Conveyancing solicitors

Help1234

Hello,

I think this has probably been asked a thousand times but hopefully someone can help me

We have been quoted £2000 for a conveyancing solicitor who the estate agent recommended us. This is way more than we want to pay - we would prefer to pay less than £1000. Can anyone recommend to us any local ones? We are in the Cheshire region.

I have been looking online but the reviews are worrying me. They all seem to have great reviews but then also several 1 star reviews where people saying you should AVOID, hidden costs, poor communication etc. Just don't want to make the wrong choice!

Torfoxwell

We used premire property lawyers so has my friend and a few other people i know , they have a couple of bad reviews but they do thousands of cases so its to be expected , weve had no problems and you can do it online to track progress

Torfoxwell

Cost us 935 something like that

G_M

Walk down your high street, go in to 3 solicitors' offices ad ask to see a solicitor for a conveyancing quote.

You can the compare

* the prices you are given, and
* the reception your receive and confidence you feel in the solicitor you meet.

Do not use the EA's solicitor.

Surrey_EA

Torfoxwell wrote: »

We used premire property lawyers so has my friend and a few other people i know , they have a couple of bad reviews but they do thousands of cases so its to be expected , weve had no problems and you can do it online to track progress

A couple?!

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/1849083

wantonnoodle

Does that fee include the stamp duty?

I ask because some solicitors include the estimated stamp duty in their quote as a disbursement, which is then included in the total, while others just put a statement on the bottom of the quote regarding liability for stamp duty. It also depends on whether they have broken everything down or just given a bundled cost.

We bought a £250,000 house in Altrincham, completed at the end of February this year, and our total cost was:

Legal fees : £475 + VAT

Disbursements:
Local Search in Trafford - £130.20
HMLR Fee £135.00
OS1 £3.00
Bankruptcy Search £2.00 – (per name)
Stamp Duty £2,500.00
Bank Transfer Fee £25

Total costs: £3367.

Depending on the amount of stamp duty, and how they have broken down the costs, it may not be as bad as it looks. We got quite a lot of quotes, and can confirm there are a number of reasonable conveyancers around the Altrincham and Sale area (you don't say where in Cheshire you are).

Help1234

The costs were broken down like this:

Legal Fees £594.00
Admin Fee £42.00
Mortgage Fee £90.00

Purchase Legal Fees Subtotal: £726.00

What you would pay other people (known as disbursements):

Search Fees £280.00
Registration Fees £95.00
Land Registry Priority Search (per title) £3.00
Client Bankruptcy Search - 2 persons £4.00
Sellers Bankruptcy Search £4.00
SDLT - Main Residence £125K-£250K £900.00

Purchase Disbursements Subtotal: £1,286.00

Property Purchase Fees Total: £2,012.00

Grand Total: £2,012.00

We are just south of Alderley Edge so going to Altrincham would be no problem at all

Surrey_EA

Well, as your quote includes you stamp duty bill, and the disbersments will be the same whichever solicitor you instruct, I would say a bill for the solicitor of £726 was pretty good going.

Given the stamp duty is £900, how likely is it that the total bill is going to be less than £1000?

Pupnik

I don't think the price is bad as it includes stamp but do get quotes from local solicitors - in my experience with the Estate Agent conveyancing firms I found them slow and awful to deal with, whether I'm using them or someone in the chain is.

Help1234

OK yes I didn't initially realise that included stamp duty. I want to go with someone who offers a no move no fee and would prefer not to go with a solicitor involved with the estate agent.

Surrey_EA

Pupnik wrote: »

I don't think the price is bad as it includes stamp but do get quotes from local solicitors - in my experience with the Estate Agent conveyancing firms I found them slow and awful to deal with, whether I'm using them or someone in the chain is.

There is a big difference between a solicitor being part of the same company as the EA, or strongly affiliated to, and a recommendation from an EA to a local firm of solicitors.

The former should be avoided at all costs, the latter is worth investigating.