Choosing a solicitor

Blue_bell_20

I have contacted a few relatives that have purchased and they were happy with their solicitors, or rather the service they provided. So I will email them and ask for quotes, I will check that they are on the lenders panel too, thanks. 

davidmcn

NameUnavailable said:

davidmcn said:

NameUnavailable said:

First make sure whoever you think of using will be acceptable by your mortgage company! They will have a 'panel' so I would maybe seek recommendation from them first.

Lenders aren't going to "recommend" anybody - they'll (normally) have a vast list of firms whom they consider "acceptable" (for their own purposes), and that's it. If you want to know whether a firm is on your preferred lender's panel, it's going to be easiest just to ask the solicitors.

OK, see if whoever you think of using is on your lenders panel OR ask you lender for a list of solicitors to choose from.

In practice it's only really an issue if you're going with a more obscure lender, or a particularly small conveyancing firm. Ask, say, the Halifax for a list of firms on their panel and (if they gave you anything at all) it would be a list of almost every firm which does residential conveyancing.

Blue_bell_20

It’s TSB so quite a large bank. We also have help to buy ISAs, I will mention this as well just incase it’s a need to know early in the process. 

teachfast

Blue_bell_20 said:

It’s TSB so quite a large bank. We also have help to buy ISAs, I will mention this as well just incase it’s a need to know early in the process. 

Ours used HTB as another reason to delay everything; whether connected with HTB or not.  I think it may have been the first one he had done.  Every time it was mentioned you'd get the sucking of air over teeth and pronouncements of doom.  When we first met him he produced a massive file full of paper (probably a standard prop), thumped it on the desk and said, "There's your file so far, as you can see it has come with a LOT of work.".  Frankly, I can't understand what was in that file because, to that point in time, nothing discernible had taken place on our behalf.

benson1980

If you are using an estate agent to sell I.e. they are acting for you, I’d ask them for their recommendations as they’ll know which ones they regularly have to chase, and which ones sellers complain about. 

We’ve just completed our fourth house purchase, using different recommended local conveyancers every time (stayed in the same area) and they’ve all disappointed, for different reasons, some costing us money needlessly. The best out of a bad bunch was a firm recommended by the EA, rather than the ones from personal recommendations.

fundamentally, I don’t really see any reason why local is better than online/remote if the latter provides a decent service, and ones that use an online portal sound ideal in this day and age. I’d just recommend scouring over everything, raising queries yourself on anything you are unsure of/want a response to rather than relying on your conveyancer to do this, and reviewing searches yourself and just go with a reasonably cost effective quote from somewhere that has decent reviews.

olbas_oil

If you are hoping to complete in time for the SDLT holiday, the that should be the first question you ask... but it is now looking very unlikely, and your solicitor will be just one link in a multiple communication chain, so even if they say they should be able to manage it, it is largely out of their control.
So assuming we're back to normal times (once the backlog has worked through), you will probably put cost as a major priority. WRONG! Your main priority should be stress avoidance. (though it is true that it is extra stressful to pay over the odds for a poor service). The main things you should try for is good communication, simplicity and lack of downtime.
Good communication: May be a local solicitor, may be a recommendation from friend. I would certainly go for one that used a portal system, that allowed me to see each step of the process, as it is  completed. So you should be able to identify any causes of delays, without waiting for a phone call, email or interrupting their work.
Simplicity: Make sure they are on your lender's panel- there's no point in adding complexity. But don't choose one recommended by the agent.
Lack of downtime: Does your prospective solicitor have holiday booked? You don't want things sitting in an in-tray. Who will handle the case when they are away, ill etc.

skm1981

I just searched a local Facebook group that I'm on for recommended conveyancers and went with the one that most people recommended. 

ThriftyGinger

I got quotes from three local solicitors and then spoke to friends about who they'd use and who they'd recommend. Made it much easier to pick the cheapest quote once I had a recommendation for him! I wouldn't just punt for the cheapest one.

I personally would go for someone local who knows the area you're buying in and all its quirks well. Our vendor's conveyancer is from a big firm based in the Midlands and she has completely slowed the process down by sending the wrong paperwork through from beginning to end and missing a lot of detail. It's been a right pain for my solicitor to handle. 

onylon

I did my research online and went for a local mid-priced firm with good reviews.

My conveyancer totally refused to answer emails or phone calls, went on holiday multiple times with no warning or handover and repeatedly broke my trust. Our no-chain sale dragged on for months because of their terrible communication skills and inability to handle enquiries.

teachfast

onylon said:

I did my research online and went for a local mid-priced firm with good reviews.

My conveyancer totally refused to answer emails or phone calls, went on holiday multiple times with no warning or handover and repeatedly broke my trust. Our no-chain sale dragged on for months because of their terrible communication skills and inability to handle enquiries.

Standard practice.