Online conveyancing or local solicitor?

quantumdefect

What about a non-local solicitor rather than online conveyancing? I found a solicitor in a medium sized practice around 100 miles from where I live was cheaper than any local solicitors. They were also the last to be asked for a quote and the first to respond; all of the local solicitors needed chasing for a quote.

jesse_freespirit

Hi Myflat
I am aware that this is one of my first posts, but I wanted to take the opportunity to post my experiences. I searched through these forums for advice on exactly the same thing - I am selling and buying and I had so much trouble with my last move I wanted to get it right - but not at too high a price! I have had so many quotes from "local" solicitors (very expensive) as well as "online conveyancers" (very cheap) it became such a headache! I did however come across an online company called i-convey that I have now instructed. The reason I am using them is because they seem to offer the best of both worlds and are competitively priced (but not cheap). My service so far has been outstanding, my emails have had instant response as have my phone calls and I have received all the papers in the post remarkably quickly. I am in no way associated with the company, and yes I am only at the start of the process, but my solicitor has answered all of my "stupid" questions and has been helpful with "outside of the box" advice too. I will of course keep posting throughout the process and when we complete. The reason I felt compelled to write this review is because when I was searching and searching through forums for advice I would have loved to have got a recommendation and I think this company deserve it! So far.........

timmyt

Myflat wrote: »

Hi, I am currently looking for a solicitor and do not seem to be able to decide whether to go for an online conveyancing firm or for a local solicitors. The 4 local solicitors have all quoted me £1,100 +, which I think is ridiculous to pay if I can get the same service for much less.

Is there any online firm you could recommend? I will obviously not bother with those firms whose fees seem too good to be true as I want to complete on time but is it wise to take the risk of not using the local solicitor?

Has anybody used the compareandconvey.co.uk website and one of their recommended solicitors?

Anybody wants to save me ££££ by giving good advice on this?

Thank you!

they all get you from A to Z. Some go via the whole alphabet in shocking style, but that is online for you. they should all be shut down as they are not fit for purpose....certianly not solicitors who handle your work...more like a team of headset charlies who don't care about your move.

local solicitors are like a friend. you call them and they know wha is going on.

the cheaper you go, the more corners are cut.

go local solicitor everytime, clever movers always do. you have been warned.

Eric1

timmyt wrote: »

the cheaper you go, the more corners are cut.

and "no sale no fee" is not always a good idea.
your solicitor should not be afraid to advise you against buying.

sebtomato

I have instructed Fidler & Pepper online (http://www.fidler.co.uk/), and no issues so far. They have been very responsive to emails, sent by postal mail very clear documentation about the purchase process etc. They nominate a dedicated point of contact, and I always get replies very quickly (within the hour).

They have a case tracker online, clearly showing progress and what is outstanding.

In term of price, their quote (clearly stating all various fees and expenses) was half the quote of a local solicitor, and I am not even sure I would get such service from a local person. Also, they have a "no move no fee" policy, so it is their best interest to keep things moving. The initial payment made to them was only £100, so I think they request the balance on completion.

timmyt

sebtomato wrote: »

I have instructed Fidler & Pepper online (http://www.fidler.co.uk/), and no issues so far. how would you know that the untrained headset staff are doing a through job? They have been very responsive to emails, sent by postal mail very clear documentation about the purchase process etc. They nominate a dedicated point of contact not a solicitor, not even close, and I always get replies very quickly (within the hour).

They have a case tracker online, clearly showing progress we had that sold to us and they said 'now you don't have to speak to yopur clients, just fob them off to a website' and what is outstanding.

In term of price, their quote (clearly stating all various fees and expenses) was half the quote of a local solicitor and more than half the qualification, at best , and I am not even sure I would get such service from a local person. Also, they have a "no move no fee" policy usually from those overworked firms who can afford some clients to complain and pull out at receiving rubbish service , so it is their best interest to keep things moving as opposed to advising you that you should walk away. The initial payment made to them was only £100, so I think they request the balance on completion.

good luck poster - see in red above

jonewer

I appointed a full cost local firm to do my conveyancing as did my vendors.

