An anonymous high street conveyancer reveals the truth behind the joy, frustrations, and the unexpected humour in being a high street conveyancer. Read their Diary in Today’s Conveyancer every week.
I was listening to the Today programme on Radio Four one morning this week; a journalist was being interviewed about taking up a role with BBC Newsround, the news programme for children, and he was
Being an old fashioned conveyancing solicitor, I have to admit that I am not a fan of simultaneous exchange and completion. In an ideal world, I would like at least a week between exchange and
No two house moves are the same; no two clients are the same. This is something we have to remember and this week, I was reminded that however well we think we are doing our
It is somewhat surprising when we hear on the news that it was exactly two years ago when England and Wales went into the first lockdown. It feels as if it were only yesterday but
There are times when I think that conveyancing practice needs to be “tidied up” a little. I had one of those experiences this week, and it was difficult not to be portrayed as unhelpful even
There is still a discourse on LinkedIn about the relationship between solicitors and estate agents. It is a difficult relationship because although both want the same outcome, we start the journey to the finish line
I expect conveyancers throughout the land are bracing themselves for the onslaught of queries today with clients wanting to know which boundaries belong to them as the fence panel needs to be replaced following Storm
When talking about conveyancing and the people involved, we talk about buyers and sellers, solicitors and estate agents, but there is one group who we tend to forget about. This group are vital for the
I have read a lot this week on LinkedIn about the relationship between estate agents and solicitors. I am not sure if any agents read this but if you know any agents who would be
One of my teenagers volunteers on a Saturday afternoon in the local Oxfam book and record shop. I popped in to see her this weekend, and as always, I am staggered at how many good
On Wednesday, I had to go to a mediation hearing for a dispute with a friend. I was not involved in the matter in any way, but she needed both moral support and someone who
Happy New Year to you all! I hope that you are all refreshed and ready to take on the challenges of a new year – what will the market be like this year? There were
‘Twas the night before Christmas, and all over the land conveyancers closed laptops, turned off the broadband a large sigh of relief , looking forward to some fun one year is over, and a hard
As we come to the end of this year, and another manic rush to get to the finish line of Christmas, I think that we should all reflect on what 2021 has been like for
I was out with some fellow conveyancers on Friday evening and, as usual, we did have a chat about our working lives. We were all in agreement that the last twenty months have seen a
There are those times when a client calls … “Hello, you may not remember me but you acted when I bought my house four years ago. I wonder if you could just witness my signature
The issue with the Simplify group continued this week. There is still no clarity as to what has happened, but the effect on the lives of many is clear. One only needs to look on
I was all set to write about additional enquiries but for the second week running, I have been diverted by other news in the conveyancing world. But all conveyancers know that this sums up what
I was all prepared to write about additional enquiries and then I was side-tracked by the news about a house being sold not by the owner but by an ‘imposter.’ The summary of the story
I was disappointed to read a report this week that conveyancers are now reducing their fees. The report contained a quote which said that as pressure eased on the system after June, conveyancing costs have
Friends mentioned to me that they had taken their son to an open day at university and that one of the longest queues was at the desk where a law lecturer and student sat –
I was listening to the radio earlier and there was an actress being interviewed. She was asked about theatres being closed during lockdowns and how it now felt to be back on stage. She told
So, what did you do during the Covid Pandemic of 2020 to 2021, dearest grandparent? I worked fourteen hour days, seven days a week, to help people to move house. The interest rates were low,
The SDLT holiday was introduced to take effect on the 8th July 2020 in a market that was already busy. There were people who were only just able to move and had sat patiently waiting
I have seen posts on LinkedIn and other forums this week about how solicitors and estate agents should work together . You would think that would be the simplest thing to do; we both want
So what are my pet peeves at the moment? What would I like in my wish list for things that other solicitors/estate agents should stop doing to make the process better in what is a
So the start of September… and it is all so reminiscent of the start of June. Suddenly, there is an air of panic, will people be able to move before the end of September in
So what are the words or phrases that others (particularly estate agents) say which make your heart sink? I have one; “could we take a view on it?” In my experience, that does not mean
Following on from my words last week about the phrases and words that conveyancing lawyers used, it got me thinking about other things to do with the law and procedure. I have always thought that
This week I have been thinking about what I would like to change about my working life, or probably more what I would change if I could about the way in which conveyancing is done.
So how has everyone been in the last week? It is surprising that the market is still very buoyant – it is busy but at least there is not a deadline and everyone pushing to