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If you’re thinking of buying or selling a property, there’s a strong chance that you’ll have looked on the internet and seen that there’s so much choice available for Conveyancing, that it’s difficult to decide what to do for the best. There was a time when any domestic conveyance would most likely be dealt with by a firm of local solicitors. However, there are now numerous firms who offer conveyancing services by qualified staff via the internet, and promise to offer customers the best possible levels of services at the cheapest possible prices. How do they manage to do that?
In many ways these internet conveyancers are acting much like the large supermarkets: because they are dealing with such large volumes of conveyancing work, they are able to offer very competitive prices, sometimes much cheaper than the local solicitor on the High Street. They are able to do this simply due to economies of scale. But, it’s important to remember that buying a property is probably the costliest and most emotional purchases you will ever make. Do you really want to trust that to someone you’ve never met? Could you comfortably trust a stranger with this most-important purchase or sale, or would you rather deal with a local firm of solicitors, with specialised local knowledge?
Whenever you use a local specialist firm of solicitors, you know they will have had years of experience in dealing with legal matters in your area: they’ll know the market and they’ll know the local estate agents. This specialised local knowledge is something you’ll never get from an internet conveyancer, no matter how good or highly qualified he or she might be.
All transactions can be fraught with difficulties: a conveyance is no different. There may be complications or unforeseen problems and you, as a buyer or seller, will want to be kept informed at every stage of the process. It makes sense, therefore, to use a local specialist solicitor who you feel comfortable with: someone who speaks plainly, someone you can trust to keep their promises, someone who you can see face to face who will regularly keep in touch, return phone calls and provide a fast and efficient service. In short, what you need is a local firm of solicitors who’ll go that extra mile to ensure your complete satisfaction. How do you know your local solicitor is any more trustworthy or more efficient than their internet competitors? You’ll know if they have a list of clients who return to them time and again for these services.
The problem with buying any service online is that you don’t always get told the bottom line until it’s too late. You only need look as far as the budget airlines to understand this. Yes, the initial price is infinitely cheaper than the competition, but there are all sorts of hidden extras that you only discover after the event. When you deal with a specialist local solicitor, you’ll know that the price quoted will be correct and will take into account the costs of local searches, Land Registry fees and other disbursements. Some internet firms will initially charge a very competitive price, but add on all sorts of extras once the conveyance is completed.
If you are obtaining a mortgage to assist you with the purchase of a property, then most firms of local solicitors will charge you extra for dealing with the mortgage on account of the additional work that needs to be undertaken. However, some internet-based firms have been known to add an additional charge on top of this: some firms of licensed conveyancers have been known to charge as much as an extra £175 plus VAT.
Most Solicitors will complete the Stamp Duty Land Transaction Return Form free of charge as part of the overall quote. However, some firms and licensed conveyancers will charge extra. The same applies to the buildings insurance administration fee: most local solicitors will have included this as part of the quotation, many licensed conveyancers won’t.
The majority of local solicitors will not charge extra for their services, regardless of the length of the period between exchange of contracts and completion. However, some licensed conveyancers will, if you wish to complete a transaction less than 10 days after exchange of Contracts.
When you take out an Endowment Mortgage, most firms of local solicitors will deal with any legal work in relation to the Endowment as part of the quote. However, some licensed conveyancers will charge extra for effecting the assignment or re-assignment of each life policy.
Jones Gough LLP Solicitors is proud to service the local community and believe that it’s our duty to put something back into the local community we serve. That’s why we’re pleased to be able to announce that we’ve recently sponsored the East Manchester Junior Football League.