Conveyancing- is this normal?

sunlight1234

Hi, just looking for some advice please. I’m a FTB purchasing a leasehold property. Like most people I'm very keen to move asap. The property I'm purchasing is empty and my mortgage is approved.

I have gone with a local conveyancing firm that has good reviews. Searches were requested mid March and they have told me they are due back at the end of April- I expected a delay due to covid so this is understandable. I was sent some details including a fitting and contents form which I had a few queries regarding. I also had a homebuyers report carried out which showed a couple of issues that I have also queried. I contacted my solicitors today to check if they have sent these queries to the vendor solicitor and they said they don’t do this until the searches are back as they prefer to raise all enquiries in one go. I’m just bothered that this might delay things, especially if the vendors agree to carry out repairs and then need to arrange the works. This is obviously all new to me but just wondered if it’s usual/correct for my solicitor to be waiting for all searches to be back before doing anything further? Does anyone have any recommendations for things I should be asking the conveyancer to do to speed up the overall process? 

ele_91

I don’t think it is unusual for them to wait. If I wanted to query the survey I would potentially be going through the estate agent nor the solicitor though. Usually it is better to ask for a price reduction than the vendor doing the work, as they will not be motivated to get it done to a high standard. 

sunlight1234

ele_91 said:

I don’t think it is unusual for them to wait. If I wanted to query the survey I would potentially be going through the estate agent nor the solicitor though. Usually it is better to ask for a price reduction than the vendor doing the work, as they will not be motivated to get it done to a high standard. 

That's helpful, thank you.

in_w4ves

It’s the same with my solicitor. They didn’t want to raise any queries before all searches were returned. And the searches took 5 weeks. It took pleading from me and rude emails from the vendors’ solicitor that things got moving.

I’m now 2 months on, got contracts ready to sign. Half the enquiries I raised I’ve decided to abandon as my solicitor only responds once a week at best. Now I can see the final line I do not want them taking 1 more week to acknowledge old enquiries, another few weeks to think about it etc etc. 

I just want to be done with it and see the end of the solicitors! (non of the queries were deal-breakers for me anyway)

teachfast

in_w4ves said:

It’s the same with my solicitor. They didn’t want to raise any queries before all searches were returned. And the searches took 5 weeks. It took pleading from me and rude emails from the vendors’ solicitor that things got moving.

I’m now 2 months on, got contracts ready to sign. Half the enquiries I raised I’ve decided to abandon as my solicitor only responds once a week at best. Now I can see the final line I do not want them taking 1 more week to acknowledge old enquiries, another few weeks to think about it etc etc. 

I just want to be done with it and see the end of the solicitors! (non of the queries were deal-breakers for me anyway)

And, of course, the solicitors know this. They also have your money and take their fee from it, which magically removes any sense of urgency and, in some cases, politeness. 

Tiglet2

Some solicitors do prefer to raise enquiries together rather than piecemeal, it depends on what works for them in terms of workload/priorities.  Far more efficient to send out all the enquiries to each third party at the same time, rather than getting out the file several times over several weeks to send a few enquiries to the seller's solicitor, a few enquiries to the management company, a few enquiries to the lender, a few enquiries to the council, etc etc.

With regard to your survey, unless the queries you have are of a legal nature, everything else can be negotiated through the Estate Agent or directly with the vendor.

TBG01

teachfast said:

in_w4ves said:

It’s the same with my solicitor. They didn’t want to raise any queries before all searches were returned. And the searches took 5 weeks. It took pleading from me and rude emails from the vendors’ solicitor that things got moving.

I’m now 2 months on, got contracts ready to sign. Half the enquiries I raised I’ve decided to abandon as my solicitor only responds once a week at best. Now I can see the final line I do not want them taking 1 more week to acknowledge old enquiries, another few weeks to think about it etc etc. 

I just want to be done with it and see the end of the solicitors! (non of the queries were deal-breakers for me anyway)

And, of course, the solicitors know this. They also have your money and take their fee from it, which magically removes any sense of urgency and, in some cases, politeness. 

Apart from the fact most solicitors don't take their fee until completion. 

teachfast

TBG01 said:

teachfast said:

in_w4ves said:

It’s the same with my solicitor. They didn’t want to raise any queries before all searches were returned. And the searches took 5 weeks. It took pleading from me and rude emails from the vendors’ solicitor that things got moving.

