Conveyancing

Welcome to my FREE conveyancing website - thanks for your visit

Thank you for taking the time to visit my site, I hope you find it time well spent. As the name suggests, this site is all about conveyancing. It is a work in progress and I suppose given the size and changing nature of the subject it always will be. The idea is to create as comprehensive a conveyancing manual as possible. I've tried to produce something that can be useful to anyone interested in conveyancing, whether you are a practising conveyancer, student, DIY conveyancer or just someone trying to better understand what is happening in his or her own transaction. I'll let you be the judge of whether I've succeeded!

A brief note on the structure of the site. It is broken down into a number of articles which explain particular aspects of the process in detail. Each article is designed so that it can either stand alone (if you are just interested in that specific topic) or to tie in with other articles if you are looking for a broader guide to the conveyancing process for a particular type of transaction.

Why I Started Free Conveyancing Advice

Like many current conveyancers, I didn't get into conveyancing via the traditional law degree to LPC to training contract to solicitor route. Instead I started out as an office junior/general dogsbody and worked my way from there. What surprised me as I started to learn the trade was how little my contemporaries really understood about the law. They generally knew what to do in a particular situation but they rarely knew why. So I might ask my team leader, “The seller's solicitor says he doesn't need to provide planning permission for this extension built 5 years ago, is this right?” and the answer would be “yes”. It's basically the right answer but then when I asked “Why is that?” the answer would be “dunno, it's just what Jim told me” (I never worked with a Jim, I just don't want to discuss real people). I was never satisfied with this, so I started looking for answers elsewhere. What I found on the internet was not very much. So back in 2007 after I'd been doing the job for 5 years and figured I had something to offer, I decided to create this site .

My motives were threefold. I'll admit there was a commercial element, hence the adverts you see as well as the odd other income generating tool but mostly it was in the hope that I might help others who, like me when I started out, had lots of conveyancing questions to which they struggled to find answers. Conveyancing is, together with probate, an area of the law that almost everyone will be involved in art one time or another and it shouldn't be such a mystery for those that want to understand it. The third reason for the site was to aid my own development. Writing the articles and dealing with visitors' questions causes me to look into areas that I wouldn't otherwise and to re-examine topics about which I thought I knew everything there was to know and learn something new.

My Background in Conveyancing

Though not legally qualified, I have been employed in residential conveyancing for 10 years at the time of writing. For most of that time I have been dealing with the full range of residential conveyancing transactions, that is sales, purchases, remortgages, transfers and gifts and just about every type of title (with the exception of commonhold, but then who has actually dealt with a commonhold??). I like to think I've come across most things, though I certainly don't purport to know all there is to know.

I began as an office junior, moved on to post-completion work and then to fee earning. I've worked for a number of firms including smaller multi-discipline practices as well as some larger so called “conveyancing factories” so I think I've got a pretty broad spectrum of experience. Working for the larger firms means getting to deal with properties all around the country, so I'm as familiar with Cornish tin as I am with Cheshire brine!

Conveyancing Forum and Blog

If you have a look at the horizontal menu just below the title graphic of each page you'll see a link to a forum and also a blog. The forum allows questions to posted for the consideration of not just me but anyone who wants to visit. Be careful about posting any sensitive personal information here, remember it is publicly accessible. I also take questions by email. The blog is where I post one off articles – changes in the law, particularly complex topics or topics covering some commonly asked questions. If you don't find what you're looking for in the main site, it's worth checking the blog. As it's a blog you can post comments too. I welcome all feedback, good or bad.

A Word on Conveyancing Fees and DIY Conveyancing

A lot of people who visit my site do so because they are looking to save on conveyancing fees by doing the legal work themselves. It is true that money can be saved this way but it would be irresponsible of me not to point out two things. First, DIY conveyancing carries serious risks. Instructing a solicitor or conveyancer isn't just about buying expertise (though you will). It is also about buying insurance, because if your conveyancer gets it wrong then his professional indemnity insurance should pay your losses. If you get it wrong, you might find you have nowhere else to turn. Second, conveyancing fees might be lower than you think. People tend to think that employing a solicitor means paying out thousands but that is simply not the case in conveyancing. Intense competition and efficient processes have driven down the cost to the point where the actual legal fees can be as little as £200 - £300, particularly if you're prepared to instruct solicitors online

Finding and Using Solicitors Online

So what about online solicitors? Finding solicitors online is easy. There are adverts everywhere (including this very site) and a search in Google for “conveyancing” will produce plenty of results. Some people are put off using them because they tend to have a bad reputation (sometimes justified but by no means always). What people often don't realise if that solicitors online are still qualified and regulated solicitors or licensed conveyancers. This means they are bound by the same rules as high street solicitors being they have to maintain professional indemnity insurance and can be struck off for malpractice. They are law firms who have just chosen to operate on an online platform.

They can be cheaper than their high street counterparts as they have lower overheads (partly, it has to be said, because they employ less qualified solicitors/conveyancers and more support staff but this does not necessarily translate to poorer quality advice) and they can be more efficient as they tend to streamline their processes.

Facebook, Twitter and Google +1 Buttons

You might have noticed the various “social networking” buttons at the top of the right hand margin. By “tweeting”, “liking” or “+1ing” any page you are helping to spread the word so if you find my site useful kindly take a moment to do this so that others might benefit also.

Do You Need Content Written For Your Website?

As anyone who has a website for their business should know, well written useful and unique content is vital to achieving a high ranking in search engines and a high ranking means increased business. I've got plenty of experience writing website content, for this site but also for a number of other sites I don't own. Obviously conveyancing is the topic I know most about but the same basic rules apply to any type of content and with a little research I can write about most things. If you think you might be interested in purchasing some articles for your own site then please get in touch, I can write to order based on a topic you supply or I can choose the topic for your approval.

My rates are negotiable and very reasonable considering the quality of the work (if I do say so myself!).

Advertising on Free Conveyancing Advice

Do you have a conveyancing or property related business such as a conveyancing firm or estate agency? Are you a property trader or personal search provider? It could pay to advertise with us. We can offer a range of advertising options to suit you – we can support banners, text ads or dedicated pages. Our prices are negotiable depending on your needs but are always reasonable and a free trial period can sometimes be arranged.

If you would like your business to be seen by some of the 200,000 or so unique visitors who visit our site each year then get in touch, by email initially, to freeconveyancingadvice@gmail.com.

Regards

Free Conveyancing Advice

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