Different solicitors for sale and purchase

Thrugelmir

sparkly_sun wrote: »

I was wrong with the price as didn't take into account VAT so it's about £700 difference between the two.

Sounds to much to be the conveyancers fees alone.

goodwithsaving

phill99 wrote: »

Check that the ones you are using are actually solicitors and not just lisenced conveyancers. The latter often only accept enquiries by email. .

Our vendors solicitor has been absolutely useless, even the vendor himself has agreed. Our conveyancer has been brilliant. I'd use a conveyancer again, without a doubt.

sparkly_sun

There's a £250 difference between the solicitor's fee in connection with the purchase alone, and a £95 difference between Land Registry fees. Bank transfer admin charge is £15 difference and a £130 difference for searches.

I definitely feels that the solicitor I've used for the sale of my place is taking me for a total ride with regards to the purchase but I don't think I've got much of an option now.

Shahni

sparkly_sun wrote: »

I definitely feels that the solicitor I've used for the sale of my place is taking me for a total ride with regards to the purchase but I don't think I've got much of an option now.

How far through are you with the conveyancing on the sale? Check the engagement letter you have with the expensive solicitors to see what it says about cancellation and fees payable. If you're going to save a lot of money going with someone independent (considering both sale and purchase) its still probably worth switching.

sparkly_sun

Shahni wrote: »

How far through are you with the conveyancing on the sale?.

I've only received the Buyers Questionnaire but I haven't sent it back yet.
Also, just realised the apparent use of really bad English on my previous post. Stupid iPad

Shahni

Haha no worries.

When you say "Buyers Questionnaire" do you mean the Law Society Property Information Form and Fittings and Contents Form?

deanos

Strangely enough the solicitor my EA recommended worked out £400 cheaper than any other quotes i got from other local solicitor's

sparkly_sun

Shahni wrote: »

Haha no worries.

When you say "Buyers Questionnaire" do you mean the Law Society Property Information Form and Fittings and Contents Form?

No, the one detailling how I'm paying for the property with questions regarding money laundering etc.

Shahni

I presume that's in relation to the purchase, how about in relation to the sale? How much work have they done towards that?

The difference in fees is £250 (+VAT?) for the purchase - does this include acting for your lender? How much would the cheaper solicitors charge to deal with the sale also? Compare it with what the estate agents' recommended solicitors are charging.

The Land Registry fee will depend on the value of the property, so if there is a £95.00 difference it sounds like they are sending the documents in by post rather than via the portal. Some applications have to be sent by post, but if they can send it via the portal it will be cheaper for you by about 50%.

Ask what searches they are including in the figure they quote, there are some searches which are compulsory by your lender and some which are not but which some people still like to have. The bank transfer fee is typically about £30 - 35.

In your position I'd just ditch the estate agent's solicitor completely and go with the cheaper one (having checked any engagement letter you may have signed about fees on cancellation, checked the cheaper solicitors are on your lender's panel and checked carefully that their quote covers everything and there will be no unexpected surprises).

G_M

You have not yet told us if you have actually signed up to the expensive conveyancer. Have you signed and retuurned their Terms Of Business/contract yet? If not, you can simply write and say you've changed you your mind.

If you have returned the TOB, then as also previously asked, what does it say about subsequent cancellation costs?

Having admitted you were 'a mug' not to look into this properly at the start, don't compound the error by saying it's too late to pull out without looking into what's involved with pulling out!

Two Mugs don't make a Write!