I’m now 2 months on, got contracts ready to sign. Half the enquiries I raised I’ve decided to abandon as my solicitor only responds once a week at best. Now I can see the final line I do not want them taking 1 more week to acknowledge old enquiries, another few weeks to think about it etc etc. 

I just want to be done with it and see the end of the solicitors! (non of the queries were deal-breakers for me anyway)

And, of course, the solicitors know this. They also have your money and take their fee from it, which magically removes any sense of urgency and, in some cases, politeness. 

Apart from the fact most solicitors don't take their fee until completion. 

What? They know they're taking the fee on completion... before completion. 

Tiglet2

teachfast said:

TBG01 said:

teachfast said:

in_w4ves said:

It’s the same with my solicitor. They didn’t want to raise any queries before all searches were returned. And the searches took 5 weeks. It took pleading from me and rude emails from the vendors’ solicitor that things got moving.

I’m now 2 months on, got contracts ready to sign. Half the enquiries I raised I’ve decided to abandon as my solicitor only responds once a week at best. Now I can see the final line I do not want them taking 1 more week to acknowledge old enquiries, another few weeks to think about it etc etc. 

I just want to be done with it and see the end of the solicitors! (non of the queries were deal-breakers for me anyway)

And, of course, the solicitors know this. They also have your money and take their fee from it, which magically removes any sense of urgency and, in some cases, politeness. 

Apart from the fact most solicitors don't take their fee until completion. 

What? They know they're taking the fee on completion... before completion. 

A large proportion of transactions are aborted before completion, no completion no fee means just that.

teachfast

Tiglet2 said:

teachfast said:

TBG01 said:

teachfast said:

in_w4ves said:

It’s the same with my solicitor. They didn’t want to raise any queries before all searches were returned. And the searches took 5 weeks. It took pleading from me and rude emails from the vendors’ solicitor that things got moving.

I’m now 2 months on, got contracts ready to sign. Half the enquiries I raised I’ve decided to abandon as my solicitor only responds once a week at best. Now I can see the final line I do not want them taking 1 more week to acknowledge old enquiries, another few weeks to think about it etc etc. 

I just want to be done with it and see the end of the solicitors! (non of the queries were deal-breakers for me anyway)

And, of course, the solicitors know this. They also have your money and take their fee from it, which magically removes any sense of urgency and, in some cases, politeness. 

Apart from the fact most solicitors don't take their fee until completion. 

What? They know they're taking the fee on completion... before completion. 

A large proportion of transactions are aborted before completion, no completion no fee means just that.

Same difference. They know the money (if required due to completion) is already in the bank. It's a really well known and simple concept that having a guaranteed payment unsharpens resolve. Just ask any developer who still has things to finish after completion. 

Tiglet2

teachfast said:

Tiglet2 said:

teachfast said:

TBG01 said:

teachfast said:

in_w4ves said:

It’s the same with my solicitor. They didn’t want to raise any queries before all searches were returned. And the searches took 5 weeks. It took pleading from me and rude emails from the vendors’ solicitor that things got moving.

I’m now 2 months on, got contracts ready to sign. Half the enquiries I raised I’ve decided to abandon as my solicitor only responds once a week at best. Now I can see the final line I do not want them taking 1 more week to acknowledge old enquiries, another few weeks to think about it etc etc. 

I just want to be done with it and see the end of the solicitors! (non of the queries were deal-breakers for me anyway)

And, of course, the solicitors know this. They also have your money and take their fee from it, which magically removes any sense of urgency and, in some cases, politeness. 

Apart from the fact most solicitors don't take their fee until completion. 

What? They know they're taking the fee on completion... before completion. 

A large proportion of transactions are aborted before completion, no completion no fee means just that.

Same difference. They know the money (if required due to completion) is already in the bank. It's a really well known and simple concept that having a guaranteed payment unsharpens resolve. Just ask any developer who still has things to finish after completion. 

Excuse me?  That's not how it works and there is no guarantee of payment.  If completion never happens, then all the work done to date on that file earned them the total sum of zero.   Why don't you stop spouting complete rubbish about something you know nothing about?