Number of transactions liable for SDLT rises 10 percent year on year
The number of property transactions liable for stamp duty in the second quarter of 2016 was 10% higher than in 2015. For those under £250,000 the number liable rose 8% with those between £250,000 and £500,000 rising 12%. For those over £500,000 was 18% higher than the second quarter of 2015. On a quarter to […]
Search Acumen comment on HMRC Stamp Duty Statistics
Search Acumen Director shares his thoughts on the latest HMRC Quarterly Stamp Duty Statistics
Brexit and the Call For Evidence
James Sherwood-Rogers, Chairman of COPSO discusses the implications of Brexit and privatisation of Land Registry on the housing market.
Conveyancing Data Services – July Reflections
CDS Sales Director, Richard Pickles shares his views on Brexit and implications for the property market.
Co-ownership – restricting the retainer
A recent case reminds us that one of the many issues that conveyancers have to advise on regularly is co-ownership, and more particularly the ownership arrangements to be made when the purchasers are not married or in a civil partnership. If the buyers are married etc then, should the marriage break down, the court has […]
Build relationships with referrers now to avoid potential downturn
As if the extraordinary events of early summer weren’t daunting enough – leaving the security of the European Union, the pound going into free fall, and a new prime minister in place before anyone could catch their breath – the reality of where to find new clients in a potential downturn looms large. How to […]
Cross-Marketing Made Effective
I know what you are thinking, because if I had £100 for every time I’ve heard it, I’d probably be in the Bahamas now, not writing this blog for you to read… ‘We’ve spent thousands on training to cross-market in our practice and it’s been a waste of money. The day after the training, everyone […]
Search Acumen comments on the HMRC Number of Property Transactions, June 2016
Andy Sommerville, Director of Search Acumen, comments on the HMRC Number of Property Transactions, June. “The year on year deterioration in residential transaction figures in June, which today’s HMRC data shows, will not come as a surprise to stakeholders in our industry. After the pre-April spike in activity, we now continue to see the stamp […]
SearchFlow responds to HMRC transaction data, June 2016
HMRC transaction data reveals today the number of residential property transactions increased by 4.9% between May 2016 and June 2016. Greg Bryce, Managing Director at SearchFlow, comments: “The figures indicate a slight increase in the transaction level despite the uncertainty during the run up to the referendum. And whilst this is 10.2% lower than the […]
Build trust with potential clients to win more business
Clients can be particularly cost-conscious during periods of economic uncertainty. In the wake of Brexit, it’s timely to arm yourself with the skills to have open and honest payment conversations with clients, so that you get paid what you’re worth at the end of the transaction. In my experience, the solution is to build trust […]
Search Acumen comments on the ONS/Land Registry House Price Index, May 2016
Andy Sommerville, Director of Search Acumen, comments on the ONS/Land Registry House Price Index, May 2016 “UK average house prices increased by 8.1% in the year to May 2016, according to the latest House Price Index from the ONS and Land Registry, revealing continually strong growth in the housing market in the pre-Brexit climate. So […]
Brexit – the movie?
Sam Cherry of Legal & Contingency shares his overview of Brexit and how the market has been reacting.
Building a Profitable Conveyancing Practice
I’ll start this by saying that probably the chief benefit for residential conveyancing is the ability to form relationships with people which, if correctly managed, will help to secure the future of the firm. I’ll be talking in a later blog about how to do that (it is actually quite easy…I built my practice and […]
Disapplying a restriction
Evans v Stoneleigh Pavilions (Birkby) Ltd [2016] EWLandRA 2015_0343 (11 February 2016)
An Insidious Threat: The rise and rise of ransomware
Fraudsters are remarkably adept at escaping fraud prevention methods you put in place, particularly when large sums of money are at stake. Only one or two law firms need to be duped to ensure cyber criminals walk away with millions. Every single firm is vulnerable to cyber attacks which can take many different forms, however […]
The importance of title insurance
Stewart Title’s Commercial Business Development Manager, Robert Kelly, was at Legalex in May giving a talk on the dos and don’ts of insurance from the conveyancer’s point of view – something he’s in a unique position to understand, as he spent 25 years as a commercial and residential property lawyer. He told Jane Common at […]
5 tips for profitable conveyancing
Have you turned away conveyancing work because it’s not delivering profit? Is the time and hassle involved in accurately preparing documents in your current case management software a barrier to accepting the work? If so, it’s time to seriously reconsider conveyancing work. This multi-billion pound industry is slipping away from the small law firms who […]
Searches UK comment on how Brexit may affect the property market
The result of last month’s referendum surprised many people, both in the UK and overseas, and whilst it raises questions about the direction in which Britain is headed, Searches UK considers the affects to the property market and how this may affect solicitors, conveyancers and homebuyers. There is speculation about what will happen next, be […]
Law Society say SRA’s new handbook could lead to “two tier” profession
The new handbook proposed by the Solicitor’s Regulation Authority could lead to a two tier solicitor profession according tot he Law Society. Responding to the consultation on proposals on slashing the size of the handbook as well as giving different rules for those working within regulated entities and those outside, the Law Society Chief Executive […]
22% drop in home buyers looking for conveyancing quotes in wake of Brexit vote
A house moving comparison site says the number of requests for conveyancing quotes fell by 22% in the wake of the vote to leave the EU. According to ReallyMoving.com, the impact of Brexit on house buying behaviour has been dramatic and immediate, both on expected property prices and on transaction volumes. Based on 8,500 registrations […]
