Appointing a solicitor for conveyancing

You’ve found your perfect home or your agent has hooked you a buyer, now what? For many, it’s only at this stage that they start to think about appointing a solicitor to act on their behalf in the conveyancing process. i.e. the legal business of buying and selling property. However, we would urge buyers and sellers to do this before arriving at this stage.

The reasons why one should be well prepared in advance of agreeing a sale/purchase are many and varied but could save you time, avoid complications, stress and even help to avoid disappointment.

In this article, I discuss how to go about choosing a solicitor. In a future one, I will write about the steps involved in appointing a solicitor and what happens before they can actually get the ball rolling and get a sale underway.

Conveyancing: do you homework!

First of all, be prepared to take a day or two to do your homework and find a solicitor you feel is the right one to do a good job for you. It is worth doing a bit of research and asking friends, relations and agents for recommendations.

How experienced are they? Have they dealt with your type of property before? How well do they know the area you are buying/selling in as some local knowledge can be helpful?

How transparent is your solicitor? Make sure there are no hidden fees and that you have an idea as to what you are going to be charged for and how much.

How proactive will your solicitor be in issuing or chasing paperwork, raising or dealing with enquiries, liaising with their opposite number and progressing matters as speedily but as effectively as possible?

How available are they? Solicitors are busy people but you don’t want your case to be at the bottom of the pile. You want them to be good at communicating not only with you but also with the agents involved as agents have a role to play in keep things moving and everyone in the chain informed.

Solicitors: choose wisely

Do not necessarily go with the cheapest quote. Bearing in mind the sums of money involved and the potential complexity of a transaction, good property conveyancing is too important a service to skimp on a few quid on. The same can be said about choosing the right estate agent but that’s another story!

There several large conveyancing companies that process sales almost on a production line basis. They are usually cheaper than the more traditional local solicitor whose office you can pop into and some are perfectly efficient, particularly if it’s a straight forward sale but others can be like dealing with a call centre manned by inexperienced staff.

Lastly, don’t forget that where there is a mortgage involved, the loan provider will also be a client of the solicitor.

A sale was quickly agreed for this super country home with lovely views across the Blackmore Vale & delightful grounds. If you have a house to sell like it, do get in touch!

This delightful period cottage  always proves popular when it comes available & tenants enjoy living in such a in a lovely rural hamlet. Landlords, we have tenants wanting similar homes!

A quintessential English country cottage in an idyllic rural setting, it attracted huge interest & we could have sold it several times over! We need more of the same to satisfy demand!

2017 was yet another busy year in our support of local community events and we are delighted to have been a part of their success.

Fonthill Dog Show

In June we were principle sponsors of the South West Wilts Hunt Supporters Dog Show, a very well attended event on the Fonthill Estate where very serious classes mix with fun. There were a lot of beautiful and handsome dogs and some very proud canine owners left the competition happy. For more information visit:  http://www.thefonthilldogshow.co.uk

Deverills Performing Arts

We have been enthusiastic supporters of Deverills Performing Arts, ‘an inspiring mix of music and drama across the seasons’ since its founding Festival in 2014. This year saw a varied line up of true talent performing to packed venues along the length of the charming Deverill Valley.  Visit the Deverills website at:  http://www.deverillsfestival.com

Chilmark Fete

We provided signage for our local village Fete in June. This year the sun shone throughout the afternoon and as always the village community stepped in with, among other things, Maypole dancing, a Band and the obligatory Pimms tent. An archetypal picture of English summer at its best.

Chilmark Show

Another sunny day in Chilmark, this time in early September where the annual show took place in the Fairmead Field opposite the Black Dog Pub. We were delighted to advertise in the programme and to see a fun packed day with some serious horticultural competition. A significant donation went to Chilmark based charity Team Rubicon, the disaster relief agency. Find out more by visiting their Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/ChilmarkVillageShow

East Knoyle Village BBQ

A great day was had at Moors Farm in early September where a village BBQ was the successful alternative to the Fete. Very well attended, with Tisbus ferrying revellers to the event, and we were more than happy to design and print the advertising fliers for distribution.  Find out more about this event at: http://www.benofbart.org.uk/index.php/east-knoyle/199-ek-bbq-sep17

Teffont Show

More signage was provided by Rural View for this lovely August Show, set in probably the most attractive location of all in the grounds of Teffont Manor. Here Teffont Evias and Teffont Magna combine to produce a large and memorable event every year and we were again very proud to be a part of it.  Visit the village website for more information: http://www.teffont.com

Donhead St Andrew Fete

A huge annual event which we have provided advertising signage for over the last few years. As with last year this took place on August Bank Holiday and really pulled in the crowds who enjoyed an extensive array of attractions, among which was another classic and vintage car and bike show.

Middle Down Kite Festival

This was the first Kite Festival to be organised by the Friends of Wardour School and we were very pleased to be principle sponsors. Taking place in mid September on the chalk ridge to the south of the A30, it attracted a great turnout, despite the mixed weather, and the kites could be seen for miles around. Next year looks to be bigger and even better.  Pop over to their Facebook page for more details about the event:  http://www.facebook.com/middledownkitefestival

SWW Huntertrials

This is always a good September day out in Fonthill Estate, with numerous competitors and a mini course. Rural View again sponsored the ‘thatched house’ jump and we witnessed some lovely hunters being put through their paces through both sun and rain.  Why not follow them on Facebook to see photos from the event and keep up to date with future events: http://www.facebook.com/fonthillhuntertrials

‘Escape or Die’ Illustrated Talk

Presented by Paul Cordle in November, this was a fascinating and informative talk on the escape of the future Charles II from the clutches of the Parliamentarians after the Battle of Worcester and his fraught journey to temporary exile in France. Dinton Village Hall was packed to hear this story and we were delighted to sponsor it in aid of local village churches.