Choosing a solicitor - pressure from the estate agent

emfen1305

We are first time buyers and have just had an offer accepted on a house. We are working with a broker who is hopefully going to find us a 90% mortgage but has warned us they are hard to get, we can't go to 15% deposit so keeping everything crossed. Anyway, the broker has sent us some solicitor quotes but the estate agents selling the property are very keen for us to go with their recommendation, a local solicitor, so they can chase them and keep things moving, the broker has also said we should go with one of their solicitors so they can chase - I appreciate everyone has a stake in this and benefits from us using their solicitor but the estate agent is pressuring us to use theirs and keeps chasing me for the documents to get the quotes and I am worried we will lose the house if we choose to go with one of the broker's choices. Does anyone have any advice please?  

davidmcn

Choose a solicitor who isn't connected with the seller or the seller's agents. The sellers themselves won't care who you use. The agents and your broker are going to be equally able to chase your solicitor whoever you go with.

Kyresa

Do remember to ask how much commission they get for recommending the particular solicitor to you.. they are supposed to disclose this, but rarely do.  

Scotbot

Tell the EA to go forth and multiply and that you are in the process of appointing a solicitor and will send them the details . If the property is new build of leasehold make sure the solicitor has expettiencd in these areas as they are complex. Do not choose a solicitor based on price either, generally speaking you get what you pay for and legal mistakes can have huge financial consequences.  As davidmcn says the seller is the one who would reject any offer not the EA and as long as you appoint someone promptly they won't give a fig who it is.

greatcrested

Choose your own.

This claim that it is easier for them to chase the solicitor just because they now them is either

* rubbish, or

* based on an unhealthy relationship between them where the solicitor may be more concerned to maintain his income stream from the agent for recommendations, than raising issues on your behalf

Choose a solicitor who is 100% focussed on your best interests.

Flugelhorn

definitely choose your own and preferably one who won't be brow beaten by the estate agents. we had fun and games buying, the sellers solicitor was useless and the EA thought they had more clout than they actually did - very glad I had a totally independent solcitor

emfen1305

Thanks everyone - we've done some research and appointed a solicitor who has been recommended by a few friends - we have sent them the known issues of the contaminated land finding to see if they can deal with that. Although just been reading that more banks are withdrawing their 90% mortgages and we absolutely can't go to 85% so it might all be for nothing!