Choosing a Conveyancer

hdh74

We've just accepted an offer on our house. Are we best to go with one of the conveyancers our local EA recommends (they are open they get a fee of up to £300 for this) or look for a better deal?  It's 30+ years since we last moved and we're not at all up to speed but we felt the people we engaged all those years ago were pretty rubbish and we want everything done properly.
Ty for any advice.

housebuyer143

I tend to look on conveyancing compare sites and then go through the Google reviews for the top picks to see which is best. Then I call them to see how they are and ensure they are no win no fee. 
The solicitor I found this way is great and a great price. 
I would never blindly go with the one the agent "recommends" 

diystarter7

Price is never the number one priority. We look up a local, well-established one, poss one we have used before, check the reviews these days, then the prices, then speak to them and see how they answer the phone and respond and take it from there.
One on my children used an online one, delayed the exchange of contracts lack of comms. However, it was a complex move as two leases I think one for the apartment and one for the carpark that was owned by someone else but connect to the block..


With something like a property, even where you can still by a house for 40k, its never a good idea to look at price alone or be tempted by EA's recommendations etc unless they appear good. An EA is never going to say the convy is rubbish,

canaldumidi

Drop in to severel firms on your high street. You'll get quotes and get a feel for how you are treated.

I'd take a recomendation by the EA with a pinch of salt.

jonnydeppiwish!

As @canaldumidi says, try your local ones. At least then you can turn up on their doorstep as and when needed.
with your quote, make sure it includes all the costs ie LR, and searches etc

JReacher1

I tend to go with the one the agent recommends as long as the price is reasonable. It’s in the agents interest for the process to as quickly as possible. 

Tiglet2

The cheaper, conveyancing 'factories' make a profit by employing a few qualified solicitors/licensed conveyancers and lots of additional people consisting of law graduates, unqualified admin clerks, Cilex trained people, all at different stages of qualification and experience.  A great many unqualified people will be handling the bog-standard parts of the conveyancing.  

These conveyancing factories also need volume work in order to make a profit.  That means that your transaction will be one of hundreds being dealt with.  If you need to be walked through the transaction and hand held, you won't get it with these people.  They really are best suited to clients who know how to fill in the forms without instruction, know where to sign without being shown, provide the correct paperwork as and when requested and capable of reading documents and understanding them without too much instruction.  Obviously legal jargon can be translated into layman's terms, but they are not going to explain everything.

As others have said, this is not the time for cost cutting.  

However, even if you find an excellent solicitor with great reviews, someone else's solicitor in the chain might not be so good and it is the slowest part of the chain which will dictate the pace of the transaction.

Maybe ask friends/colleagues for recommendations of someone they've actually used, i.e. not their brother-in-law, friend's mum's sister etc.

Then phone/visit to get a feel for their responsiveness.

Woolsery

canaldumidi said:

Drop in to severel firms on your high street. You'll get quotes and get a feel for how you are treated.

I'd take a recomendation by the EA with a pinch of salt.

I'm not sure about the second part. Here in Ruralsville, our favoured agent recommends two local firms used to the sort of paperwork (and lack of it!) that comes with country property. I'm sure he gets a kickback, but I expect he could get it with a few others too and prefers not to. That's because his main objective is to get sales over the line ASAP via a solicitor who will go the extra mile if something crops up....as it did when we bought.

Couldn't fault her and might even have walked away without some hand-holding..

Megaross

You're always better getting a well rated local firm even if it costs a little extra. Don't let an estate agent sell you one because they're just looking for comission.

Local firms are better in that:
- They know how to deal with properties in your area and have probably done work on dozens of similar properties.

- You can go in and talk to them or if not often get them straight on the phone.

- You can hand in your paperwork directly ensuring it arrives on time and prevents delays.

It pays to have a decent conveyancer - delays and mistakes can be incredibly costly.

Had 2 chains which buyers/ sellers were using no name factories like DC Law, invariably that was what held it up and the longer you are in a chain the greater the risk it will fall apart so ensure you're in good hands.

Woolsery

Megaross said:

You're always better getting a well rated local firm even if it costs a little extra. Don't let an estate agent sell you one because they're just looking for comission.

'Just looking for commission.''? Surely they get a hellava lot more when they  sell?  While a good agent can hold a sale others might lose, the combination of a good agent and a can-do solicitor is best.

hdh74

Done some research on the firms the Ea recommends - 3 came out fair to middling, one had atrocious reviews, so definitely taking those suggestions with a pinch of salt. I hadn't used google reviews but thanks for the suggestion @housebuyer143 - that's proving really helpful. Also been asking around friends and friends of friends so I've a good few to research and talk to. Thanks all.Lots of really helpful advice which has got me on track.