May
15
I’m in the process or buying a flat and have to find a conveyancer and a solicitor. I’m told that the conveyancer is better because they’re cheaper but is there any difference between what they do? I’m in NSW Australia.
Trackback
Are you thinking about selling your home yourself? then
A standard conveyance is a simple process that any person with basic training can perform. Most conveyances are like this. The trick is identifying that the wheels are falling off at a stage when appropriate action can be taken to protect the client’s interests. A solicitor should pick that up (and if he or she doesn’t you can sue their backsides off). A conveyancer may not notice that there are problems and you may find yourself buying into a parcel of problems.
I am a lawyer and I use other specialist lawyers to do my conveyancing. I see it as cheap insurance. I would not use a conveyancer.
A solicitor has gone through years of law school and is much more qualified and experienced in all aspects of the law. They are more or less lawyers.
A conveyancer has done a course in conveyancing alone and applied for a trading licence. I believe they are seriously underqualified for the job they perform.
Some conveyancers are cheaper, but some arent. When I purchaced my first property I found a solicitor who was cheaper then a conveyancer and he was experienced and knew what he was doing. When your playing with large amounts of money, laws and contracts you can never be too thorough.
A conveyancer who previously handled a case for my partner (its a long story) lost us the entire first home owners grant when we bought our first property (which we were entitled too, about $11,000) because he unaware of a law even I knew about. I will never risk so much money with someone so underqualified again, its not worth it.
Please dont make the same mistake I did, find yourself a good solicitor who can give you legal advise and knows their stuff. Even if it costs a little more, its worth it.
Use this site for your answer, http://www.maryhaines.com.au/faq.htm
I’ve bought & sold on a number of occasions and each time have used a solicitor – Why? Peace of mind – I know this particular solicitor is EXPERIENCED.
Consider…cheaper doesn’t always = ‘better’, nor does professional (aka ‘solicitor’) always = ‘better’
Your conveyancing should be pretty straight forward, so some things to check/ask for;
– a fix price quote from 3 (a mix of solicitors & conveyancers)
– check their experience (particularly, have/ how many units have they done before?)
– will they be personally undertaking the process or is it 90% done by a office junior?
– are they confident in seeking remedies for delays or if things start to fall of the rails?
Hope this helps…
Conveyancer are a lot cheaper!