7 Top tips for finding the right Conveyancing Solicitor

Buying a house is a significant milestone in anyone’s life. It involves numerous legal, financial, and administrative processes that can be overwhelming for individuals who lack experience in real estate transactions. This is where a solicitor plays a crucial role for buying a house. A solicitor specialising in property law is a legal professional who provides expert guidance, advice, and representation throughout the home-buying journey. In this top 7 article, we will give you our top tips for finding a solicitor to take on the vital role of conveyancing in the house-buying process.

What is the role of a Solicitor for buying a house?

When it comes to purchasing a property, a solicitor acts as the legal representative for the buyer. Their primary responsibility is to ensure a smooth and legally sound transfer of ownership from the seller to the buyer. A conveyancing solicitor carries out various tasks, including but not limited to:

• Legal advice
• Preparing draft contracts
• Local searches
• Mortgage offer
• Survey
• Exchange of contracts
• Funds collection and transfer
• Managing stamp duty charges
• Land Registry formalities

Once you’ve decided to make the move, and found the right home, you’ll need to choose a conveyancing solicitor to help you through the legal process for purchasing your new house. With many conveyancing solicitors out there, choosing the right one can be tricky. So here are our tips to help find the best solicitor for you…

7 tips to find the right conveyancing solicitor

1) Phone a friend
It can be tempting to go with the estate agent’s recommendation, but they are often paid to refer a particular firm. Seek recommendations from those you know, people are often very happy to suggest a good conveyancing solicitor.

2) Buy local
A local legal firm near you will help ensure you get the personal touch. It’s also easier to choose a firm nearby if you need to drop into their offices, plus solicitors in the area will have a good grasp on local issues and potential problems.

3) Check their credentials
Make sure the firm you choose is experienced in handling conveyancing and has a clearly-identifiable conveyancer who specialises in property. A solicitor with the right expertise is crucial to making your house buying journey go as smoothly as possible.

4) CQS-accredited?
This is the Law Society’s Conveyancing Quality Scheme, a register of solicitors who are authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority. It is important to know you are dealing with a professionally accredited conveyancing firm, and that they can help you fully understand the process, options, costs and timescales involved.

(Osborne Morris & Morgan are fully CQS accredited. This shows we: follow best practice, meet the highest standards of technical expertise and client service, and have all the skills and expertise to provide residential conveyancing services to the highest standard.)

5) Cost
Before choosing a conveyancing solicitor, ask how much it will cost. If they are vague about their charges, then now is a good time to get quotes from other solicitors.

Choosing a firm that charges an hourly rate makes it difficult to budget (and there’s nothing worse than getting a surprisingly large bill at the end because your solicitor had to make additional unforeseen enquiries!). Therefore, a fixed fee approach works best. Take a look at our article on the truth about conveyancing fees.

(We provide fixed fee conveyancing services. This means that whatever work is involved, the price quoted by our conveyancing team will be the price you pay.)

6) Communication is key
You will want to choose a conveyancing solicitor who is easily accessible, so it is worth finding out about their opening times and if they offer appointments that are out of hours.

(Here at Osborne Morris & Morgan we offer both evening and Skype appointments, at a time to suit you).

7) Check out their website
Visiting a firm’s website and social media profiles often provides a good representation of their values, professionalism and friendliness.

Buying a new home? Contact Us

Buying a property is probably the biggest purchase you will ever make. Therefore, it is essential that you find an expert conveyancing solicitor to advise you.

Founded in 1980, Leighton Buzzard solicitors Osborne Morris & Morgan provide outstanding legal advice to clients throughout the Home Counties and across the UK.

We understand the importance of having an experienced conveyancing solicitor on your side when buying or selling your home.

Call us on 01525 378177 or contact us for more information, or visit our Leighton Buzzard office.

For more tips on moving home, take a look at our article on how to speed up the Conveyancing process.