Both of us have had absolutely appalling service, topped off today by an frankly insulting email reply from my solicitor to a very simple question. Neither of them seem capable of speaking to each other without constant nagging and prodding from me or the vendors, and they are charging us premium fees for their "service".

Absolute waste of time and money.

Go for the cheapest you can find, at least that way when they behave in a totally unproffesional and offensive manner, you wont be too suprised.

timmyt

what to demand as a minimum from a local lawyer - to ensure you get the best conveyancing you can:

1. will I receive a solicitor, legal executive or senior conveyancer - OR will I have a clerk or someone junior and unqualified [bet your neighbour gets the former]
2. will I be allocated the same person throughout (save holidays of course) or a conveyor belt set-up
3. will they give me their direct dial and email or will you be forced to phone an 0845 and dial 1 for dummy and 2 for monkey
4. do they sound friendly and intelligent on the phone
5. is the quote simple to follow or do you suspect hidden charges
6. on a sale will they charge separately for repaying your mortgage or is it included in their fee as part of their job (the latter should be the case)
7. on a purchase will they charge separately for filling in a stamp duty form, acting for your lender, applying for or checking searches, or arranging chancel insurance...it should be included as part of their fee
8. do they offer 'no completion no fee' - not always a sign of quality though, as the law firms are able to offer this and take a loss on some deals as they make their profit from the remaining large quantity of clients they have, possibly an overworked outfit you want to avoid
9. on a purchase will they send you a written report summarsing the legal papers with attachments of the crucial ones (planning, guarantees, epc, drainage search, title plan, covenants) so you can keep this throughout your ownership - being your bible all about your property
10. will they charge you more if you email them with questions or telephone them...or is is all part of the service
11. can they be contacted after hours or at w/eds.
12. do they close during lunch - thus reducing their operating hours
13. do they work strict 9-5pm hours - again not being the most enlightened firm
14. do they force you to go to a website if you want an update, rather than encourage you to speak to them on the phone/email or infact will they keep you regularly updated without the need for you to even want to ask
15. when getting a quote, do they ask what your timescales are - as this is a sign they want to be on the ball for you
16. price - are you happy with the price bearing in mind what they offer for it?
17. price - do they go on about how 'cheap' they are over all their other qualities
18. can they recommend the estate agent you are thinking of using in their same town - they should know as they will work with them all
19. do they have their fax number and personal email addresses on the letters they send to other lawyers - some don't forcing the other lawyer to use the post which slows the deal down
20. do they sound like they are a conveyancing factory/insurance company by the sound of their name. [other conveyancers in the chain will groan at the prospect of certain factory outfits as they have a reputation for being slow]
21. do they have a Team around them with similar senior experince in conveyancing, so issues can be batted around for immediate quick solutions, or are they a one man band where absence or illness could prove a problem
22. are they the only conveyancer in the firm pretty much meaning easy to get overworked and so your personal service reduces

Note I did not focus solely on price. If you solely have that as your factor, then the law firm you choose may end up having as little respect for your property transaction as you have yourself.

Good luck, and I hope you get good law firms helping you.

Eric1

sebtomato wrote: »

Also, they have a "no move no fee" policy, so it is their best interest to keep things moving.

sure it is, but what about your best interest?
my local solicitor tried to ignore something that could have cost me 40-50 times his fee later, or when trying to sell, all because it was in their best interest.

sebtomato

timmyt wrote: »

good luck poster - see in red above

I am not doing the work through a website but through a person, who has a name, email address and dedicated phone number (local, not 0800). I actually called the company before instructing them online, and spoke to someone knowledgeable within 2 minutes.

The website is just there to provide detailed information about the process, and the online tracker an up-to-date status about the stages of the process. I am not sure to understand how this can be turned into something negative (apart from old fashion solicitors incapable of grasping the point of modern tools).

All the work is supervised by a solicitor, so I don't really care of the person doing the leg work isn't one. A local solicitor would either have staff to do the same, or would charge me some high hourly cost to do basic leg work.

I will judge them on results, so far so good, and feedback on that particular company is good.

I called some local solicitors for quotes: some didn't bother to email me a quote, one did email but "forgot" most of the additional fees etc. Talk about being professional and upfront.