if you hit a snag, they don't do customer service so good. So, it may be better to ask everyone you know if they could recommend someone they like. If something sticky comes up, a little extra hand-holding and personal attention is priceless, IMO.
    :beer:
  • cattie
    cattie Posts: 8,841 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper
    I have recommended my solicitors on this forum before but have pm'd you the details Catflap. Always happy to help somebody with a moggie connection.:rotfl:
    The bigger the bargain, the better I feel.

    I should mention that there's only one of me, don't confuse me with others of the same name.
  • toepazz
    toepazz Posts: 131 Forumite
    cattie wrote: »
    I have recommended my solicitors on this forum before but have pm'd you the details Catflap. Always happy to help somebody with a moggie connection.:rotfl:

    Hi there, the only moggie connection we have is with an old Morris 1000 car - will that do? Could really do with solicitor details too :beer:
  • cattie
    cattie Posts: 8,841 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper
    Ok, solicitor's are Cunnington's & they operate their conveyancing department under the name of Direct Dial Conveyancing. They have various offices around the country, so are not just a phone/internet based company.

    They have a quote/advice line: 0800 9777 887
    Website is www.Cunnington's.co.uk
    The bigger the bargain, the better I feel.

    I should mention that there's only one of me, don't confuse me with others of the same name.
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