finding cheap conveyancing

mikestanley

How do you go about finding the right cheap and fast conveyancing company to buy a house?

is fridaysmove dot com any good?

thanks

mikestanley

hmm.... no one? what should I do, just use a search engine and pick the cheapest? I don't have any friends who can recommend any at all... What the best method to find a cheap fast conveyancing to buy?

Yorkie1

Try googling them or doing a search on these forums. I'm not sure that particular firm has a particularly great reputation but could be wrong. The general comment regarding online conveyancers is that it can be difficult to speak to a named person who always has conduct of your file - it's team conveyancing and delays can be common.

Best to ask for personal recommendations from friends or family. Price should not be your guiding criterion. This is the most expensive transaction of your life and it's better to spend a bit more and make sure there are no problems.

P.S. There's no need for quite so much impatience - 34 minutes to reply, when there have been technical problems with the forum, isn't bad. If that's an indication of your impatience then you definitely don't need online conveyancers.

Doozergirl

Buy cheap, pay dear, I think in the case of online conveyancers. Cheap and fast doesn't even really exist.

Cheap a
You will find that they are generally slow, that you never seem to deal with the same person twice. You can save a couple of £00s but when you are buying is the most important time to get it right. Inexperienced conveyancers who aren't solicitors can and do ask some really stupid questions and can make the whole thing drag on longer. It's important to ask the right questions, interpret the data you've been given quickly and ensure that the house provides good security for you.

I have used them in the past and I went back to our reliable but more expensive solicitor. The time when you really know you've picked well is when something goes seriously wrong. It doesn't happen very often and I hope nothing happens to your transaction, but that is the time that need a real professional on your side because they could potentially save you a fortune. Thank goodness we had her when it mattered.

If I were to use a cheap online conveyancer again, I would only ever do it to sell; but even on that end they have the ability to cause you a delay that costs more than the relatively small amount that you sell.

If you do a forum search on fridaysmove, you'll find several discussions on them.

hcb42

I would pick a local firm in my home town if I were you!

timmyt

mikestanley wrote: »

How do you go about finding the right cheap and fast conveyancing company to buy a house?

is fridaysmove dot com any good?

thanks

if you want a solicitor to handle the legal work then avoid any online outfit as you pay for what you get and you end up posting on this webiste your misery story

some people are lucky but even online outfits don't screw up all the time if the other side - who do employ a solicitor spoon feeds them.

good luck

Oh and the company you mention - don't!

G_M

Whenever you get a quote, check carefully what it includes/excludes. There are many stories of people getting apparantly cheap quotes, only to be surprised by the 'extras' that were hidden in the small print of the contract.

Read this for details of what to look for.

mikestanley

Thanks for the replies. So, reading through the posts carefully, am I right in understanding:

- don't go online
- go by family/friends recommendations (which I can't as none of them know any)
- cheap = slow, expensive = fast

is that right?

G_M

Oh my god - you get a few posts/opinions and sum up with HUGE generalisations.

No.

There are good and bad online companies.
There are good and bad local firms.
If you can't get a personal recommendation, then use forums/the web to read recommendations for/warnings against firms you are considering.
Compare prices like for like.

There are savings to be made in conveyancing, as in any area of business, but just as with other business categories, you have to know what you are doing, so do a bit of research rather than looking for simple, immediate answers.

Or if you can't be bothered, then just decide whether what you want is the cheapest (Aldi?) deal you can find, or the swankiest (Harrods).

Richard_Webster

There are good and bad online companies.
There are good and bad local firms.
If you can't get a personal recommendation, then use forums/the web to read recommendations for/warnings against firms you are considering.
Compare prices like for like.

There are savings to be made in conveyancing, as in any area of business, but just as with other business categories, you have to know what you are doing, so do a bit of research rather than looking for simple, immediate answers.

Or if you can't be bothered, then just decide whether what you want is the cheapest (Aldi?) deal you can find, or the swankiest (Harrods).

I agree. if I were you I would Google "Conveyancing Solicitors[Name of Your Town]", ignore the sponsored links at the top and down the side, and phone some of the "real" entries up and ask them for quotes- get them to explain what is and isn't included (to make sure there are no hidden extras) and get a feel for whether the person you are talking to knows what he is talking about.

mikestanley

G_M wrote: »

Oh my god - you get a few posts/opinions and sum up with HUGE generalisations.

No.

Ok calm down, I'm on here for advice remember.

G_M wrote: »

There are good and bad online companies..
There are good and bad local firms.
If you can't get a personal recommendation, then use forums/the web to read recommendations for/warnings against firms you are considering.

Which is what I'm doing in this thread Please feel free to recommend for/warn against firms.

Richard_Webster wrote: »

if I were you I would Google "Conveyancing Solicitors[Name of Your Town]", ignore the sponsored links at the top and down the side, and phone some of the "real" entries up and ask them for quotes- get them to explain what is and isn't included (to make sure there are no hidden extras) and get a feel for whether the person you are talking to knows what he is talking about.

Thanks Richard Webster, very helpful. I'll try that.