Conveyancing Headache?

RockPaperScissors

Evening all!!

So today I had some exciting news...our offer has been accepted for our first ever home!!

This makes me very happy.

Choosing a conveyancer does not make me happy.

How did everyone else choose who to go with? I have independent quotes from several solicitors (high) I have the estate agents telling me I should use their preferred conveyancer, my mortgage advisor saying i should use one of their recommended solicitors and the part exchange company (that are selling the property after the couple who live there part-exed for a new build) are saying i should use their preferred solicitors because part-ex sales are slightly different and not all solicitors will understand this.

Any advice is appreciated. I have found quotes for much less online but am wary and feel like I should probably pay slightly more and go through someone who comes recommended - but how do you choose when everyone is telling you that their partners are best? Clearly they each have a vested interest and it's giving me a headache!!

x

ValHaller

Rule out advice from the EA and the part ex co. They have a conflict of interest and their recommended solicitor is tainted. The bit about 'part-ex sales are slightly different and not all solicitors will understand this' is particularly insulting to the intelligence.

UsernameAlreadyExists

Congrats on nearly owning your new home!

Some will say that you can do your own conveyancing yourself to save money, but it will cost you in time. I know someone that did this but hooked into solicitors both above and below in the chain - so I am not entirely sure if it's possible for the whole chain to be self done.

Ask family/friends who they used, personal referrals are the way to go.
I am just about to use the same person I used last time, I neither know nor care how competitive their price is currently, but I know they can do the job quickly and effectively so I won't be worrying about it.

It's a hefty cost, but it needs to be done properly.

lee111s

Speak to parents/friends/colleagues for some recommendations. While it may be a few hundred quid more( you're spending 100's of K so it's small fry really) you'll often find you get what you pay for. Few hundred for less hassle....I know what my choice would be

Kayles86

I used our mortgage advisors recommended one which was charging about market value and is very local which is useful for dropping off ID documents etc which I otherwise would not want to send through the post! Definately ask around friend/family as they will give you a true opinion.

RockPaperScissors

Thanks both!

Valhaller - yes I found that insulting too. Surely any solicitor worth their salt will understand IF there is a difference in part-ex conveyance and is more than capable of dealing with it.

Unfortunately money is a slight issue so I may wait to see what quotes from my mortgage providers come back as. I have had a couple of quotes back which are reasonable from solicitors that friends have used but they are all warning that prices could inflate dramatically if there are any complications and that's not something I can afford to deal with so I am ideally looking for as up-front of a quote that is possible in this sort of situation.

reheat

We use the EA's one, mainly because the fees are known up-front, and are on a no sale no fee basis. Don't want to end up paying hefty fees if the sale falls through. Our sale/purchase a few years back was OK, and our sale so far this time seems OK.

julieb1987

I'd say firstly, base on recommendations. Also call around for quotes. Make sure you get a full break down of these quotes either in the post or by email. This way you won't get stunned by hidden extras they fail to tell you about in the original quote.

I called round locally for lots of quotes...all quite expensive. We asked friends who they used and if they recommended them. They did, and they are actually based around 30 miles away but cover our area. The town I live in is quite "affluent" so services like this tend to be priced higher. They were over £200 cheaper than anywhere locally, and were brilliant. Kept in touch, always responded quickly to my calls and emails, and got the job done! I also looked at online companies but just wasn't brave enough.

RockPaperScissors

Thanks Julie!

It's all so confusing!! I'll ask a few more people tomorrow - unfortunately we are in the position that we are one of the first in our group of friends to buy a property so there aren't many people we know who can recommend someone!!

lee111s

Family and work colleagues surely? Any new neighbours you could ask?

RockPaperScissors

I haven't tried work colleagues actually that's a great idea. I'm sure some of them will have some contacts! Thanks :-)