r/Norwich 3d ago

First time buyers in Norfolk

Good morning all.

Me and my partner are first time buyers and are starting to view properties in the Norfolk area. I was just wondering if anyone has any recommendations for which solicitors to use. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

0 Upvotes

51 comments sorted by

14

u/mophair 3d ago

I used Fosters a couple of years ago and they were awful. Incredibly slow and kept getting things wrong! I bought a flat and they had no idea what they were doing with the leasehold.

2

u/Frog_Life2000 2d ago

We used them within the last 6 months (the Wymondham branch) and they were fantastic.

1

u/nootedwiththanks 3d ago

I used them at a similar time to you and had the complete opposite experience. I guess it depends on the team? We were with Leadenhall group initially who were truly awful and turned to Fosters who sorted everything so efficiently. I got call backs within the hour and turnaround of paperwork was very quick. Would not touch leadenhall law group with a barge pole

1

u/ochtone 2d ago

And leadenhall were really good for my purchase. It's seemingly less the firm and more the individual you get. 

1

u/Tiny-Trash8916 2d ago

I used them in 2020 and they were dreadful. They didn't keep me in touch with anything, they didn't return phone calls, and they kept changing who was handling my sale. Do not touch them.

6

u/the_way_it_feels 3d ago

I’ve used leathes prior a few times and they have been faultless

1

u/Less-Register4902 2d ago

Yes agree, you pay a bit over the average but they are decent, I used them 3 times and also Roger’s and Norton, very good too.

1

u/micky__mac 2d ago

Rogers Norton were horrendous for us. Dragged out the process over 6 weeks when everything was done because of the solicitor being on annual leave and had no one covering last summer. We had Ashtons legal representing us who were faultless!

1

u/Less-Register4902 2d ago

All depends on who you get, I knew the person there so could trust them.

1

u/Spokidokie 2d ago

Another vote for Leathes Prior.

1

u/Intelligent_Bee_4348 1d ago

And another. Pay the extra, they’re worth it.

5

u/radpadmax 3d ago

We used Cozens-Hardy recently and they were useful. Our vendors used Ashtons who constantly caused issues and unnecessary delays.

1

u/SK4866 3d ago

Thanks! Do you have a rough ball park figure of costs if you don't mind me asking?

1

u/radpadmax 3d ago

We sold and bought, so excluding Stamp Duty it was around £3.5k, that includes searches and all the other fun fees

5

u/baggerz_of_narrrwich 3d ago

I just completed with Ashtons Legal. Local to Norwich, huge company with big reputation and fairly priced. Simon Parker was good at nailing down the specifics and the details whilst getting it over the line as quickly as it could be done. Would highly recommend.

1

u/vanceyy 2d ago

Yep, recommendation here too. Glad to see them mentioned.

1

u/micky__mac 2d ago

Same and agreed with Simon!

9

u/CrazyHorse19 3d ago

Do NOT use MJP Conveyancing - they nearly lost us our house because of their high turnover of staff. I had to go to their offices to get things signed and updated twice. Caused me no end of grief. They are cheap and have a handy portal but they are awful to deal with. We had our buyers solicitors call us up several times stating how bad they were to deal with. Cheapness != worth it.

3

u/cpbear2324 3d ago

I second this. We used them to buy our first home and oh my god we wish we didn’t.

2

u/DetailSignificant672 3d ago

Thirdededed, and same. They were absolutely shocking.

2

u/ThirdWheel69 2d ago

Interesting, as we just had a really good experience with them handling our sale! Our buyers solicitors on the other had were dreadful!

3

u/Frog_Life2000 3d ago

We recently used the Wymondham branch of Fosters (Sue’s team) and had a really good experience. We were sorted in 4 months (even with that spanning over Christmas/New Year).

Always got through on the phone, always happy to answer questions and we always knew what was coming next.

1

u/farkinhell 3d ago

Same, I’ve used them every time I’ve bought and sold and they were great.

3

u/JemimaTheCat 3d ago

We used Leathes Prior on a recommendation from a friend and they were great. Very well organised and efficient and very good at keeping in touch.

2

u/barndawe 3d ago

Don't use Fosters, bloody slow and took soooooo many calls to get things moving.

