Is anyone else being pushed into choosing Reeds Rains conveyancing services?

milkyways

Parkerfly wrote: »

Thanks for starting this thread. I am new to this so please forgive my intrusion. I am going through the same things as milkyways. I have just put my parents house up for sale with Reeds Rains, and a solicitor was suggested to me by them. I too have received an email from their chosen solicitor, saying that they have been instructed by RR to act on my behalf. I also have a breakdown of their estimated charges and a request to send them £25. They have also asked for the deeds to the property up for sale.

I can only suggest you cancel this directly with the law firm, unless you are happy with the quote.

We might have gone with their solicitor if the mix up hadn't have happened. So this jumping the gun and signing people up to their solicitor is doing them out of some commissions.

I wouldn't worry too much, just telephone the solicitor and ask them to cancel the conveyancing if you are not happy to go ahead.

It isn't nice when you get that email, I know we were very shocked and felt a bit betrayed by Reeds Rains. But it might be the way they do things, to send you the quote to look through, then cancel should you not be happy with it?

You are never obliged to take out extra services through your estate agent, so if you feel unhappy with the quote, I'm sure you can cancel the process and not allow it to go any further.

Mallotum_X

It might be worth choosing your solicitor now... then if the offer gets agreed you have it in place already.

Parkerfly

Thank you for replying milkyways. I`ll have to think about what I`m going to do. We did have an issue when we signed up with RR, as we noticed that the figure for the fixed fee had been worked out incorrectly, about £300 in their favour. I don`t trust them really.

I did phone Reeds Rains today to challenge them about instructing the solicitor to act on our behalf. I was told not to worry as I could cancel, and anyway, it`s no sale no fee.

I certainly have no intentions of parting with the deeds to the property until is it is absolutely necessary.

Thanks for your help.

Hoof_Hearted

I don't know why more people don't avoid all this by using an online agent. No hard sell and the vendor has complete control, as well as saving shed loads of money.

milkyways

Hoof_Hearted wrote: »

I don't know why more people don't avoid all this by using an online agent. No hard sell and the vendor has complete control, as well as saving shed loads of money.

We tried an online agent but didn't have much luck with them. They were constantly trying to get us to put the price down and were not very nice to deal with. But that is just one online agent who does not represent the whole online market.

If we do not sell this time around with Reeds Rains, we will use another online agent. We chose a high street agent because we thought they might be able to get more people through the door and increase our chances of getting a sale, plus they know the area and houses.

The onlline agent was comparing our house with one much cheaper, but it was cheaper for a lot of reasons, they just couldn't be bothered to look at all the details, they were too interested in driving the price down to sell our house quickly.

Anyway, Reeds Rains found us a cash buyer within days, it all seems too good to be true, and I still think it probably is too good to be true. For some reason I just don't trust them too much, maybe it is the conveyancing. But to add to this, yesterday afternoon after telling RR that we are putting in an offer on a property I got a call from another branch asking me if I was still looking at houses. I said that we might have found one and we are just negotiating. She then asked if we had sorted out our mortgage...they just don't miss a trick and really have zero shame when it comes to selling products. There was barely an hour between speaking to my agent and the other RR agent ringing up.

milkyways

Parkerfly wrote: »

We did have an issue when we signed up with RR, as we noticed that the figure for the fixed fee had been worked out incorrectly, about £300 in their favour. I don`t trust them really.

I did phone Reeds Rains today to challenge them about instructing the solicitor to act on our behalf. I was told not to worry as I could cancel, and anyway, it`s no sale no fee.

I certainly have no intentions of parting with the deeds to the property until is it is absolutely necessary.

Thanks for your help.

May I ask how they worked out your fixed fee? I would be interested to know.

I was told the same line about cancelling and there being no fee. My agent said he only took it out on our behalf so we could read through the pack. But when I spoke to the solicitor, they said he shouldn't have done it. But he can't have only done this to us! So the solicitor must know how they operate.

I think railroading people into taking out additional services must be in the training and be company policy. It stinks to be honest, they get £300+vat for this that and the other, where is their incentive to actually sell your home?

We probably would have used their conveyancer and gone for mortgage advice if we were not pushed like this. Funny how your feet dig in more and more when pushed!

Are you on a 12 week contract parkerfly?

kingstreet

If I was selling today, I'd be looking for a smaller firm, preferably owned and managed by a chartered surveyor. There are still a few of them around, although they are a dying breed.

In my experience of working for three different firms, the ones described above (2 of 3) were the most honest, professional and ethical of the three.

Parkerfly

milkyways wrote: »

May I ask how they worked out your fixed fee? I would be interested to know.

I was told the same line about cancelling and there being no fee. My agent said he only took it out on our behalf so we could read through the pack. But when I spoke to the solicitor, they said he shouldn't have done it. But he can't have only done this to us! So the solicitor must know how they operate.

I think railroading people into taking out additional services must be in the training and be company policy. It stinks to be honest, they get £300+vat for this that and the other, where is their incentive to actually sell your home?

We probably would have used their conveyancer and gone for mortgage advice if we were not pushed like this. Funny how your feet dig in more and more when pushed!

Are you on a 12 week contract parkerfly?

Hi milkyways. Fixed Fee calculated at 1.5% of the asking price, plus vat.
12 week contract. £300 admin fee if cancelled.

milkyways

Parkerfly wrote: »

Hi milkyways. Fixed Fee calculated at 1.5% of the asking price, plus vat.
12 week contract. £300 admin fee if cancelled.

Thank you Parkerfly.

Ours is worked out at a fixed fee on the price we market for, not sell for. He said they don't work on % fees, but fixed feees, so they get more this way.

We too are on a 12 week contract with a cancellation fee, so won't be cancelling even if sale does not go through if within the 12 week contract period.

But if the sale does not happen, which we suspect won't for some reason, they won't get a day over 12 weeks after all the selling nonsense.

I don't like what they are doing to people, if selling isn't stressful enough without some greed driven estate agent trying to rip you off at every corner. Grrr it is not nice!

I just hope we do sell and don't have to deal with another estate agent again for 10-15 years. In that time we will deal with robots, and they will get very wet if overcharging! :j

Parkerfly

milkyways wrote: »

Thank you Parkerfly.

Ours is worked out at a fixed fee on the price we market for, not sell for. He said they don't work on % fees, but fixed feees, so they get more this way.

We too are on a 12 week contract with a cancellation fee, so won't be cancelling even if sale does not go through if within the 12 week contract period.

But if the sale does not happen, which we suspect won't for some reason, they won't get a day over 12 weeks after all the selling nonsense.

I don't like what they are doing to people, if selling isn't stressful enough without some greed driven estate agent trying to rip you off at every corner. Grrr it is not nice!

I just hope we do sell and don't have to deal with another estate agent again for 10-15 years. In that time we will deal with robots, and they will get very wet if overcharging! :j

On our contract, the percentage is crossed through and just a figure is written in. It worked out at more than the 1.5% quoted, so we went in to the office and got him to change it, he admitted a mistake and tore the original contract up. From then on, we lost confidence in them, that`s why I don`t like the idea of being pushed into using their conveyancing solicitor. When I spoke to RR regarding the use of their recommended solicitor, it was mentioned at the end of the call, that we have a viewing at the weekend. We will wait and see. Maybe I`m being too cynical, and I should be pleased that there is already interest in the property.
I hope all goes to plan with your potential sale.