When saving money is a false economy
When moving house and having to find money for services such as solicitors, surveyors, removal companies, cleaners etc it is easy to see your costs mounting and try and cut costs to stop finances running out of your control. But cutting costs in each of these areas is likely to cause you problems down the line, and we can’t stress enough that paying for quality service providers in each of these areas is likely to make your move go more smoothly, keep your stress levels lower and allow the process to complete in a shorter timescale.
In recent months we have had a number of clients who have decided for whatever reason (despite our best protestations to the contrary) to take on a firm of solicitors who offer a cheap fixed fee and are based out of a call centre in somewhere previously unheard of. Whilst we can understand why it might be tempting to cut costs wherever you can this may cost you dearly in other ways.
We would suggest considering the following when choosing your solicitor:
- Ask your estate agent, or your friends and family, for a recommendation of a firm that they have experience of using recently. Using them 5/10 years ago doesn’t necessarily mean that they will still have the same service levels they had back then.
- Research reviews online. Google reviews are one of the best places to start, or alternatively they might have reviews on sites such as TrustPilot.
- When getting quotes make sure you are comparing like with like. Some solicitors will quote a fixed fee that might not include all costs like search fees, transfer costs etc so ensure you’re getting a quote that includes ALL of the fees you are likely to incur. Also review the terms and conditions to make sure that their fixed fee covers all eventualities, and that they won’t suddenly double the fee if something out of the ordinary occurs.
- Whilst geography in this day and age doesn’t make a lot of difference with some service providers, taking on a local solicitor who has experience of the local market and local issues such as flood areas, subsidence, planning laws etc can make the process faster and allow them to foresee problems that may come up during the transaction.
- If the price seems too good to be true compared to that of other solicitors then it PROBABLY IS. Particularly if there is anything slightly unusual about your purchase/sale such as being in a conservation area or near an area that has had recent flood problems. Taking the cheapest quote from a large conveyancing factory may lead to you being dealt with by a number of different people who pass your case between them, which invariably leads to delays with the process. Choosing a trusted firm whose price might be slightly higher, probably represents the fact that you will have one main point of contact that you can trust to see your sale/purchase from start to finish (with the help of a few other members of their team).
Spending an increased amount on a quality firm of solicitors will pay dividends and trust us when we say you will only use a cheap firm of solicitors (or any professional adviser for that matter) once – and from then on you will see the value of paying for quality and recommended advice. Moving house is already one of the most stressful events that you can encounter in life – invest in an adviser (AND of course an estate agent) who you can trust to be on your side throughout the process.
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