The physical and mental strain involved when moving home or buying your first home, is something not to be taken lightly, as most home owners would testify. It would be tempting to try and cut costs on parts of the process, including legal fees but in the end, is it worth it?
Buying your home is going to be one of the most expensive purchases that will made during your lifetime and buyers should consider whether legal advice should be the area within which to cut costs and make savings.
In the past decade or so, there is a still a tendency for buyers and sellers to opt for ‘outlets’ who offer cheaper conveyancing but in reality, how much cheaper are they. Software provider, Smoove has revealed that just under two thirds of people who bought a house last year experienced unexpected costs, with over a quarter saying that it was the most frustrating part of the process.
And although the figures show conveyancing costs have risen by 17% since last year, homebuyers said they would pay more for a faster transaction.
Choosing a quality conveyancing solicitor
Estates agents may steer you towards using their recommended solicitor’s firm. However, you are under no obligation to instruct the solicitor that they point you towards.
At Home Property Law, we believe that certain factors should be considered when making a decision about your legal representative, when buying your home:
Expertise
Paying more, you would engage with a firm who employs solicitors with the expert legal and practical knowledge involved in the conveyancing process, being able to identify and resolve any issues or potential issues. For example, when buying a leasehold property, ensuring that the lease provisions are not too onerous and acceptable to mortgage lenders and any future buyers; making sure that correct planning and building control documents are at hand, if required, when the property has been extended and altered and lastly, being able to, perhaps identify any unusual activity on the file which may lead to potential fraud, particularly when phishing and online fraud is on the rise.
Accreditations
If a solicitor’s firm, such as Home Property Law, has taken the time to invest in obtaining accreditations, for example, Lexcel and Conveyancing Quality Accreditation from the Law Society, they are deeply committed to providing a quality service and client care. Such accreditations require ongoing monitoring and extensive assessment.
Personal Service and Communication
Communication and being kept updated throughout, is key to a better home buying process. Being able to pick up the phone and regularly conversing, directly with your solicitor, leads to a better understanding and informed process.
We at Home Property Law, also aim to be as transparent as possible from the outset when providing fee estimates. This allows for clients to be able to budget better and not be met with any shocking news of more fees, halfway through the process.
Speed
Once, you have chosen your dream home, of course you want to be able to collect the keys and start your new chapter as soon as possible. Paying that little bit more, having that bespoke service ultimately leads to a faster service and you are living in your dream home, before you know it.
Finally……
At Home Property Law, we believe that paying slightly more for a conveyancing solicitor, benefits you in the short term and in the long term; hopefully also reducing the overall stress in the home move.
If you are looking to purchase a property, reach out to the expert team at Home Property Law who will expertly guide you through the process.
