Going rate for conveyancing?

[jaffacakesareabiscuit]

I've just received 2 quotes from local solicitors for buying and selling, they're both within the same ball park figure but it's a fair bit higher than I was expecting!

Have conveyancing costs gone up recently or am I just way behind the times?! I was a first time buyer last time so only paid the purchase costs, but these quotes are more than double!

Can anyone recommend one?

bought freehold, sold leasehold flat last month.
price 450-500 central London
legal cost 1130+vat.

4k sounds crazy unless there is something highly unusual about the transaction. I paid 1.5k inc to buy current house ... not totally straightforward. 1.1kto sell. Both London and excluding agency fees stamp duty etc...

Yeah I know prices will vary by area but that does sound high. Our situation seems similar: selling at 184k buying at 270k, our conveyencing is £950 for the sale, £1250 for the purchase, and they weren't the cheaoest. So our total price about the same as your quote before VAT etc added! A couple more quotes might be a good idea.

Around £2900 (including VAT) for buying and selling.

My solicitor is very expensive but I'd happily pay double, he is absolutely fantastic.

We're paying £850 to sell and £1350 to buy. I've managed to get a discount of around £400, so would have been nearer £3k without the discount.

It costs more if buying leasehold or something unusual.

Most people say that the quote they get isn’t the final price they pay.....there are often extras along the way or pretty basic things that most people need are added onto cheP quotes. The cheap quote is given to draw you in but maybe more expensive in the end than your highest quote.

Check vat is included and add on figure for searches if not included and any fees for expedited (speeded up) elements of service - ie gap between exchange and completion less than 2 weeks, charges for handling gifted deposit (if using that) charges for loading with bank for mortgage, registering deeds etc etc - some give a base price which won’t include these and your final total will be double it.

Read up on what you will be likely to need and if dealing with smaller solicitor ensure all those elements are included. Some also include (or can add on a few) to limit your legal expenses if it falls through.

Online is often cheaper. To be honest both online conveyances and small town solicitors can be good or crap. It’s hard to know. Personal recommendation is good and remember they don’t need to be where you live but having done lots of similar transactions helps.

I paid £750 over 10 years ago as a FTB. Selling at £850, different solicitors in the same town. I haven't bought anything else yet but mistakenly thought that price was for selling and buying. Whoops.