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Choosing a solicitor when buying or selling a house

Choosing a solicitor when buying or selling a house is an important decision to make, because ultimately the solicitor will be in charge of keeping your house sale/purchase on track. Solicitors handle the contracts, carry out local authority searches, deal with the Land Registry and transfer the funds on completion day. To help you decide, here’s our guide on choosing a solicitor when buying or selling a house.

Choosing a solicitor when buying or selling a house

Question to ask yourself

  • Have they been recommended?
  • Are they members of a professional body?
  • Are they easily contactable?
  • Do they communicate well with you?
  • Are you happy with the price and what it includes?
  • What is the average length of time to get an exchange of contracts?

Use recommendations from local estate agents, friends and family

Most estate agents are able to offer recommendations of local solicitors or conveyances, based on their frequent dealing with them. It is also worth asking friends and family which solicitors that have dealt with and would recommend to you.

Choose a solicitor with time to deal with your sale

Solicitors usually deal with a number of cases at the same time. To avoid any frustration and make things a little less stressful, find a solicitor who provides you with specific time-frames as to when you can get hold of them. Double check if they have any annual leave coming up and whether they have holiday cover, otherwise your sale could be delayed by a couple of weeks if not longer.

Agreeing a fee

When it comes to the cost of a solicitor, try to agree on a fixed fee rather than being charged by the hour. Make sure the costs cover all the necessary steps to complete the sale. The price should include the searches, the bank transfers, any stamp duty and Land Registry fees. It is a good idea to get quotes from a few solicitors and when comparing remember to check they offer a like-for-like service.

For recommendations on which solicitor to use get in touch with your nearest John German team, we’re happy to help! CONTACT BRANCH

 

 

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Date Posted

January 12, 2019

Article Category

Selling

Author

Katy Storer

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