A conveyancer is a conveyancer is a conveyancer – aren’t they all the same?
Understandably choosing the right Estate Agent for you to sell with is paramount, or, if buying, the agents you choose to ‘stalk’ and build relationships with, as well as the property portals you choose to wake up with and drop off to sleep with, are essential! Choosing a lawyer to handle your conveyancing is however often an overlooked element of buying and selling a house. Conveyancing is just the dull legal process that happens ‘over there’ somehow, where you fill in form after form after form when all you really want to do is Get The Keys and move…….isn’t it? I agree, conveyancing doesn’t evoke emotion (although it definitely will do if you get it wrong – talk to family, friends, business associates, estate agents….sure many will tell you!), and yes it is a far cry from the glossy, lifestyle evoking, falling head over heels, your friends swooning and the constant dreaming you do when selling and searching for a new home! Conveyancing is however the final piece of the jigsaw and deserves as much thought as everything else leading up to it.
What conveyancing options are there?
One option for you is the lawyer your estate agent may recommend. This may ultimately prove the right option for you, but as a seller did you go with the first agent when putting your house on the market or did you make sure that the service/relationship/£££ were right for you? As a buyer you will have invested a lot of time, energy and emotion before choosing your home. It really is important therefore that you understand the conveyancing service being offered, ensuring their service works with your lifestyle, and don’t underestimate the relationship with the lawyer, is it important to you that you have one person to deal with and if so can they offer the personal service that may be key to how you need to work?
An alternative is you could instruct the local solicitor on the high street, you know, the one you pass every day on the school run or on the way to work, the one near that nice coffee shop. This was the way it used to be done, conveyancing was done by your local solicitor who dabbled in a bit of every area of law. Things have changed and the local solicitor could be a good option for you if you want honest, clear pricing and a personal face to face service. But beware, some firms could be too traditional to meet the demands of how many of us work and live. When choosing a local firm it really is important to go on recommendation where possible, also conduct some research yourself, check out their website, ensure they hold the Law Society’s Conveyancing Quality Standard which shows that they are specialists in conveyancing. Another simple tip is to call them and ask to speak to a lawyer, if you are able to speak to the lawyer easily when you ring up, chances are you will be able to do this if you instruct them which can be a real peace of mind.
What about the online ‘call centre conveyancer’ offerings? Type ‘cheap conveyancing’ into Google and you will find dozens of firms offering conveyancing for very cheap fees. Be cautious, if you think you will only pay the cost they quote, look at the detail fully. The large ‘call centre’ conveyancers may look cheap but there may well be many hidden extras e.g. costs for everything from storing files, dealing with lenders, paying stamp duty are all there, they just may not be called conveyancing. Another factor to consider is the personal service, you won’t necessarily speak to a qualified lawyer or have a main contact point. They typically keep the costs low by having staff handling clients whilst the actual legal work is done elsewhere. However, even with possible hidden extras, if price is the only deciding factor in choosing a conveyancer then this option maybe right for you.
Of course it goes without saying to talk with friends, family, business associates, they may be able to recommend someone but question them, did it really go as planned? Also they may not have investigated or explored the other options available, and also what was right for them, may not be right for you. Everyone has their individual needs and requirements which the different options present.
Is there another option?
We believe we have added to the conveyancing choices available to you with Get The Keys. We have created a service which despite searching for, we couldn’t find available in the marketplace, one we hope overtime, if you choose us, you could share with your friends, family and business associates next time they are engaged in the wonderful world of property. Get The Keys centres on you, offering you a bespoke conveyancing service and a unique approach. You will have access to your lawyer when it is convenient for you, we believe you should be provided with as much information as possible, this is why our specialist conveyancing lawyers make enquires above and beyond, providing you with a full personal service including extra searches and insurance packages that would not be offered to you as part of a standard conveyancing package. The way your lawyer works is different, they are pro-active, pre-empting queries and issues before they arise, helping speed up the process and minimise the stress. With regards costs, there is a guaranteed fixed fee, no hidden extras. We however are not looking at performing conveyancing for the masses, we are focused on the personal service for the person who wants and demands more. If you are selecting a conveyancing option based purely on minimising costs – this is not us, if you are selecting a personal one on one service, think about using us, if you want an effective speed orientated approach to conveyancing, think about using us, if you want all the information available to you regarding your property, think about using us, if you want to understand fully the cost of this bespoke service upfront, think about using us. To find out more explore our website www.getthekeys.co.uk.
One of the options discussed here will be right for you, your circumstances and your priorities. If you haven’t yet secured a buyer or found a property you want to buy, why not use your time wisely now to make the last part of the jigsaw slot into place for when the time arises.
Whichever option you choose, make an informed decision as it really could make the difference in your journey to getting or handing over the keys!
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