Lesson 2 in killing your house sale – choose a cut price solicitor.

We have just managed to rescue a house sale that nearly fell apart because the buyer had agreed to use a cut price solicitor recommended by their High Street estate agent. These companies are the bane of our lives because in order to cut costs to a minimum they often cut corners. The one in question wasted three weeks while they worked out whether they were or were not instucted (their client kept calling to ask them to act for him but to no avail). They even threw away the first lot of paperwork we sent them as it arrived a couple of days after the sale was agreed and they din’t have a case number opened. Unbelievable. You see people think they are going to save money, but it can end up with them losing their dream home as sellers lose patience with them. The problem is that High Street agents are often incentivised to push their own in house solicitors and these companies can cause problems (I’m sure there must be ones out there who are good, I just haven’t found one). Far better to get a good local solicitor who you can actually go in to see. That way if problems arrive you can get a more personal level of advice.