Conveyancing selection

Davesnave

I didn't realise the above were bucket shops.

Avoid. You may need a human more often than you think.

BlueIsTheColour

I can only echo what others have said and look for someone local. I got quotes from some of the cheaper firms who focus on volume etc but then decided it was worth the extra to have someone more local, in the case of any queries, documents etc.

So far they have been great and have a brilliant online tracker system so you can see all the action (or lack of it) on your file at any time. As a worrier I've found this reassuring and overall, they are definitely worth the extra money for my peace of mind.

What I also like is I have the person who is dealing with my file direct phone number which she actually answers... Little things like that I think are worth the extra.

D00gie72

Ditto what other have said and I would recommend a local solicitor. Ring round a few locals and asks to speak to one of the convayancing sols. Have a quick chat about your purchase and ask for costs. Hopefully once you've rung a couple you will get a feel for your favourite. This may not be the cheapest but believe me having someone you can happily speak to on the phone can make all the difference. I had a particularly traumatic sale/purchase a couple of years ago and at one point I was speaking to my sols more frequently than my mother or best friend. Having someone I could have an easy conversation with made all the difference. (and have to point out at the point of choosing a sols I had no idea of the rocky road ahead)

ele26

We finally decided to go for a local one and confirm with the EA that had a positive experience with them before. £400 more but I hope to get everything done without much hussle

HouseBuyer77

£400 more but I hope to get everything done without much hussle

If it's any consolation the cheap online solicitors often hide extra charges that technically you may be able to avoid but generally end up paying (e.g I've heard of charges for completing less that 14 days from exchange, and generally people want a small gap between exchange and completion so you end up paying it). So the cost difference may be less than the quotes suggest.