In recent years licensed conveyancers have grabbed a share of the market. There are though several disadvantages to using an out of the area conveyancing house as opposed to a local solicitor.
Conveyancing houses tend to operate from out of town call centres. When you are under pressure to exchange contracts the option to pop in to the solicitor’s office rather than receive and return something through the mail can be very beneficial. Many people also still prefer the opportunity to go in and sit down in the solicitor’s office to go through the paperwork rather than receive a bundle of papers in the post. If you do not instruct a local solicitor you will never be able to meet your solicitor, face to face, to discuss any concerns; queries or difficulties.
With a firm of conveyancers your questions are answered by someone that has no knowledge of your matter and it can be almost impossible to get through to the person that is actually doing the work. This can make it difficult to get answers to specific questions that you may have. Another advantage to using a local solicitor is the valuable local information that they have built up over the years.
If you use a local conveyancing solicitor, you’ll know they will have had years of experience in dealing with legal matters in your area: that they know the market. This specialised local knowledge is something an internet conveyancer can never provide.
With moving home ranked as one of the most stressful points of life, it is clearly sensible to entrust the legal work to a specialist. With many buyers and sellers being guided by their Estate Agent as to their choice of who does the legal work it is important to ensure that they are aware that whilst many large law firms may offer advice in many areas of law, they are still likely to be provided with a specialist for the particular area of law they require. After all, instructing a licensed conveyancer who will be in a Firm that only has conveyancers (it will have no other legal specialists) could cause a problem unless the transaction runs a completely straight forward transaction.
Property transactions can often be beset with difficulties. There will inevitably be complications and unforeseen problems and you, as a buyer or seller, will want to be kept informed of these at every stage of the process. A solicitor will be able to explain the situation plainly and face-to-face.
If there is a difficulty during the sale or purchase transaction then it is important to make sure that there is an expert on hand to advise the buyer or seller as to how best to protect their interests, and take action quickly. This will require expertise from a legal expert outside the sphere of conveyancing, from a matrimonial solicitor for example where a seller are a couple when are separating/divorcing, or from a Probate lawyer, where a property is owned by a person who has deceased. Licensed conveyancers however cannot deal with anything other than straight forward conveyances.
When you deal with a local conveyancing solicitor, you’ll know that the price estimated will be correct and will take into account the costs of local, drainage and environmental searches, Land Registry fees and other disbursements. Many online firms will, it might appear, initially charge a very competitive price, but add on all sorts of extras once the conveyance is completed. For example, if you wish to complete a transaction less than 10 days after exchange of Contracts.
If you want the best service and complete peace of mind, then only use the services of a specialist conveyancing solicitor. Our solicitors keep their promises, regularly keeps in touch, returns phone calls and provides a fast and efficient service. In short, they’ll go that extra mile. We know the area and will always put your interests first. Buying a home is probably the biggest financial commitment you will ever make, so it’s vitally important that you put this life-defining purchase in the hands of someone you know and trust, someone who knows the local area, and someone who will deal with you face-to-face.