The housing market may have reached a sort of plateau in London and the South East, but here in the North West the property market remains buoyant.
New buyers are coming to the market all the time. So it follows that many people will be looking to buy and sell properties during the course of 2015. But here’s a question for you. Who is best placed to sell your home and to make sure your purchase runs a smoothly as possible? Would it be one of the numerous online conveyancing firms that claim to offer the best possible domestic conveyancing services at rock-bottom prices, or would it be your local solicitor? Well, in our opinion, it would definitely be the latter. We are specialists in the field of domestic conveyancing, so naturally we would say that, but in truth Harold Stock & Co Solicitors knows that there is absolutely no substitute for experience.
It’s also important to bear in mind that whilst internet conveyancing services may sometimes be cheaper, it’s also inevitable that they will fail to deliver in terms of a one-to-one personalised service. Buying a property is the most important purchases you will probably ever make, so naturally you’ll want to put the administration of the purchase in the hands of someone you know of and can trust. Could you honestly say that about someone you’re never likely to meet face-to-face? Would you feel comfortable trusting a stranger with such a vitally important purchase? Harold Stock & Co’s solicitors believe you’d probably feel far more comfortable dealing with a local firm of solicitors with all the specialised local knowledge you’ll need. Why do we believe that? Well, it’s simple really:
Local solicitors are experienced.
Whenever you use a local specialist firm of solicitors, you’ll know they will have had years of experience in dealing with legal matters in your particular area: they’ll know the market and they’ll know and have had dealings with all the local estate agents. This specialised ‘local’ knowledge is priceless, and is something you’ll never be able to get from an internet conveyancer, no matter how good or highly qualified they might be.
Face to face communication.
All transactions can be fraught with difficulties: a conveyance is no different. In fact it can be incredibly complex at times. If there are complications or unforeseen problems, you, as a buyer, will want to be kept informed at every stage of the purchase process. A local solicitor will put you at your ease and speak plainly: they’ll keep their promises and regularly keep you in touch with everything that is going on. What’s more you can see them face to face to discuss progress. But you’re probably thinking, what makes a local solicitor any more trustworthy than a faceless name of the internet? Well, the answer to that is a long list of satisfied clients who return time and again for the same solicitor’s services.
A fixed price fee with no added extras other than disbursements.
Online domestic conveyancing quotations can seem incredibly cheap and appear to be great value for money, but there’s often a reason for that: you only ever find out the true cost after you’ve completed the sale or purchase. Any additional fees are not clearly spelled out and highlighted. When you deal with a specialist local solicitor, you’ll know that the price quoted will be correct and will take into account the costs of local searches, Land Registry fees and other disbursements.
Some internet firms will initially charge a very competitive price, but add on all sorts of extras once the conveyance is completed, like a lender’s legal fee, a stamp duty land transaction return fee and an early completion fee. With a local solicitor this will not be the case. What you see is what you get, and that’s why it pays to shop local.
Fr further information on our domestic conveyancing services, contact Harold Stock & Co Solicitors on 01457 835597 or email info@haroldstock.com.
