Estate agent referral and personal recommendation remain the two largest influences on the selection of a conveyancing service, according to a recent survey conducted by Lyons Bowe Solicitors.
Research was conducted amongst 1200 home owners who had moved in the last two years and found 32% of respondents had used the conveyancer the estate agent recommended. A quarter (25%) went with a personal recommendation and 19% found their conveyancer online. Only 3% said they’d used a price comparison site.
While price remains a factor in decision making, cited by 20% of respondents, recommendation was the largest influencing factor when choosing a conveyancer. Availability, responsiveness and communication were important for 18% of respondents, with 11% saying they relied on online reviews.
Just under half of the survey respondents (41%) said they’d compared two or more conveyancers before making a choice, although considering factors including cyber security certification and lender panels was low: three quarters (74%) said they either didn’t know or were unsure about lender panel membership for their mortgage provider, with 64% saying they didn’t know or were unsure about cyber certification or secure systems.
Trust in the profession is high, with 77% of respondents saying they either ‘completely’ or ‘mostly’ trusted their conveyancer.
Paul Lyons, managing director at Lyons Bowe Solicitors, said: “Referrals from estate agents continue to play a hugely important role in how buyers choose a conveyancer, particularly in a more subdued market where firms are competing harder for every instruction.
“That’s why it’s so important for conveyancers to invest time in building and maintaining strong relationships with local agents. Estate agents want to recommend firms they trust to deliver a reliable, efficient service that reflects positively on them and helps transactions progress smoothly.
“But securing the instruction is only part of the job. Once a client comes on board, firms then have to deliver a level of service that encourages future recommendations from friends and family, because word-of-mouth remains incredibly powerful in this sector.”
