Anyone bought a house without using a solicitor?

[alfiesbabe]

DH and I planning to purchase a property within the next year or so. It set me wondering, because we've always used a solicitor in the past, and frankly, we'd rather not pay such exorbitant amounts. Having looked at what our solicitor did last time, my overall impression is that most of doesnt require any great skill - it's more a case of being arsed to wade through mounds of tedious paperwork. We had an itemised bill from the solicitor and I think what finally did it for me was seeing how just writing a simple letter to another party cost shitloads - in my line of work this is the kind of thing I'd do in my lunchbreak FGS!!
Are there certain aspects that it's worth paying for? And other parts DH and I could do ourselves? Any one whose been there and done it?

i am stuck in house buying hell and wondered the same, but to be honest i have got the time or inclination to wade through loads of paperwork

the house we are buying has no building regs in place, so they have had to take out an insurance policy in case the council ask us to make it right

this is the sort of thing that personally would make me wary of not using a solicitor

there are plenty of them out there, and you may be able to find a reasonably priced one

we have twice used an independent conveyancer. Really on the ball as that is all they do all day and don't get bogged down with other stuff. I think there is alot of of waiting around for paperwork and you need somebody on the ball to be able to chase it.

My sister and her husband did their own conveyancing about ten years ago. n
Next time they used a solicitor! From what I can remember a lot of it is just wading through paperwork, doing searches etc. I think the biggest problem they had was dealing with vendor's solicitor who was downright unhelpful until my sister pointed out he wouldn't be behaving like that if she was a solicitor too. I think he was a little more helpful after that. In the long run I think it was a lot of work - you won't necessarily have such easy access to stuff as they do - and rather stressful. Can be done - there certainly used to be a book telling you how - but not necessarily worth the hassle unless you like that sort of thing!

Thanks Arriety. I had a feeling it would be rather like that! DH and I have absolutely no inclination to spend our precious free time wading through paperwork!! I think it was just remembering the last time we bought and how damn expensive it is. And it seems to be one of those areas where the lawyers have you over a barrel - they'll close ranks and be unco-operative (as was your sister's experience) if you don't play it their way. It's just annoying, as I can tell that most of the work doesnt require any huge skill - rocket science it aint.Furball- thanks for your suggestion, we'll look at that.

Our solicitor pointed out some very important stuff, and dealt with things very efficiently. imo, you don't need a solicitor until something goes wrong - and without a solicitor you might well find that it has all gone wrong and it's too late. It's fine if everything goes fine - and catastrophic if it doesn't.

Our solicitor's fees were a LOT less than the sodding estate agents - and I know who did more work, with more expertise!

oh god yes, don't get me started on the bloody estate agents! Now that really is money for bugger all isn't it... though as we're just buying that won't apply to us. Used an agent the first time we sold, and never again since then!

You see - I'd sell without a solicitor (if i could be bothered to do the work myself) but would never buy without a solicitor. Selling - well, you take the money and run, whereas buying, you might end up with a property which may have some obscure covenant on it, or you haven't got the paperwork to transfer the FENSA guarantee on the windows into your name, or the guarantee on the underpinning system, and then when you need it, you'r stuffed!

(Our solicitor got all the window guarantees transferred into our name - otherwise it would have been null and void)

I would always use a solicitor to BUY as there is a lot more that can go wrong compared to a sale.
If a solicitor/licenced convenyancer gets it wrong you can sue them.
Do it yourself and get it wrong and you might be homeless.
I have done it myself on a sale but would never attempt it on a purchase.

I work as a secretary in conveyancing now, my only property transaction was before I got this job and I went to a woman who had previously worked for the Council where I was then working. She quoted me roughly what her fees would be though I also had to pay stamp duty and some search fees - the search fees vary according to the borough the property is in and what searches are needed.

I would go to a solicitor or conveyancer but maybe see if you can get one who will quote you for the fees for the whole thing rather than charging per letter.

Most solicitors charge a flat percentage rate for conveyancing. Unless a transaction is particularly complicated or unexpectedly difficult, they are unlikely to charge by the hour or deviate from their initial quotation.

Think of it like an insurance policy (and I bet you'd be happy to pay that amount per annum to protect your home). It might seem a lot if you never need to use it, but, if you do, it seems like peanuts. With house buying, if it's straightforward and no subsequent problems arise, it might seem like money for old rope. However, if something goes wrong after you've purchased (such as discovering that you have no plannning permission for a conservatory or there is a restrictive covenant which means it can only be used as a business, e.g.), then you'll be jolly glad you've paid that money as you may have recourse to the solicitors for negligence.

There are so many things which you can miss if you are not trained in these things, that you can easily think you've gone a good job and saved loads and then discover you missed something vital.