A question often asked: so, how much has the whole procedure of buying and selling houses changed and hopefully improved then? Well, frankly, it hasn’t at all.
On the plus side, we do have computers, better telephone systems, mobile telephone numbers and of course email addresses for instant contact – really?!
The other day, the selling solicitor emailed the contract papers to their opposite number. The oppo rang me to say “no contract in yet?” So, I rang the seller lawyer (yes, you say “why couldn’t the solicitor do that instead?”) and asked for them to resend which to their credit, they did within an hour – only for the following day for the buyers’ lawyer to ring ME (again) to say nothing had arrived so far. Quietly I am of course saying “you lazy bastard pick up your own frigging telephone!”
So there I am, back on the telephone suggesting the seller ring the other side (lawyer to lawyer on the telephone, who am I trying to kid?!) and sort this out. Adding to the annoyance, both sets of lawyers’ offices are well under three miles of each other – we could have walked the documents round in less time than picking up the telephone.
So the answer to the original question is a very resounding NO.
Back in the late 60s and early 70s ‘conveyancing’ was carried mainly by a solicitor’s clerk or the bottom run/junior solicitor in the power rankings of the practice. He (very seldom ‘she’) would – off their head – know of every sale, the client’s name, current state of the sale, mortgage offer, search details, exchange forecast. The agents’ sales letters were normally walked round to the solicitors because everyone was sensible in those days. Local sale, local agent, local solicitor. Contract published inside a day or so, searches in days as well, survey, mortgage offer and normally exchange within 28 days or so unless with a chain but normally about four to five weeks, tops. 10% deposit and 28 day completion. Nice, tidy and reliable. Today, it takes that long to get the draft contract published. Then another four to five weeks for the frigging lazy search agency (who are these people anyway?) to visit the town hall. Plus, the buyers’ lawyer now seem to be based in a warehouse somewhere ‘up north’ because the broker for the buyers’ mortgage recommended them as being terrific and (probably) overlooking to mention the £200 quid intro fee he picks up on the way. Same with large multi estate agencies, they recommend using their own ‘in-house conveyancer’ who is probably based in Leicester or Accrington. Hardly in-house for an Essex-based agency is it? In the days of black and white television, agent and solicitors’ clerk swore, ranted at each other then popped down the pub at lunchtime or early evening. You would need to drive a long way to do that nowadays. Even with electronic advantages (yeah…) buying and selling your home has not changed a bit. Even with the improved form of communications (sick joke) it still takes longer than 40 plus years ago. In fact, twice as long, or more.
Time has moved on, but speed of conveyancing has sadly failed to do so, that is for sure.
