Should I find another solicitor or am I being impatient?

pjs493

thegreenone said:

Is there a reason as to why you're not using the same solicitor for purchase and sale?

The properties are at opposite ends of the country and local knowledge is helpful in the case of both properties.

propertyrental

* you are being impatient

* the memo of sale usually comes from an estate agent and states the agreed price, the 2 solicitors contact details, and the property address.

* just send your tenants/buyers a letter confirming the price and your solicitors details, and ask for details of their conveyancer.

* If you need confirmation of the expected sale price to show your sellers/their solicitor/ their EA, then ask your solicitor. In any case he will need to check your funding sources for money laundering purposes (sorry - anti-money laundering purposes!) for your purchase so the faster you provide that, the faster he can confirm it to whoever it is you need to provide it to.

pjs493 said:

thegreenone said:

Is there a reason as to why you're not using the same solicitor for purchase and sale?

The properties are at opposite ends of the country and local knowledge is helpful in the case of both properties.

The added complexity /liaison etc between the 2 solicitors far outweighs any advantage from local knowledge, unless there is something really specific that requires local knowledge. Is there?

And given that you are already worrying about timescales, adding an additional solicitor will simply add to the timescales (and the number of additional 'chasing' phone calls/emails you'll have to make!)

pjs493

propertyrental said:

* you are being impatient

* the memo of sale usually comes from an estate agent and states the agreed price, the 2 solicitors contact details, and the property address.

* just send your tenants/buyers a letter confirming the price and your solicitors details, and ask for details of their conveyancer.

* If you need confirmation of the expected sale price to show your sellers/their solicitor/ their EA, then ask your solicitor. In any case he will need to check your funding sources for money laundering purposes (sorry - anti-money laundering purposes!) for your purchase so the faster you provide that, the faster he can confirm it to whoever it is you need to provide it to.

pjs493 said:

thegreenone said:

Is there a reason as to why you're not using the same solicitor for purchase and sale?

The properties are at opposite ends of the country and local knowledge is helpful in the case of both properties.

The added complexity /liaison etc between the 2 solicitors far outweighs any advantage from local knowledge, unless there is something really specific that requires local knowledge. Is there?

And given that you are already worrying about timescales, adding an additional solicitor will simply add to the timescales (and the number of additional 'chasing' phone calls/emails you'll have to make!)

Yes, there is something very specific requiring local knowledge for both properties as well as a number of practical reasons.

The estate agent dealing with the purchase already has all of that information (baring the memo of sale) and I already passed AML checks weeks ago. I'm not worrying about timescales as I don't have a need to move out of my current accommodation and plan to do a lot of work to the new house before I move in anyway. But the tenant/buyer is taking an absolute age to do anything. I did in two weeks with my purchase what it has taken them two months. Hence why I've had the solicitor for the sale on hold for weeks. I hadn't even viewed properties when they first agreed to buy the rental property, my purchase is now overtaking theirs despite their purchase being much more straightforward.

TBG01

pjs493 said:

propertyrental said:

* you are being impatient

* the memo of sale usually comes from an estate agent and states the agreed price, the 2 solicitors contact details, and the property address.

* just send your tenants/buyers a letter confirming the price and your solicitors details, and ask for details of their conveyancer.

* If you need confirmation of the expected sale price to show your sellers/their solicitor/ their EA, then ask your solicitor. In any case he will need to check your funding sources for money laundering purposes (sorry - anti-money laundering purposes!) for your purchase so the faster you provide that, the faster he can confirm it to whoever it is you need to provide it to.

pjs493 said:

thegreenone said:

Is there a reason as to why you're not using the same solicitor for purchase and sale?

The properties are at opposite ends of the country and local knowledge is helpful in the case of both properties.

The added complexity /liaison etc between the 2 solicitors far outweighs any advantage from local knowledge, unless there is something really specific that requires local knowledge. Is there?

And given that you are already worrying about timescales, adding an additional solicitor will simply add to the timescales (and the number of additional 'chasing' phone calls/emails you'll have to make!)

, my purchase is now overtaking theirs despite their purchase being much more straightforward.

