Choosing the right conveyancer for you
Whether you are buying or selling, conveyancing is a necessary part of the transaction. This can be done either by a solicitor or by a licensed conveyancer, the question is who should you choose?
In a market which has so much choice how do you know you are choosing the right person for you?
All solicitors are qualified to carry out the conveyancing alongside other aspects of law. Licensed Conveyancers, such as Vanessa Newman Property Lawyers are dedicated property specialists regulated by the Council of Licensed Conveyancers. Many solicitors practices employ in-house conveyancers to do their conveyancing for them. Make sure that whomever you choose they do specialise in conveyancing.
The fees that you have to pay are often an important part of the decision, however do not make a decision based on the fee alone. There are many cut price 'law factories' who advertise on the internet offering cheap legal fees but whose final bill comes in with lots of hidden extras that push up the real cost by hundreds of pounds. Some solicitors will quote you for work on a 'per hour' basis and the final bill can escalate out of control meaning you pay hundreds of pounds more than you need to. The best quote for you to obtain is a fixed fee complete quote on a 'no sale, no fee' basis, just like the quotes provided by Vanessa Newman Property Lawyers. This type of quote is relatively common and means that you know exactly what your costs are going to be. It also means that the quote is completely transparent and there are no expensive hidden extras which come to light at the end of the transaction. One such example is a fee charged as a disbursement for the filing of your Stamp Duty Return, when this really should be included as part of the legal work already quoted. Another example is that of 'hidden profit' where you may be charged £300 for searches which have only cost the company £220. Also make sure that VAT is included within your quote on both legal fees and disbursements, as this is a further trick which some companies use to make their quotes look more competitive. A 'no sale, no fee' basis means that if your transaction falls through, whilst you will have to pay for any expenses incurred on your behalf, you will not need to pay any legal fees.
Really think about the service that you require. A poor slow service is frustrating and not being kept in the loop or not knowing why things are taking so long does put a sale or purchase at risk of falling through. Do you want the process to be as stress free as possible? Will you be satisfied if you find yourself dealing with different call centre based paralegals every time you call up? Do you want to be able to form a direct and trusted relationship with your conveyancer and do you want your transaction to be given the proper attention it deserves? If all of this is important to you, then opt for an individual conveyancer and ask them how busy they are to make sure your case gets the proper attention. Provide your conveyancer with target exchange and completion dates, being aware that these are only targets and not guaranteed dates, and ask them to confirm that they can work towards these. Ask your conveyancer to communicate with you by your preferred method, rather than accepting their preferred method and ensure that their communications are in clear plain English. At Vanessa Newman Property Lawyers, our service is so important to us that we have decided to limit our number of active files thus enabling us to provide you with the best service possible. We won't just be using online tools to keep you up to date, but we will also be calling you and emailing you to tell you what we have done and what we intend to do next and how long we expect it to take. Your transaction will be given the attention it deserves and you will have a direct, trusted relationship with your conveyancer. Isn't this the service you require?
