conveyancing solicitors

kingstreet

Look out for firms who include the cost of acting for mortgage lender and completing the SDLT return in their headline fees.

For some reason, I've always found the firms who quote a lower headline fee then show all these unavoidable additions as extras are trying to pass them off as disbursements when in fact they are extra fees.

It can also be worth phoning a firm next town over. For some strange reason, when I worked in Cannock all the solicitors in the town charged the same fee. My pet firm in Stafford managed to charge £200 less and it's no more than about 15 miles away.

Missus_Hyde

When we moved to our house, over thirty years ago, I used a solicitor who was the husband of an acquaintance of mine.

In my naive innocence, I thought that because he knew us he would do a better job for us (possibly a little cheaper, but I wasn't quite so concerned about that; I was more keen that he would go the extra mile and help us.)

As it happened it was the worse decision I could have made, as he was a complete nightmare from beginning to end and he certainly didn't charge any less! Also the problem with knowing him socially was that I couldn't go into his office and read him the riot act, which I would have done with any other solicitor whom I had engaged for a purely business transaction. We did complete successfully in the end on the houses we were buying and selling, but it was in spite of him, not because of him and it made a stressful experience much worse.:(

pamelab21

watch out with this one as when we moved a year ago we went with a local solicitor we have always used in the past, turned out they were not on the panel of solicitors with our lender (Britannia) and we either had to wait on them applying to be on it (weeks and weeks) or we had to switch to one off the panel.
We switched and luckily the local solicitor didn't charge for work already done.
Just a thought!

Mrsrjo

Thanks everyone!

I ended up going with one that Halifax had initially suggested in their 3 cheapest, 3 closest to me, 3 highest rating from their panel document.

Interestingly, the quote from Halifax for this local firm was £1,204.00 however when I went to them directly to ask for a quote it came back as £996.31... Halifax trying to make a nice little cut on top?! Cheeky! As if they aren't getting enough from us!

Whistler23

Do you use a solicitor close to where you are buying or where you currently live?

We are moving 65 odd miles away so would we be better using a solicitor close to the new property or one where we live for convenience currently?

Or does it not matter?

Mrsrjo

It depends whats more convenient to you really? the whole process can be done by post so no need to go in and see them, but we will be going in at the start (to get ID verified) and at the end (to sign under witness) to save with postage. So I think I would opt for one near where you currently live if local is important to you!

Whistler23

Thank you Mrsrjo, may stick with one local to me. My mum used to work for her current solicitor many, many years ago so they were always an option. Just wondering what would be quicker really. I guess as they are local to me currently, they would be the quickest! Be rather a pain to have a 130-140 mile round trip to sign a bit of paper to save postage.