Selecting solicitor for house sale

[zico]

I live 80 miles away from my father's house that I'm selling, so is it best to use a solicitor based in the same area as the house, or to use a solicitor close to where I live?
Also, does anyone have any idea about how to select a good solicitor? I want someone who's responsive and quick, rather than cheap.
Is there any kind of internet source that gives feedback on solicitors?
I do know I shouldn't pick a solicitor associated with the estate agents!

[staffordian]

First thoughts, having one local to you means it's easier for you to pop in if things need signing. Not sure of any particular advantage of having one near the property, unless anyone else can think of any?

As to finding a good one, with the honourable exception of one who posts here, my experience has varied between abysmal and so-so. I have invariably had to chase them, occasionally correct them, especially where maths and financial calculations are concerned, and I've yet to find one who doesn't keep track of time using a calendar rather than a clock...

I guess word of mouth is still the best way of finding one, and that's another reason for getting a local one; it will be easier for you to get recommendations.

Good luck!

[Spet0789]

Conveyancing is an entirely paper-based process. A solicitor could spend their entire career doing it and never see a single property. So zero need to be based near to the property and close to zero need to be based near to you, other than if a document needed to be signed urgently. Perhaps given the current postal problems, the latter is becoming more important.

[BullDog]

I think it's a lottery. Depends mostly on how interested the junior office clerk is who does most of the work.

You'll be extremely lucky to get any type of proactivity. In my experience solicitors are always waiting for somebody else to do something. And they never chase anything without the customer constantly badgering them to do so.

Sorry to be unhelpful. I hope the OP finds a good one.

[monabri]

I'd go for one closer to home so you can readily sign any docs as needed.

Just today I looked at an invoice from a solictor for work carried out on behalf of my wife's Godmother (she was executor of the will). The work was done in 2012 and involved the sale of a house and distribution ofthe assets....the total bill for the solictor's work was ~£9k. The work involved no more than what I did as a DIY job when my mum passed.

[hiriskpaul]

Selling a property is far less risky than buying, especially when there is a lease involved or some other complex legal nasty, so most generalist solicitors should be ok. I would still suggest a solicitor rather than a licensed conveyancer though.

If you don't have a recommendation, search on lawsociety.org.uk for a nearby solicitor who works exclusively from home. Hopefully that should mean better value for money, but not necessarily a lower fee!

[Clitheroekid]

Although, for perhaps obvious reasons, I've never had to select a solicitor myself, I've heard many experiences of people who have done so.

The best advice, as with most other similar situations, is word of mouth. It actually doesn't matter these days where your solicitor is situated. I've dealt with property in virtually every county in England, and I genuinely can't remember even one occasion when it would have been an advantage to be physically near the client.

On a couple of occasions it would have been an advantage to be near the property, as a query might have cropped up that could more easily be answered by a physical inspection, but even these are extremely rare.

Getting documents signed is also rarely a problem. I have routinely signed many contracts on behalf of a client, and many other solicitors do the same. Although transfers and mortgage deeds still need a wet signature these are seldom required so urgently that 24 hours in the post makes any difference.

Many people assume that when their estate agent recommends a solicitor / conveyancer they are doing so out of a genuine desire to help, and a genuine belief that the person recommended is the best. They aren't. They're recommending them because they will receive a payment of a few hundred quid - a `referral fee' - if their recommendation is accepted.

What I would definitely say is that in my experience those firms that advertise the most heavily, those that pay referral fees and those that decorate their websites and stationery with awards are generally the worst. This is hardly surprising, as all that marketing cost has to come out of their conveyancing fees, which means there is less remaining to pay staff to do a good job.

In particular, there's a huge red herring known as the Conveyancing Quality Scheme - https://www.lawsociety.org.uk/topics/fi ... ity-scheme This is supposed to guarantee that work is done to a specific standard, but in practice it's complete rubbish. It's mostly used by large firms who use completely unqualified staff on low wages to carry out the conveyancing using case management systems. These are a primitive sort of AI that guides the staff member through the conveyancing process on a tick box basis - you can't move to the next page unless you've ticked all the boxes on this page.

