Buying a home is a very expensive process these days, and by the time you are taken into account the huge deposit you need, stamp duty and the cost of home valuations than the last thing you want to spend a lot of money on solicitors.
You might be looking around for cheap conveyancing or even thinking of doing it yourself.
First fully made wondering what exactly conveyancing is and it's literally the process of transferring the title of the property from the current owner to the new owner.
It does involve a lot of different steps which need a thorough understanding of the law.
Though it is possible to do it yourself there are some risks involved.
There are a lot of books on the market which will advise you on how to do it yourself and no doubt a lot of information on the Internet.
If you have a lot of time on your side then you may wish to try this.
However the pitfalls can be huge and potentially very expensive.
If you slip up on anything but then affects your property further down the line then you have no comeback.
If you have paid a professional to do your conveyancing then they will have indemnity insurance in the unlikely event that they have slipped up.
Because they do this day in and day out they know all the potential pitfalls and all the little intricacies of the law.
It may be tempting to look around on the Internet and get the cheapest solicitor you can but it's always best to get someone that you can see face to face.
Buying a house is extremely stressful anyway and it's nice to be able to put a face to a name and feel that you have someone to rely on.
There will also be papers that you need to sign and it can be very useful to actually go into a solicitor's office and discuss various points with them.
Another good reason for choosing local is that they will have experience in the area and may be aware of various covenants that may affect your property.
You can ask your estate agent recommendations but you may be better off asking friends and family who they would choose to use.
You can always ring around and get some quotes and ask if they do a fixed price for conveyancing plus charges.
You could also look around for reviews on solicitors who do conveyancing but should make sure the reviews are honest and not fabricated.
It's always best to go direct to the solicitors firm and not to get conveyancing through a broker.
They may be able to get a cheaper price for you but they will still be making a profit from the service and it may be more expensive than you could obtain by yourself.
At the end of the day you need to get cheap conveyancing but does not cut corners.
It should be with a solicitor that you feel comfortable dealing with and who you feel sure will return the many calls you will be making about the progress of your sale.
It may not be worth going with the cheapest quote as they may not be as efficient and quick as someone slightly more expensive.