Professional conveyancing services

in Wadebridge

We recognise that you want to know this important question. But try to remember that buying a home is (for most people) the most important investment you will ever make – selling it just as important. We think you want a wholly professional service tailored to your wishes and priorities, making sure it runs through at your pace and with the attention to detail that you would expect, explained in straightforward language. We are professionals, we like to think we are good at what we do (and refreshingly so do many of our clients who come back time and time again) and we are not going to quote you silly – “£9.99” figures! 

Based on an assumption that most routine sales or purchases can involve us in a total of 25 letters sent/telephone calls or time equivalent our fees for sales and purchases of typical freehold property prices are (in each case plus VAT at the standard rate, currently 20%).

* Leaseholds are almost always more complex. There are usually, e.g. two titles to consider and many pages of extra reading, perhaps service charges/management issues to report on and so on. Expect an extra couple of hundred pounds.

Work over that “norm” is charged at our normal charging rate (see Probate page).

On top, there are what we call “disbursements” – search fees on a purchase, copy Land Registry document fees on a sale, Land Registry fees to register a purchase (and their fee depends on price and whether the title is already registered) but is not subject to VAT.

Searches are questionnaires that we send to the Local Council (in all but the most unusual purchases) and other bodies. The search in Cornwall Council costs currently around £240. Other Councils vary. The other searches you may want (or need) including Mining, Water, Environmental, Chancel. These, too, vary in price, and for the most part we give you the choice (although a Mortgage Company may insist on some of them). There will also be a few pounds of Land Charges/Land Registry searches and in a sale, similar tiny fees for copy documents. And there may be a few less common extras – insurance policies covering some legal problems or missing documents, fees to Landlords and/or Management Companies, and we won’t know until we start work, but they are unavoidable, though, and we have no choice about it. Some of these extras include VAT at the standard rate, currently 20%, but not all of them.

Then in a purchase there is the Government Tax – Stamp Duty – which we help you report and pay. It ranges from nothing to thousands, depending on your circumstances (first time buyers up to a certain limit pay nothing whereas second home buyers pay a premium rate) and the price. Helping you with this administration is all part of our service. 

Remember again – you are (probably) dealing with the most expensive item you will ever own. Keep a sense of perspective, remember the negotiating when you bargained thousands up and down – and don’t get in a tizz over £10!

People ask how long it takes: it varies, according to so many factors – not least of which is the situation of others in the chain, and whether you have your mortgage lined up. A standalone "cash" purchase or sale of a vacant property with no complications can go through in under a month. But beyond this, there really is no "normal".

What we don't do:

We are solicitors – so we concentrate on the law and related procedures. We are not surveyors, environmental experts, or accountants. You will need to consider some or all of these aspects depending on your transaction and your situation: if you are buying, consider a survey of the property, and the various other searches (about the services in and out, the environment, flooding, mining and other issues) that you may require. You should consider any tax implications (other than SDLT) with your accountant: They might require you to put a property into joint names, or timetable it around the tax year end. We won't know unless you tell us.