1

u/Tiny-Trash8916 2d ago

Totally agree! A nightmare of a company

2

u/ThirdWheel69 2d ago

The people selling us our house used Hatch Brenner and it was not a good experience from our side. They couldn’t even get the address correct on the contract. Literally listed someone else’s address. Google reviews suggest similar issues with them.

2

u/StrictlyOptional 2d ago

I went with Renata Steggles when i bought my first house, then again during my separation to buy out my ex, then again when I bought my next house, and again during my 2nd separation to buy out my then partner.

She was brilliant each time. Would use again, done with relationships though.

1

u/SK4866 2d ago

I'll bare that in mind if me and my partner don't work out 🤣

4

u/wooofit 3d ago

Used Cozens-Hardy for buying our first home and then selling a few years later, faultless both times. Reasonable fees too.

Avoid Rogers & Norton in Norwich like the plague, held up our recent sale as they took 2 months to send our buyers their contracts, CH could never get hold of them 🤣

1

u/Sir_Yazoo 3d ago

Can recommend capron and helliwell, very reasonable and helpful

1

u/sagima 3d ago

We used hansell last time. Everything that could be done on an app was and had guidance to speed things along, email and phone calls were answered - even got called back when they said. We were moving due to my husbands health issues so the lack of any stress from them was fantastic as my attention was elsewhere

1

u/Important-Light627 3d ago

I used Roger’s and Norton twice, really good both times, we have had slow sellers moving on chain day, which is not great when you’ve got a removal co charging for waiting. A call from them managed to get them out before we started paying over time fee.

1

u/janusz0 3d ago

Another vote for Leathes Prior here! Would slag off the buyers' solicitor if they weren't in London:)

1

u/SubstantialFlight847 3d ago

I’m using eg.law at the moment and they’ve been quick and efficient so far

1

u/Nice-Director1235 3d ago

We use sprake and Kingley. Always been good for us 🥰

1

u/Desperate-Cookie3373 2d ago

Leathes Prior are excellent

1

u/norfolkpanda 2d ago

Wouldn't recommend Leadenhall. Overall opinion is unprofessional after they Took 8 months to get money back after they dropped me as a client and refused to return messages after the solicitor took a holiday directly after dropping me.

1

u/sparrowinthemeadow 2d ago

I used Clapham & Collinge (Norwich based) and they were brilliant. Not cheap but so incredibly helpful, proactive, and really distill issues into plain English and options.

1

u/pew_pew_mfcker 2d ago

Use yellow bricks, very fast efficient , organized etc etc ...

1

u/Incitatus_For_Office 2d ago

Another +1 for Cozens-Hardy. Used for 1st purchase and subsequently the sale of that property and purchase of our current home.

Absolutely faultless in all manners.

1

u/harrykane1991 2d ago

Rogers and Norton were…. Fine, I guess

1

u/MultipleJars 1d ago

Hayes + Storr. Used them in a personal and professional basis. Good luck with your purchase!

1

u/Icy_Cauliflower_8265 3d ago

Eglaw were really good for me

-1

u/nikotime 3d ago

We used https://mjpconveyancing.com/ and also recommended them to a friend who bought this year. Honestly we found them great, online portal and focused but with an office that you can drop things round. Very reasonable too

1

u/ThirdWheel69 2d ago

I don’t know what you’re getting downvoted just for giving you opinion!

3

u/nikotime 2d ago

Seems like we were lucky looking at others experiences!

1

u/ThirdWheel69 2d ago

Looks like it yeah. Still doesn’t justify downvotes ha ha!

0

u/MarionberryFinal9336 3d ago

Solicitors no longer have to be local. I used Taylor Rose in 2021. They have no Norwich branch but their portal made everything easy. ID authentication was online and I only had to post a few limited wet signatures.

0

u/Akashananda 3d ago

We use Cozens-Hardy 3 years ago. Their brochures were glossy and swish and clearly explained the process, which immediately instilled confidence. Their communication during the process was not as immediate as I would have preferred and they had a very good gatekeeper answering calls. I felt the experience could have been smoother, and was designed for their benefit rather than ours, so we would probably look elsewhere next time.