When you are young, there are only two things you want – to find a good job that will ensure your financial stability and buy a house. Of course, both goals that you have will allow you to start a family and become a grown-up man. Of course, people buy houses for some other reasons as well. For instance, some people want to move to another location because they changed their work or they simply want to get out of crowds and noise.
Whatever your reason is, you are probably aware that the procedure is not that easy. You will need to take care of many tasks such as legal advice, local searches, exchange of contracts, managing stamp duty charges, and others. Guess what, there is one person that can complete all these tasks instead of you and that is – conveyancing solicitor.
Hiring a conveyancing solicitor is no longer a big problem. There are many websites out there such as Homebuyer Conveyancing where you can find a big number of them that deserve your attention. The question is – is it smart to hire the first one you find?
People need to understand that buying a house is a process that lasts a bit longer. Because of that, we would like to provide you with a couple of tips for finding reliable local conveyancing solicitors. If you apply them, then the entire process is going to be a lot easier, and you will reach the desired outcome. Because of that, there is no reason to delay; let’s find out those tips together!
Before Everything – Check the Accreditation
Have you ever heard about the Law Society’s Conveyancing Quality Scheme? Well, it is some sort of a register where you can find all the solicitors that have the certificate from the Solicitors Regulation Authority to work within the country. You need to be sure that your potential “partner” truly is a professional that can help you complete the entire job.
You have two different options. One option is to do the research alone before you even contact the solicitor. On the other hand, you can ask that person or company to show you the document that confirms their expertise. If your potential partner starts to make excuses, that should be a red flag for you. There is no reason to continue with the conversation!
Conveyancing Solicitors Need to Have Good Communication Skills
Here comes another characteristic that you need to have in mind. There is a good reason why you are planning to hire this type of person – you are not familiar with legal procedures and other confusing details. Because of that, the conveyancing solicitor that you want to hire needs to explain to you the entire process, which options you have, how much everything will cost you, and how much time you will have to wait until you find your new home. If you see his intention is only to get your money without any explanation, then this is another reason why you should continue researching.
Despite Accreditation, Check Out the Expertise
Accreditation is there to confirm that the solicitor has the necessary knowledge. The question is – does he has the necessary experience? Of course, no one says that there are no talented people among those that lack experience. However, you need to be sure you are talking with a correctly qualified person.
So, what exactly you should do? You should look for a conveyancer that has experience with properties. It is in your best interest to ask for some kind of portfolio where the conveyancing solicitor can show you the samples of his previous work. If you see that many previous clients are satisfied with the work of a person or group of people you would like to hire, there is nothing to worry about.
Always Check the Costs
Of course, before you even start the conversation, the first thing you will need to ask is how much the entire process will cost you. Well, there is one thing we recommend you take care of. The unprofessional conveyancing solicitors will charge an hourly rate. Accepting that offer would be the biggest mistake you could make ever. As previously mentioned, these processes often last a bit longer, and the unprofessional ones are going to delay the process even more. When the entire process ends, you will get a large bill. If you struggle with your budget, then this could be a problem.
The solution to this problem is actually pretty simple. All you have to do is to pick those solicitors that are going to offer a fixed fee. In that way, it won’t matter how long the process will last because you will anyway spend the exact same amount of money.
Don’t Ask Real Estate Agents
Many of you probably believe that real estate agents know a lot of conveyancing solicitors. Well, you are actually quite right, they do know a lot of them. The problem is – they will not always recommend you the best possible ones for your needs. Instead of that, they will refer the company that pays them for word-of-mouth promotion.
Instead of asking agents, you may want to talk with people that recently purchased a home. They will tell you their experience with one or more conveyancing solicitors and tell you which one will also meet your expectations. The point here is to find someone who will give you an objective recommendation.
Check the Website of Each Company
As we previously mentioned, you need to compare different conveyancing solicitors before making the final decision. One of the options is to talk with all of them in person. However, before you do that, you should carefully research their website and check out the core values of each company. Despite that, the websites of every company also say a lot about friendliness and professionalism. You sometimes need to believe your instincts after gaining all the information online.
Final Thought
By applying these tips, you will manage to find a reliable local conveyancing solicitor. The only thing you need to do is to be patient and persistent. After you research everything online, talk with people and try to get some honest recommendations. If you end up with a couple of them that seem similar or almost identical, believe your instincts. You will soon realize whether your selection was bad or not.