I've dealt with dozens of such firms, and they are almost universally abysmal. Because the lackeys doing the work have no understanding of the law or legal process they are completely unable to progress if the problem isn't envisaged by their CMS. Many's the time I've had to do the work for them, simply in order to move the matter on for the benefit of my own client.

Conveyancing, like much of legal practice, is nowadays far more of a trade than a profession, and it's a sad fact that many of the the most successful financially are those who are the best at marketing rather than the best at conveyancing.

However, there are still plenty of decent, professional solicitors around who do an honest and competent job at a reasonable price, so just ask around your friends and acquaintances and I'm sure you'll find one fairly easily.

[mutantpoodle]

one thing I would suggest is that you try and find a solicitor who will actually do the work himself
I have used and a solicitor who really 'talked the talk' when I started, but almost immediately the work was passed down to some intern or junior who needed correcting and chasing regularly
the main man was always helpful............but only when he had to chase up his staff

also I might be out of date here, but....does the solicitor selling the property not actually have to have the keys to hand over on completion?
when I last bought (years ago) I had to get the keys from him

[robbelg]

also I might be out of date here, but....does the solicitor selling the property not actually have to have the keys to hand over on completion?
when I last bought (years ago) I had to get the keys from him

In my experience its always been the estate agent who holds the keys

Rob

[gryffron]

You've still got to do the money laundering/proof of identity nonsense. With the current state of the post it would certainly be easier to do that locally.
(It was possible to do it online during covid but solicitors seem now to have gone back to wanting physical documents )

From my recent experiences I would say the solicitor you can most easily walk into would be high on the list. It might not be strictly necessary, but it certainly makes life easier.

Gryff

[Mike88]

You could also use the site below for advice:

https://www.moneysupermarket.com/conveyancing/

As most conveyancing is done remotely an online solicitor seems the sensible alternative to a local person.

[AF62]

You've still got to do the money laundering/proof of identity nonsense. With the current state of the post it would certainly be easier to do that locally.
(It was possible to do it online during covid but solicitors seem now to have gone back to wanting physical documents )

Not all have. My wife and her siblings are currently selling their mother’s home and the solicitor they are using has been happy to do the ID checks online.

[Clitheroekid]

You've still got to do the money laundering/proof of identity nonsense. With the current state of the post it would certainly be easier to do that locally.
(It was possible to do it online during covid but solicitors seem now to have gone back to wanting physical documents )

From my recent experiences I would say the solicitor you can most easily walk into would be high on the list. It might not be strictly necessary, but it certainly makes life easier.

Gryff

There is absolutely no need to use the post or arrange physical inspection of documents for money laundering / ID checks. There are several firms that are Law Society approved that offer a completely online service. I use this company - https://veriphy.com/people-checks/ - and it takes about 2 minutes to receive a `clear' certificate for most UK citizens.

You could also use the site below for advice:

https://www.moneysupermarket.com/conveyancing/

I've no idea whether the firms it directs you to are good, bad or indifferent, but bear in mind they will be paying hefty fees to be on the `recommended' list. I would bet that most, if not all of the firms `recommended' will be volume conveyancers, so that you may well face the problems mentioned in my earlier post.

[hiriskpaul]

As I said earlier, I think this is a good starting point for anyone wanting a local solicitor: https://solicitors.lawsociety.org.uk/?Pro=True

Even if you find a solicitor through another route, you should check they are on that website!

I agree though that there is little need to use a local solicitor these days. It used to be a pain when you had to go to a local solicitor to have something witnessed or for ID checks, but this can all be done online now. There are some people who can still benefit from a local solicitor though. My wife's Aunt is perfectly sane and rational, but has never used a computer or smartphone in her life and has no intention of ever doing so.