[nickydwuk]

We are in the middle of trying to sell our house in the UK :no and it got me thinking about the legal side of things in NZ. How much do solicitors charge for buying a property? We haven't yet factored these costs into our budget. And can anyone recommend a solicitor in the Christchurch area as I would rather use one that has been recommended than just one from the yellow pages. Don't want to get ripped off. :yes

[victoria24]

i highly recommend martin-kaye in shropshire 01952 272222, we use them at work all the time (about 20 cases a month) and ive used them 3 times myself. you dont need to physically see a solicitor to sell a house although local ones would have you believe so! if you prefer to keep it local best to get a recommendation from a friend and make sure when you instruct that you have a direct line number for the solicitor that is working the case and not some telesales front line bod. MK Sols have no caller ID and give out all their direct lines so they dont "field" calls. invaluable if you ask me.

[Georgebulldog]

We were charge $500 to buy our house in Wellington, however because we have our account & mortgage with the same bank they paid it for us :clap

[nickydwuk]

We were charge $500 to buy our house in Wellington, however because we have our account & mortgage with the same bank they paid it for us :clap

Is that common pratcice then for the banks to foot the bill? Sounds good.

[victoria24]

sorry! just read the post properly! I am a muppett

[Georgebulldog]

Not sure if all banks do this I'm sure others will post what they did but was a great help

[jackie m]

Westpac paid for our solicitors bill when we brought our house & got our mortgage through them.:D

Jackie

[IanW99]

Is that common pratcice then for the banks to foot the bill? Sounds good.

Same for us with ASB, they paid all the solicitors bills. Not sure if this wasn't part of the deal for being a DHB employee though, in our case.

Ian

[Moorf]

We were given $500 towards solicitors fees by National Bank (3 yrs ago) when we got a mortgage through them.

[DB]

It is possible to convey ones house here without a solicitor, as the process is incredibly straightforward compared to the UK. The actual transaction process is all done using a standard form with standard terms and conditions. However, especially for a first time transactor, a solicitor is probably an excellent idea. Our solicitors bill was about $700, plus a couple of hundred dollars for search fees and LIMs etc.

House purchase money flows through the solicitors, and you get the interest earned while they have your money, unlike (I believe) the UK!

Just a tip - if you need a document notarized, like for example, a photocopy of a marriage certificate, any solicitor will do this at no charge; just pop in, hang around, and leave with a stamped and signed copy...

Edited to note: Here once you sign the standard form and the vendor countersigns you are committed, subject only to any conditions you and the vendor have agreed to and documented, so a sale might be, for example, conditional on finance and/or a satisfactory LIM report. If either side tries to back out then it gets expensive and there are winners and losers. So don't sign the form until you are ready to buy. A friend of ours was selling part of his farm, and the buyer pulled out, and he as the seller collected $50K on the deal.

Winners and losers.