According to who? Unless you've already reviewed the title, seen search results and anticipated the enquiries being raised, then you're in no position to determine whether or not it's straightforward.

As per your other thread, the property is leasehold which adds more complexity and time to the transaction.

pjs493

TBG01 said:

pjs493 said:

propertyrental said:

* you are being impatient

* the memo of sale usually comes from an estate agent and states the agreed price, the 2 solicitors contact details, and the property address.

* just send your tenants/buyers a letter confirming the price and your solicitors details, and ask for details of their conveyancer.

* If you need confirmation of the expected sale price to show your sellers/their solicitor/ their EA, then ask your solicitor. In any case he will need to check your funding sources for money laundering purposes (sorry - anti-money laundering purposes!) for your purchase so the faster you provide that, the faster he can confirm it to whoever it is you need to provide it to.

pjs493 said:

thegreenone said:

Is there a reason as to why you're not using the same solicitor for purchase and sale?

The properties are at opposite ends of the country and local knowledge is helpful in the case of both properties.

The added complexity /liaison etc between the 2 solicitors far outweighs any advantage from local knowledge, unless there is something really specific that requires local knowledge. Is there?

And given that you are already worrying about timescales, adding an additional solicitor will simply add to the timescales (and the number of additional 'chasing' phone calls/emails you'll have to make!)

, my purchase is now overtaking theirs despite their purchase being much more straightforward.

According to who? Unless you've already reviewed the title, seen search results and anticipated the enquiries being raised, then you're in no position to determine whether or not it's straightforward.

As per your other thread, the property is leasehold which adds more complexity and time to the transaction.

Both properties are leasehold and my purchase transaction is further along than the same transaction. I’ve already had searches back. The buyer (who has had since February to get their ducks in a row) hasn’t even ordered searches until this week. 

bobster2

pjs493 said:

Both properties are leasehold and my purchase transaction is further along than the same transaction. I’ve already had searches back. The buyer (who has had since February to get their ducks in a row) hasn’t even ordered searches until this week. 

It's quite normal not to order searches until you have a mortgage offer (at least in principle) and are ready to proceed with a purchase. Is that what you meant by the buyers getting their finances in order? But in any case how to you know they've ordered them? A vendor wouldn't normally hear about searches until the buyers raise queries with the vendor - based on the results of the searches.

pjs493

bobster2 said:

pjs493 said:

Both properties are leasehold and my purchase transaction is further along than the same transaction. I’ve already had searches back. The buyer (who has had since February to get their ducks in a row) hasn’t even ordered searches until this week. 

It's quite normal not to order searches until you have a mortgage offer (at least in principle) and are ready to proceed with a purchase. Is that what you meant by the buyers getting their finances in order? But in any case how to you know they've ordered them? A vendor wouldn't normally hear about searches until the buyers raise queries with the vendor - based on the results of the searches.

I know the buyer of the rental property hadn't ordered searches until this week because I asked them and they said they had just paid their solicitor to initiate the searches.They do have an agreement in principle, but the time they took right at the start to get their finances in order was to see if they could get a gift from parents/in-laws to add to the money they had saved for a deposit. They wanted to make sure they were in strong position to get a mortgage so wanted to get as large a deposit together. I had to ask them about a month ago if they even had an AIP because I was concerned that they were dragging things out because they couldn't afford it and wanted to stay in the property as renters for as long as possible. At that stage they didn't and said they didn't realise that they could do that. I'm torn between thinking they are just slow to do stuff and a bit clueless to the whole process or if they are genuinely going as fast as they can or not.

pjs493

As an update, having not heard anything and having not received anything through the post or a response to a voice message I left. I instructed a new solicitor today who has already started work. 

I informed the slow firm, who surprisingly, responded quickly to my email telling them I’d decided to go elsewhere because I’d not heard anything to say they were sorry to lose my business. Seems they’re either just badly organised or didn’t want/need the business. Communication was quick and good initially, but as soon as I said I wanted to instruct them, they just stopped being efficient. 

Quite pleased I didn’t persevere with them. 

propertyrental

be interested to hear if they send you a bill for their time spent to date........

YoungBlueEyes

Be interested to read the (presumably) upcoming post about not wanting to pay the bill they send for the time spent to date...