Conveyancing - exchanging on a house

[HellsBells]

I just don’t understand how exchanging on a house can be so f***ing complicated?

We were all ready on Monday and we’re still waiting for all the solicitors to focus for a millisecond at the same time in order to get it done.

Surely in today’s climate you can just get everyone on a f***ing zoom call and get it done in five minutes??

How hard can it be? Any solicitors on here explain?

 

[Grammar Police]

They like to drag it out to justify their 'fee'.

 

[HellsBells]

They like to drag it out to justify their 'fee'.

Our solicitors’ is fixed.

I mean, if I missed a major project milestone because I hadn’t put a call in with the people who needed to make it happen, I’d get a kicking.

 

[monkeytassle]

I just don’t understand how exchanging on a house can be so f***ing complicated?

We were all ready on Monday and we’re still waiting for all the solicitors to focus for a millisecond at the same time in order to get it done.

Surely in today’s climate you can just get everyone on a f***ing zoom call and get it done in five minutes??

How hard can it be? Any solicitors on here explain?

What's the sticking point?

 

[Rusty]

Just completed on ours on Tuesday after what felt like a fanny on for months. We were set to move out mid August. Things seem to be a mess at the minute due to Covid and exchanging and completing the same day is apparently pretty common at the minute. We moved out at the weekend without exchanging and exchanged and completed same day.

 

[Leon Solent]

It's the solicitor's job to keep apart two parties who are both eager to do a deal.

 

[Falconhoof]

Today.......
The bank were "getting back to me"
My solicitors "were getting back to me"
My sellers estate agents "were getting back to me"
and my buyers solicitors were "getting back" to my solicitors.
I still have heard from any of them.
My buyers are even threatening to pull out as they think I'm taking the piss. The whole industry is incompetent

 

[Scimmy]

Just completed on ours on Tuesday after what felt like a fanny on for months. We were set to move out mid August. Things seem to be a mess at the minute due to Covid and exchanging and completing the same day is apparently pretty common at the minute. We moved out at the weekend without exchanging and exchanged and completed same day.

Nowt to do with Covid Marra. In November 2016 my buyer and I both had to constantly chivvy our respective conveyancing solicitors along and also correct mistakes they had made in the process. My buyer was a mate so we both knew where we were with each other's solicitors. Rank incompetence/inability to add and subtract etc added to massive disorganisation and lackadaisical attitude to clients' affairs.

 

[Rusty]

Nowt to do with Covid Marra. In November 2016 my buyer and I both had to constantly chivvy our respective conveyancing solicitors along and also correct mistakes they had made in the process. My buyer was a mate so we both knew where we were with each other's solicitors. Rank incompetence/inability to add and subtract etc added to massive disorganisation and lackadaisical attitude to clients' affairs.

I know what you mean about figures and stuff. Had the sale price wrong on our house. Then on our new house the house number is wrong on all the paperwork.

 

[HellsBells]

What's the sticking point?

Getting final agreement from everyone that we can go ahead and exchange I think. Buyers solicitor was only available till 1.30. Sellers solicitor wasn’t available till 2. I don’t understand how they do t get the concept of a conference call to agree this shit.

 

[Leon Solent]

Estate Agents and solicitors run a closed shop. Control the process and drag it out.
If you want an exercise in futility, try getting a solicitor to help you sue another solicitor for neglect or incompetence.

 

[Shack]

Even good experiences seem to take ages. In this digital age they seem to deal with things by carrier pigeon / snail mail. It's a whole indistry way past needing a complete revamp.

 

[HellsBells]

Even good experiences seem to take ages. In this digital age they seem to deal with things by carrier pigeon / snail mail. It's a whole indistry way past needing a complete revamp.

Even when they do send each other emails they seem to take ages to do anything about it. We should have exchanged on Monday. You’d have thought someone would have stuck a diary invite out to everyone to get together and agree we could proceed. It will literally take 5 minutes.

 

[spitfire]

Getting final agreement from everyone that we can go ahead and exchange I think. Buyers solicitor was only available till 1.30. Sellers solicitor wasn’t available till 2. I don’t understand how they do t get the concept of a conference call to agree this shit.

Ah the gold old solicitors lunches coming into play. Never be the top of the chain on a Friday completion. You will find yourself kipping in your car all weekend while they are off drinking their Chablis for the weekend.

On a serious note you just need to remember they are not purely focussed on your case. They will have numerous matters on the go at the same time which they need to juggle. Not defending them mind, but some of them do pile the hours in. Some are not very good too.

