Do You Need a Local Conveyancer When Buying a House?

When buying a house, there are many advantages to hiring a conveyancer, or a solicitor who specialises in property law. A conveyancer can assist you in drawing up a contract, as well as helping coordinate legal issues like Stamp Duty. With a rise in technology, there are more options than ever for choosing your conveyancer, giving you the option of small local offices and larger firms. When you are choosing who to work with, there are several things to consider.

Knowledge of the Area

One of the biggest advantages to having a local conveyancer is the fact that they have in-depth knowledge about the area. If you are buying property in Leeds, for example, you want the best information available about Leeds. Even the larger firms of conveyancing solicitors in Leeds, however, even if they offer online services, still know a great deal about the area. Their job is to help you successfully buy a home, and they are devoted to that. The larger firms also can have more ties to other large organizations, potentially saving costs. It is important to remember, however, not to become blinded by cutting costs and not paying for quality services.

Do Your Research

Ask other people who have recently bought houses which conveyancer they used, compare the rates and the availability of different companies. Do not just rush into choosing your conveyancer. Do your research. Just like you would not just buy a house without looking into it, at least a little bit, you should not just hire a conveyancer. They will be helping you purchase a home and smooth out the legal aspects, so do your research to find the one that will work best for you. With modern technology, this is not necessarily the local office.

Convenience

Modern technology means that your conveyancer can give you the same service from a farther distance. With Skype, Facetime, emailing, scanning, and other technologies, information can travel quickly from their office to you. Many larger firms take advantage of this ability to help expand their client base. This also helps the conveyancer reach the other people involved in the sale of your home at a quicker rate. Sometimes, paperwork travels much faster if it is emailed than if it has been sent in the mail.

Reliable

The final thing to consider is the reliability of the firm you are considering. Having a way to communicate with the conveyancer is critical, as well as knowing what their protocol is. For example, if your conveyancer were to get sick, would someone be able to assist you in their place? Be sure that you can stay in contact with them throughout the process.

There are many advantages to using a local conveyancer, but with the rapid increase in technology, this is no longer a necessity. Now, a large firm can have a branch of their firm devoted to a specific location and still offer personalized service to the potential residents of that place. The convenience is something to take into consideration, as is the reliability of the firm that you are working with. It is important to do research about the company, whether online or asking friends and family who they used.