Your conveyancing solicitor will play an integral role as you move through the house-buying (and -selling) process. Their job is to tackle some – if not all – of the most stress-inducing aspects of moving house, all bar packing.
There is a huge amount of legal documentation to get through between submitting an offer and receiving the keys. Without an experienced solicitor on your side, that paperwork can quickly pile up and slow down progress – or even derail the process altogether.
The trouble is, not all conveyancing solicitors are created equal. Here are common mistakes to avoid.
1. Not doing your own research
Most estate agents will have a tie to a particular conveyancing firm – at times, this firm will be local, but nationwide firms are growing more common. While you’re free to use whoever you would like to use as your conveyancing solicitor, it’s easy for inexperienced or first-time buyers to be shoehorned into using a particular firm without even realising they had a choice.
This is a mistake and can prove costly. Doing your own research online – even talking to family and friends who have also bought and sold property locally – is very important, and it will ensure you enter into the process with much more peace of mind.
2. Not sticking to local firms
As we mentioned above, homebuyers have the option of working with a local solicitor or turning to one of the larger brands with a nationwide presence. There are some perceived benefits to working with a nationwide firm; since they feature a much larger workforce, they promise to churn through cases much faster than smaller firms.
The trouble is, this depends on a cut-and-paste approach to conveyancing, and, traditionally, conveyancing solicitors do a lot more than ensure the paperwork is filled in and complete.
Let’s say you’re based in the Cotswolds. A local conveyancer like willans.co.uk can spot potential issues or concerns and draw your attention to things that may otherwise slip under the radar if you’re working with a brand that services the entire country. They can be there to hear your concerns and offer guidance and advice, rather than merely working through your case page-by-page in order to bring the case pile down.
3. Choosing based on cost alone
It’s true when they say you get what you pay for. While there are certainly things in life that you can skimp on, a good conveyancing solicitor isn’t one of them. Remember how vital your solicitor will be to the success of your house purchase; the stakes are simply too high to make your decision based on the expense.
If you’re worried about the cost growing higher and higher over time, then talk openly with your solicitor, even if it’s just to manage your expectations about timeframes.
4. Ignoring the difference between a conveyancer and a conveyancing solicitor
Solicitors, as the name implies, are qualified lawyers with a huge amount of legal knowledge underpinning them. Conveyancers have a lot of training and experience in property, but they’re not the best people to tackle the complicated legal considerations that can arise during the house buying and selling process.
Our best advice? Always go with a solicitor.
