Have you ever wondered why some Estate Agents pressure you to use their recommended Conveyancers?
Have you ever wondered why some Estate Agents pressure you to use their recommended Conveyancers? They say it is because they have a good working relationship with them, their fees are competitive and they will give you a personal service. That is not always the case. However, many Estate Agents still value local businesses and foster good relations with Conveyancers who provide a quality service. This reflects well on the Estate Agent’s reputation.
Sadly, there are Estate Agents who omit to tell you that the firms they recommend are actually subsidiaries of themselves. Some, either individually, or as an agency will receive referral fees from those Conveyancers. This becomes an additional payment to the Agent.
Solicitors are commercial businesses and as such, need to make a profit. By paying Estate Agents referral fees the Solicitors will need to recover the money from somewhere i.e. you! Therefore, it is likely that the quote you receive from a firm that the estate agents have recommended will be considerably higher.
Check for Hidden Costs
You should also be very careful of headline quotes you are given. Check whether there are hidden additional costs for:-
- Postage
- Dealing with mortgages
- Completing Land Transaction Forms
- Making identity checks
- Carrying out the necessary searches.
Some searches that you end up paying for will protect the Conveyancers, not the clients. You should also carefully consider who provides those searches. If they are not obtained directly from source, they may not totally protect you. There may be valid reasons to use such searches provided by search agents but Solicitors should explain this to you. They should not recommend such searches because they are more convenient for them.
Buying or selling property is likely to be one of your greatest expenses or income. This is why you should consider who you would wish to be acting on your behalf. Many Conveyancing firms recommended by agents employ support staff with little or no Conveyancing qualifications. Frequently the firms are not local and you will not have an opportunity to meet anyone on a personal basis. On top of this, they will not have the expertise & knowledge of the area like a local solicitor would. Contrary to the Agent’s assurances, you will rarely speak to one person who knows everything about your matter. This is because they often separate each aspect of the Conveyancing process. You will therefore find it difficult to speak to anyone who has overall responsibility for your sale and purchase.
What do we do differently?
At Acorn, we provide a personal service at a reasonable fixed price with no hidden costs. We believe that if you are spending thousands of pounds on a property, you should meet with your solicitor. We will explain all of the paperwork to you and deal with any enquiries that you may have. You will not receive a standardised written report on your property providing general information. Instead, your face to face meeting will be specific to you and will cover all of the relevant paperwork. Our Conveyancers will give you some helpful tips to assist with your, move, use and enjoyment of your property.
Although we embrace technology, we believe that you should have a choice of how you are communicated with. Your time is valuable and so is your opportunity to be well informed. We are always prepared to speak to you by telephone or communicate how you prefer. Our conveyancing teams are all property specialists who will be individually dedicated to your matter. Our fees will not change if we speak once on a transaction or numerous times. If your Conveyancer is not available then all of our Conveyancers have assistants that are fully familiar with your matter. They are therefore able to give you updates with knowledge of all aspects of your file.
In conclusion, be aware of unsolicited recommendations and demand a cost effective, professional and personal service in your property dealings. We aim to be pro-active in your conveyancing and to always be available to you from quotation to completion.
Why not ask us at Acorn for a quote? Allow us to impress you with a first class competitive service that 99% of our clients consider we provide?
