I found that on paper and email, solicitors and conveyances are very stiff and pretty much using a scripted version of answers. It is to ensure they say the right thing and can't be sued for telling you the wrong thing or failing to point out potential issues or failing to l,ace caveats in what they say to cover themselves.
If later you want to complain that they didn tell you something, they want to refer you (and any kind of tribunal) to all the things they said which show their answers all have caveats and ultimate responsibility rests with you.
It's useful in a way as it reminds you that you do have to fully read and check everything for yourself and that you yourself agree to proceed.
Conversations in person often highlight whether issues really are issues for this particular case, when on paper, everything sounds terrible and risky.
The so-called nit picking is their job. People are quick to complain when something is missed, but lots of solicitors say the problem is people fall in love with a house and are just desperate to complete regardless of the information about the property - they don't read what they are told ie follow advice to get further surveys or take on board comments about onerous terms in leases. Yet, when they later discover there is an onerous lease term or an issue which they didn't know about because they didn't get the recommended surveys done, they feel aggrieved.
My conclusion on all this, is simply that buying a house and gathering all the necessary information via your solicitor takes a good while and longer than most people imagine or think it should. Because most people don't buy and sell frequently, they are surprised at how long it takes, at all the documentation solicitors require, at all the questions they have to provide and all the questions which have to be asked and answered. People want to move quickly, but do t always see the disconnect between wanting to do this and having full information. They also forget this is a legal process and because they might not be involved in these very often, feel irritated with solicitors.
When I think about the price of conveyancing, in relation to it being your most expensive purchase usually, I think it's pretty good value. Take off the stamp duty which is determined by government and take off the estate agent fees which aren't set by solicitors, and many people find their solicitor fees (even with the extras which annoy people but are necessary) are well under £5k. Yes, it's money but in relation to a house purchase it seems pretty small. Given some people manage to buy or sell cheaper smaller properties and find their fees don't tip the £1k amount, I'd say it's pretty good value. Misunderstanding of what is involved, what needs to happen and the length of time communication takes leads to lots of people getting irritated. Some solicitors are slow, but many aren't. Many clients think that they must ring every single day and that if they don't they aren't fulfilling their duty as a buyer or seller which somehow seems to be to harass solicitors - but they forget that the more harassment, the less time to do the work and the longer it will take - a balance is needed. I liked solicitors who have online updates and who email updates but keep it brief and tell you they will make sure you know everything you need to know but won't make unnecessary contact - those that let you book a phone conversation if you need one, but do t actually let clients ring whenever they like so the solicitors can get on and do some work.