I have just been advised by my estate agent that my Brough solicitor is not on the mortgage company Solicitor panel. How can I be sure that this is correct?
The best course of action for you to take is to call your Brough conveyancer. It is reasonable to expect your lawyer to notify you of the situation. Where they are not on the panel they may be able to suggest a Brough conveyancing firm that is on the conveyancing panel for your lender.
My husband and I are acquiring a newly constructed apartment in Brough and my solicitor is telling me that she has to the lender to reveal incentives from the builder. The Estate Agents are hassling me to sign contracts and I don't want to prolong matters. Is my lawyer right?
You should not exchange unless you have been advised to do so by your conveyancing practitioner. A precondition to being on a mortgage company panel is to comply with the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook conditions. The CML Conveyancing Handbook requires that your lawyer have the appropriate Disclosure of Incentive form completed by the developer and accepted by your lender.
We see that you have a post code search directory listing law firms on the RBS conveyancing panel. Do companies pay you a referral fee if I retain them for our conveyancing in Brough?
We are a listing service only for law firms wishing to communicate if they are on the RBS conveyancing panel or other lender panels. We do not charge referral fees to any conveyancer that you subsequently appoint for your conveyancing in Brough.
How does conveyancing in Brough differ for new build properties?
Most buyers of new build residence in Brough approach us having been asked by the builder to exchange contracts and commit to the purchase even before the property is constructed. This is because house builders in Brough usually buy the land, plan the estate and want to get the plots sold off as they are building the properties. Buyers, therefore, will have to exchange contracts without actually seeing the house they are buying. To reduce the chances of losing the property, buyers should instruct conveyancing solicitors as soon as the property is reserved and mortgage applications should be submitted quickly. Due to the fact that it could be several months and even years between exchange of contracts and completion, the mortgage offer may need to be extended. It would be wise to use a lawyer who specialises in new build conveyancing especially if they are accustomed to new build conveyancing in Brough or who has acted in the same development.
I have been recommended by a number of selling agents in Brough to locate a conveyancer on your site. Is there a financial inducement for Estate Agents to promote your services ahead of alternative conveyancing organisations?
We refuse to make any commission for pointing buyers and sellers in our direction. We found it would be just too difficult a fee as members of the public would think, ‘How come the agent getting a kickback? Why am I not receiving any benefit too?’ We would prefer to grow our business on genuine recommendations.
Am I better off to choose a Brough conveyancing practitioner who is local to the property I am purchasing? I have an old university friend who can execute the legal work however they are based a couple of hundredmiles away.
The benefit of a local Brough conveyancing firm is that you can attend the office to sign documents, hand in your identification documents and pester them where appropriate. They will also have local intelligence which is a benefit. However it's more important to get someone that will do a good and efficient job. If other friends have instructed your friend and in the main were content that must trump using an unknown Brough conveyancing lawyer just because they are Brough based.