Questions you should ask a Conveyancer before engaging them:
There are around 400 licensed Conveyancers in Victoria, how do you choose one that’s right for you? Firstly you want one who’ll respond to your queries in a timely manner. One who’ll spend time talking to you, answer all your queries with confidence and also provide you with a bottom line quote. Remember, beware of under-quoting!
Whilst finding a Conveyancer who will charge reasonable prices is important, you need to be confident they’ll act in your best interest at all times. Ask how much experience they have – the more the better.
Ask your Conveyancer if they’re a member of the Australian Institute of Conveyancers. This is the peak body for Conveyancers in Australia and all reputable Conveyancers should be a member of the Institute.
Top notch communication is imperative when it comes to the conveyancing process. Find out how your Conveyancer intends to communicate with you. They should be flexible and understand you may work during the day and not be able to take calls or respond to emails. Can your Conveyancer make exceptions and speak to you in the evening if necessary? Will they only communicate with you via email? How often will you hear from them? Have this discussion before engaging a Conveyancer, you need to feel confident you’ve made the right choice.
How to break up with a Conveyancer you engaged:
Have you engaged a Conveyancer only to discover they’re not communicating the way you expected? Not responding to your calls or emails? If this happens at the beginning it only serves to make you nervous and unsure during the entire process. If your gut feeling says you may have chosen the wrong Conveyancer, your gut is probably right. You can fix this by immediately ‘un-engaging’ them. Email them advising you no longer require their services. If that Conveyancer has spent money on any searches or certificates they’ll request payment but those searches and certificates will be yours. Settle their invoice and ask for copies of any searches and certificates to be emailed to you. Make contact with a Conveyancer you feel is trustworthy and will act in your best interest and explain you’d like their representation. Provide them with a copy of your documents including any searches or certificates received from your previous Conveyancer. The new Conveyancer won’t need to obtain new ones. The sooner you decide to ‘break up’ with your previous Conveyancer, the better you’ll feel.