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Solicitor fees..is this extortionate?

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My MIL got a quote from a solicitor for buying and selling ...prices for each property around £140k each.

She has been quoted around £3k. I questioned this as I think it is too much. She says it goes up each year and justifies it like that to herself. She is a pensioner and am concerned that she is being taken for a ride. Am I right or is the price reasonable? Btw the area is in birchington in Kent. There Is no mortgage involved and she is living in a share of freehold flat and wants a small house.
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Comments

  • Loopgames
    Loopgames Posts: 805 Forumite
    What have people here paid for conveyancing?
  • Is your MIL in the London region too?

    I paid c£2k to a firm in the M25 Surrey area but that was buying only. I didn't shop around, I should have be I had so much on I just went with the EA's recommendation.
  • drummer_666
    drummer_666 Posts: 984 Forumite
    I'm paying around £1k to buy a £75k house in Birmingham.

    So somewhere around £3k sounds about right to me in her situation.

    But I'm guessing she might be able to save a few hundred if she gets an estimate elsewhere
  • I sold recently at £130k and bought at £210k and my fees were £6400, taking into account £2100 for stamp duty, so £4300 altogether
  • Loopgames
    Loopgames Posts: 805 Forumite
    I am really confused. Why is it so much?

    My parents sold their house in London and bought another in London and paid not more than £1k for the whole deal. They had a sale of £565k to buy £325k!

    My dh and I were quoted about £500 for selling our flat a
    Though we also went with ea suggestion for £1k.
  • RabbitMad
    RabbitMad Posts: 2,069 Forumite
    £650 to buy a few years back and a similar to sell a year later.

    Buying and selling at the same time was usually cheaper. I'd have thought £2k max
  • babymoo
    babymoo Posts: 3,187 Forumite
    We are paying just shy of £600 to buy a £75k property just outside of manchester, the solicitors we are using are actually about 20 miles from us and by far the cheapest we have found.
  • irishcol
    irishcol Posts: 137 Forumite
    Loopgames wrote: »
    I am really confused. Why is it so much?

    My parents sold their house in London and bought another in London and paid not more than £1k for the whole deal. They had a sale of £565k to buy £325k!

    My dh and I were quoted about £500 for selling our flat a
    Though we also went with ea suggestion for £1k.

    We have just sold a leasehold flat for £281k and bought a house for £400k = total solicitor's bill was less than £1500, including all searches.

    £3k sounds excessive to me.
  • cattie
    cattie Posts: 8,841 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper
    edited 24 May 2012 at 1:39PM
    Loopgames wrote: »
    I am really confused. Why is it so much?

    My parents sold their house in London and bought another in London and paid not more than £1k for the whole deal. They had a sale of £565k to buy £325k!

    My dh and I were quoted about £500 for selling our flat a
    Though we also went with ea suggestion for £1k.

    Ah, but when was all of this? If in your parents case it was quite recently, I and many others on this forum would love to have the solicitors details!

    Can you look at your current quote and tell us how much the solicitor has levied for the actual legal or solicitors fee, as this is the one to watch when comparing? Most other charges are pretty much the same across the board.
    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.
  • HapPea
    HapPea Posts: 65 Forumite
    It depends what it includes.

    Stamp Duty = £1400
    Seaches, Transfer Fees etc ~£500
    Fee for work for Sale ~ £500
    Fee for work for Buying ~ £500

    Total ~ £2900

    not that far off £3K. Also might be worth asking if it is a fixed fee and if it is on a no sale no fee basis.
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