How on earth do i find a conveyancer?

[emankcin]

Having never moved house or instructed a solicitor before?

I come across as not a strong person and i hate thinking that i am being taken for a ride.

i have found a surveyor to consider of the RICS website. But i don't know how much a solicitor should cost ( although the bbc say around £600). I have tried a couple of online quotes and got back a figure resembling more like £900.

Most people i am sure get solicitors recommended. I have no idea where to start

Can your estate agent recomend one? They often have arrangements with local firms who'll do an all-inclusive package for you, and then you know exactly what you're paying from the outset.

try the law society website
where in the country are you?
get a few different quotes too

Your Estate agent could probably recommend somebody local (although watch out that there's no recommendation fee paid by the solicitor who will probably pass that cost onto you). There are tons of internet conveyancing firms out there who charge relatively low fees but are pretty crappy - lack of local knowledge, charge you for extras, not available on the telephone...

Otherwise, the Law Society have a find a solicitor online service here which should be of some use I hope...

The Law Society has a useful list on its website Find a solicitor where you can indicate area and type of work to be done (i.e. conveyancing). I would ask other people in your area and be prepared to go to different firms to get a feel for how they operate. According to one of my solicitor friends there is only one firm (out of 10+) in his town that he would trust to do his conveyancing!
You don't have to use a solicitor, you can also use a Licensed Conveyancer
Whoever you choose make sure they give you indication of costs in advance.

I am not selling so unfortunatley that means i would have to have recommendations from the estate agents where we are buying.

cashncarry, that was lovely of you to take the time to do that link. Thanks just what i need

Thanks lilymaid - i didn't know that. thanks for the link.

i shall do some phoning!

We weren't selling but we still got a recommendation from the estate agent we were using from our purchase. We were moving area so had no idea about local services - the estate agent should at least be able to give you a few names to help you make a decision - be a bit more pushy!

It's no problem re: the link - it's saved in my favourites anyway [saddo emoticon]

My friend is a conveyancer. Where abouts are you?

It's worth knowing where you are, maybe someone else in the area has had a good experience (or a bad one to warn you off). I'd prefer a personal rec to an estate agents one, mine was great but unfortunately she's moved on since then (it was over 8 years ago now).

Ring a couple of local solicitors for quotes. CAB may have a list. You'd have a basic fee plus costs of land registry, local searches, any indemnity policies etc. EA usually have ones tied in, but remember they are often not local nor are they disinterested. We also found their quote slightly more expensive. Do you know anyone who could recommend a local firm ?

If you are getting a mortgage you may need to use one of their surveyors, at least for the basic valuation.

Thank you very much, the added complication is that we do not know the area, although we have been to look around. It is in a different county.

therefore i thought a local solicitor to our current rented address, then we can chat face to face if there are any difficulties.

However the surveyor should really be in the same county.

We are using a mortgage broker and are dealing with them via phone. So i am not sure how the 'using their surveyor' thing works.

thank you for your advice it has been much helpful.

We have an appt to view out first house on Saturday and i can't tell you how excited i am.

If we decide to put in an offer, is one supposed to put in an offer at 5% below the asking price?

re: prices there is no "supposed" rule - supply and demand will dictate it as will hwo long it has been for sale, how keen the people are to move , whether they have already reduced the asking price etc . Have a look at other prices achieved here in same road, although it may be hard if you don't know the local market, the location hot spots and the variation of house sizes/styles in the same road.

lovely Thank you