Getting final agreement from everyone that we can go ahead and exchange I think. Buyers solicitor was only available till 1.30. Sellers solicitor wasn’t available till 2. I don’t understand how they do t get the concept of a conference call to agree this shit.

Ah the gold old solicitors lunches coming into play. Never be the top of the chain on a Friday completion. You will find yourself kipping in your car all weekend while they are off drinking their Chablis for the weekend.

On a serious note you just need to remember they are not purely focussed on your case. They will have numerous matters on the go at the same time which they need to juggle. Not defending them mind, but some of them do pile the hours in. Some are not very good too.

 

[Alovesuperb]

I just don’t understand how exchanging on a house can be so f***ing complicated?

We were all ready on Monday and we’re still waiting for all the solicitors to focus for a millisecond at the same time in order to get it done.

Surely in today’s climate you can just get everyone on a f***ing zoom call and get it done in five minutes??

How hard can it be? Any solicitors on here explain?

They basically don't give a shiny shite about you.

 

[Shack]

Even when they do send each other emails they seem to take ages to do anything about it. We should have exchanged on Monday. You’d have thought someone would have stuck a diary invite out to everyone to get together and agree we could proceed. It will literally take 5 minutes.

As you said previously, in any other job you'd be bollocked for that level of incompetence. I remember chasing the last lot up - always seemed to be waiting on someone to get back to them! I am sure the one I was dealing with was someone who was just doing basic paper work / admin and the owner was the one doing anything requiring any legal work. Hopeless!

 

[HellsBells]

Ah the gold old solicitors lunches coming into play. Never be the top of the chain on a Friday completion. You will find yourself kipping in your car all weekend while they are off drinking their Chablis for the weekend.

On a serious note you just need to remember they are not purely focussed on your case. They will have numerous matters on the go at the same time which they need to juggle. Not defending them mind, but some of them do pile the hours in. Some are not very good too.

Ah the gold old solicitors lunches coming into play. Never be the top of the chain on a Friday completion. You will find yourself kipping in your car all weekend while they are off drinking their Chablis for the weekend.

On a serious note you just need to remember they are not purely focussed on your case. They will have numerous matters on the go at the same time which they need to juggle. Not defending them mind, but some of them do pile the hours in. Some are not very good too.

I get that, but I manage to deal with more than one project milestone at a time and I mainly manage to get a five minute decision from a group of four people when I need to. The whole thing needs an overhaul.

I’m now out of the office for two weeks - my work will still get done because either I’ve handed it off to others or I’ve managed the deadlines. Dave the solicitor isn’t available till 2pm today and the whole thing falls apart. And all we need is his client’s go ahead. It defies logic.

As you said previously, in any other job you'd be bollocked for that level of incompetence. I remember chasing the last lot up - always seemed to be waiting on someone to get back to them! I am sure the one I was dealing with was someone who was just doing basic paper work / admin and the owner was the one doing anything requiring any legal work. Hopeless!

Yes, all three solicitors have been waiting to hear from the others today. I don’t understand why conveyancing solicitors seem to be the least proactive people ever. All of them are waiting on calls from the other ones.

 

[Ashley In!!]

I just don’t understand how exchanging on a house can be so f***ing complicated?

We were all ready on Monday and we’re still waiting for all the solicitors to focus for a millisecond at the same time in order to get it done.

Surely in today’s climate you can just get everyone on a f***ing zoom call and get it done in five minutes??

How hard can it be? Any solicitors on here explain?

Which solicitors?

 

[HellsBells]

Which solicitors?

London ones. Although we’re using online ones and they seem to be the best of the chain because they’re not a one man band and they’re set up already for managing email workflows across groups of people from home. Others seem to have struggled during Covid, our estate agents tells me.

 

[The Ram]

I just don’t understand how exchanging on a house can be so f***ing complicated?

We were all ready on Monday and we’re still waiting for all the solicitors to focus for a millisecond at the same time in order to get it done.

Surely in today’s climate you can just get everyone on a f***ing zoom call and get it done in five minutes??

How hard can it be? Any solicitors on here explain?

When I was moving last year I got sick of them. We were in a position to exchange contracts a week ahead of the proposed completion and I told them in no uncertain terms would I accept exchanging and completing on the same day as I've heard loads of stories of people being ready to move and the sale falling through on the day.

The week in between exchanging and completing was torture as my solicitor came up with excuses as like 'we can only talk to the solicitors above and below you in the chain', the purchaser's solicitors decide to take the day off.

In the end it got to the day before completion day and I called my solicitor and told her if you don't exchange today I'm pulling out of the sale and we'll need to discuss your fee. Lo and behold a few hours later it was all exchanged. They live in a different world.