Wednesday 18th May 2011
VALUE FOR MONEY.
I have learnt that the one question a prospective client knows to ask a is ‘how much will it cost?’. If the average person only buys a property every 14 years then their knowledge of process and understanding of what to expect will be limited. Everyone knows to ask ‘what will it cost?’ but actually the property lawyers’ own charges in relation to the overall cost of move is a very small fraction. What property lawyers’ term as ‘disbursements’ are usually set prescribed charges that will not alter from firm to firm and will include Stamp Duty and Land Registry fees. If those charges do not alter as they are prescribed by Government Agencies it is just the fees of the property lawyer themselves that will vary.
A more important question to ask when thinking of instructing a property lawyer to act for you on your house move is ‘what will I get for my money?'. Some property lawyers view the house buying and selling process as a conveyer belt service where they simply intend to get you from one end of the conveyor belt to the other with out your matter falling off the conveyor belt and becoming more problematic to them than they had hoped or budgeted for.
A house purchase is very possible the largest financial transaction you will be involved with in your personal life and so to a large extent to be governed simply by cost would be wrong. Far more important would be to have a good working relationship with a person you can relate to, offering a service that suits you from a location convenient to you.
It is important to ascertain what the cost would be but this is not the most important question. I would rather know what I will receive by way of service than save a few pounds in what is acknowledged to be one of life’s most stressful experiences, moving home. To have one contact at a particular firm who will take a particular interest in you and your transaction, someone who will contact you and update when there is news and work proactively in trying to make things happen in a timely manner. Someone that you can contact when you need them and is pleased to hear from you and who will then use all the modern forms of communication available to progress your matter is worth more than saving a few pounds.
Members of the Portsmouth Property Association are able to provide details of service standards and solicitors’ locally have agreed forms of protocol they have adopted to ensure they work together to achieve clients aims and to avoid any problems.
