Partner Luke McMath, in our Residential Property team, explains why the phrase "you get what you pay for" can be very true when it comes to conveyancing.
How much should I pay for conveyancing?
The costs involved are obviously a factor to take into consideration when looking for a conveyancer or solicitor. However, it is important to consider what you get for your money; the saying “you get what you pay for” has never been truer than in the case of conveyancing to ensure you get value for money.
A conveyancer or solicitor is there to ensure that, as a seller or buyer, you and the other parties meet all of the required legal obligations and your rights and interests are protected during this transaction. Failing to identify any issues or risks may leave you exposed, financially and otherwise, immediately or in the future.
Transparency
Some conveyancing quotes can appear cheaper than they actually are and may also include hidden fees.
Be comfortable that you are comparing like for like when making a final decision, and that any quote includes a comprehensive breakdown of both fees (the amount charged by the conveyancer or solicitor for their services) and disbursements (costs paid on your behalf, including property search fees, registry fees and Stamp Duty Lax Tax (SDLT)).
You should also compare additional fees, sometimes separately charged for unavoidable aspects such as completing SDLT returns.
When contacting our Residential Property team, you will receive a clear and detailed quote, allowing you to review and understand our fees and any associated costs. We will of course be happy to discuss and explain the quote provided and the conveyancing process that follows if needed.
Why choose us?
Buying or selling property is often considered to be one of life’s more challenging experiences. Our dedicated Residential Property team is committed to ensuring that this isn’t the case.
This is particularly important when it comes to communication and ensuring that you are reassured and kept up to date on progress throughout our sale and/or purchase. You may also have questions along the way, which sometimes need a quick response, and you will want to fully understand the documentation provided and any decisions you are required to make.
Our team will provide timely updates and advice in plain English that is clear, concise and easily understandable. From the outset you will enjoy direct contact with the dedicated member of our team dealing with your file on a day-to-day basis and they will keep you informed or answer questions you may have at every stage.
You can be confident that you will experience a highly personal service and that your matter will be handled in a professional, thorough and prompt manner – not always the case when selecting a lower cost alternative.
For example, when instructing many large conveyancing providers, you may not have regular and direct access to the person overseeing things. And often, they may not be an experienced conveyancer or solicitor but instead working in a team that is simply supervised by someone who is.
It is both useful (especially if an important or urgent issue arises) and reassuring to be able to meet your conveyancer or solicitor face to face, and with offices in Reading and Henley-on-Thames and Wokingham we are ideally located.
Furthermore, as a leading Thames Valley law firm, our team has extensive knowledge of the surrounding area and enjoys longstanding working relationships with many estate agents, surveyors, lenders and other professional firms based in the region, including other firms of solicitors. These relationships can make a significant difference in helping to ensure the smooth running and successful completion of a conveyancing transaction.
The benefit of experience
We are an award-winning firm and accredited by the Law Society’s Conveyancing Quality Scheme (CQS).
With an average of over 20 years’ professional experience, members of our highly experienced team deal exclusively with residential property matters and handles sales and purchases of all sizes and levels of complexity. Our clients have properties ranging from apartments to executive family homes and every month our team conveys property collectively worth millions of pounds.
If there is any issue or a dispute with the property you are buying or selling, it’s highly likely that we will have encountered it before and, most importantly, will know how to resolve things quickly and cost-effectively. If needed, we can call on specialist expertise from across the firm in relation to property disputes, commercial property and planning law. At times, advice on family law, wills and estate planning or probate matters may also be needed.
The importance of independence
It is natural to seek advice when looking for a conveyancer or solicitor. However, it is important to consider the source of that advice and the reasons for any recommendations that they may be providing.
If you are purchasing a new build property, you may want to consider whether a conveyancing provider recommended by the house builder or the estate agency acting on their behalf is truly independent and will have your best interests at heart.
More generally, in some cases, if an estate agent makes a recommendation it may be because the conveyancing provider and the estate agency are part of the same group, with shared ownership. In others, estate agents may receive a referral fee or similar from a conveyancing provider.
We are proud to be recommended by house builders, estate agents and other professional advisers based upon the service and client care we provide. We do not pay referral fees or similar to any intermediaries and we are independently owned.
See what others say
As with any service, take a look at a conveyancing provider’s feedback and reviews from previous clients. You can view the results of our annual client satisfaction survey and also explore what clients say via platforms such as Google Reviews and Review Solicitors.
For further information or legal advice, please contact law@blandy.co.uk or call 0118 951 6800.
