How did you find a conveyancing solicitor?

[Fountainsixty]

Hello!

We’ve just had an offer accepted on a property and need to quickly instruct a solicitor! Any recommendations or things to watch out for?

It seems some do “no sale no fee” if the property doesn’t complete which is good but not sure how widespread. We need a declaration of trust so need solicitor.

I think lots allow you to do everything remotely so doesn’t matter where they are based.

Thanks!

Harriet

I’ve PM’d you. I’m using a remote one and they’ve been very good.

I'm using a recommendation and she's brilliant.

I asked for recommendations and they got quotes.

Look at reviews for mid-sized firms in your town. It’s handy if you need to give them things quickly.

Licensed Conveyancers can do declarations of trust but not wills.

Be careful with online conveyancers. Some are great, so not so much.

Thanks, as in you asked family and friends for recommendations?

Yes.

You can ask the estate agent who they recommend. You can also google local solicitors

Get like 3 or 4 quotes to compare. They'll probably be similar, but my estate agent tried to bully me into using their solicitor, who wanted to charge double what the company my parents recommended quoted!

Thanks, yes the sellers estate agent is purple bricks so not really anyone to talk to on that.

have got some quote but they vary hugely - I’m in London which explains some of that!

Yes we’ve found some online ones, some definitely have bad reviews but others seem to have pretty decent reviews

I would avoid a set up where they use case handlers to deal with the file.

Usually means that it's not until the last moment that the file is reviewed by a qualified staff member and things crop up which leads to delays.

Also the ones offering free fees for abortive transactions will be cutting corners elsewhere usually offering terrible service.

Personally I would look for a mid sized local firm, check their reviews, speak to someone and see if they sound on the ball and if you click, go from there.

It isn't always the ideal approach, but we got a recommendation from the estate agent.

We were looking for someone with experience in agricultural properties and this particular one came highly recommended. I think the best way is to find someone local and through word of mouth and who has experience in areas that would be useful to the type of property you are buying if there are any obvious quirks or sticking points. There was literally a point when I needed to race to the office by 5pm with documents to make everything happen, so personally I'd only ever use a local one who was an actual real person, not just a massive online company.

Thanks for your advice