Conveyancing advice

Pugliese

Just accepted an offer on our house and do not think the time is right to buy again at the moment (main reason we are selling as I cannot see the market improving), so I just need a solicitor to accept the cash and pay off the mortgage with Nationwide. Have been quoted £590+ vat on a £468k sale by a local solicitor which seems a bit steep to me. The house is a straightforward 70's house on an estate with no fancy covenants.

Any advice and guidance on whether this is a fair price or where I could get it done cheaper would be much appreciated

Thanks

Mr P

Richard_Webster

As well as paying off mortgage etc he will have to draw up a contract and answer enquiries made by the buyer's solicitors. For your price range I would say you are getting a very cheap deal. What are the estate agents charging?

Pugliese

Richard_Webster wrote: »

As well as paying off mortgage etc he will have to draw up a contract and answer enquiries made by the buyer's solicitors. For your price range I would say you are getting a very cheap deal. What are the estate agents charging?

Thanks for the reply. I am lucky, it is a private sale

Since posting I had a search on the internet and found several cheap conveyancing firms but feedback was not the best on most apart from Fwdlaw - conveyancing.homesonsale.co.uk/feedback-fwdlaw-associates.html
and at a quote of £376 inc vat it is quite a saving on the local people.

Evilm

I personally prefer a person I can go and see in the office if there are problems rather than an online conveyancing firm that will most likely be covering more cases per person. The quote you have got is not over the top but do check their "disbursements and fees". The fee you mention should include things like filling in the Stamp Duty/Land Registry forms etc and that shouldn't be charged as a separate fee (not at the price quoted anyway).

geoffky

cheap is not best..believe me...i paid £1500 and it was the best money i have ever spent......be careful with bucketshops..you get what you pay for...

timmyt

Pugliese wrote: »

Thanks for the reply. I am lucky, it is a private sale

Since posting I had a search on the internet and found several cheap conveyancing firms but feedback was not the best on most apart from Fwdlaw - conveyancing.homesonsale.co.uk/feedback-fwdlaw-associates.html
and at a quote of £376 inc vat it is quite a saving on the local people.

the cheap firm will have as much respect for your transaction as you clearly do not.

half miilion pound deal and you want to take a chance screwing up the legals.

good grief! enjoy your Tesco value beans tonight

G_M

Evilm wrote: »

...The fee you mention should include things like filling in the Stamp Duty/Land Registry forms etc and that shouldn't be charged as a separate fee (not at the price quoted anyway).

Stamp Duty? On a sale? I think not!

however the point is well made that OP should check for extras. Many cheap conveyancers have hidden extras so compare quotes with care.

Pugliese

timmyt wrote: »

the cheap firm will have as much respect for your transaction as you clearly do not.

half miilion pound deal and you want to take a chance screwing up the legals.

good grief! enjoy your Tesco value beans tonight

When will some people realise that cheap does not automatically = bad as well as expensive does not always = good.

I did research FDlaw. I found no negative reviews, as well as talking to them, when they laid out concisely what service they offer and a direct point of contact to a solicitor.

The experience - All corresondence has been handled well and far better than any of the other more expensive solicitors in the chain. So well done FDlaw.

.... and with the significant sum I saved I will be enjoying my Fortnum & Mason beans tonight:D

Doozergirl

Pugliese wrote: »

When will some people realise that cheap does not automatically = bad as well as expensive does not always = good.

.... and with the significant sum I saved I will be enjoying my Fortnum & Mason beans tonight:D

Fortnum and Mason sell Heinz Beans; they aren't cheap mind so follow your own advice! F&M actually introduced the British public to Heinz Beans in the 1800s.

Cheap conveyancers are much easier to deal with on straighforward, sale only transactions. It's true that cheap doesn't automatially mean bad but with solicitors more than most things, you often get what you pay for. It's when things start to go wrong and get complicated where you start to see what you're getting for your money.

I've used online conveyancers a couple of times and it did the job but I went back quickly to using our more reliable local solicitor. Having encountered a couple of issues where we've needed help and advice from them, one of them involving one of their litigators (neither issue caused by them I should say!) I will never use a conveyancing company again. It's a small amount on a very important deal, you pay the EA more, but it's peace of mind and the right support when you need it. You're going to be up against it when there is a problem and the person you are dealing with isn't even a qualified solicitor.

If people can find solicitors via a recommendation, I think they should.

G_M

Pugliese wrote: »

When will some people realise that cheap does not automatically = bad as well as expensive does not always = good.

This is clearly true, in all walks of life, though one does have to be more wary of a cheap service provider, and research both their costs and their service levels carefully.

The level of complexity of the transaction is also relevant:

* Leasehold has more potential issues than freehold.
* Rural property with multiple covenants is more complex than bog-standard 1960s semi in suburbia.
* Unregistered land is more complex than registered.
* Purchase has more to investigate than sale
* Cash deal is more straightforward than mortgage.

The more complex the deal the more important you have easy access to the professional (eg via local office) and use of an experienced qualified (solicitor) one rather than a call-centre conveyancer/administrator.

Well done Pug in this case and enjoy your beans!

goldbyron

Ah well - I would have agreed that cheap usually means worse service (in terms of probability) however if you are happy - then great....go for it and hope it works out.