In my pursuit of fulfilling my career aspirations, I have moved 8 times in the past 19 years. Like many people up and down the country, moving for work (or moving for any reason) is never easy, but I know that it can be made easier from the different experiences that I’ve had.
My ever so supportive wife and I have had both simple and tricky moves. The simple ones are sheer bliss, and usually entail being in a short chain. The blissful ones happened when we had a switched on and progressive conveyancer, somebody who was locked on to the moving date and worked tirelessly with us, the “other side” solicitors and the estate agents to get the deal done on time. Our estate agents on these occasions were also good at chasing down the chains and working in tandem with the solicitor to get the deal done ASAP (albeit with some pushing from us to do so). It was very easy.
We’ve also had very challenging moves; one that springs to mind was the time that my wife and I were sitting outside the house that we had just emptied, speaking to our solicitor who was explaining that there was an “unexpected” problem with the buyers money coming through. Panic set in because we were told by the same solicitor the day before that all was well and we should proceed ‘full on’ in the morning with loading up the removal van. In this instance, the stress was compounded because we were moving to another property that was 180 miles away and I was starting my new job just two days from settling in to our new home. Fortunately, the buyer’s money landed at 3pm and we could start the journey to our new home.
I would expect that this kind of experience is common amongst many homemovers and I think that, generally, there is a lack of empathy shown by the lawyers in the moving process. It’s often forgotten that not only is it one of the most stressful experiences in life (behind getting married, and just ahead of changing jobs), but there is a huge financial commitment involved.
Although the next time I will be moving is a long way off, I think that the work being done already by the conveyancing industry to improve the client experience means that the ‘pain-points’ of the past may well stay there.
Open and transparent communication can fix most problems in the general business world and while technology is making things quicker and easier, it’s the case handler that wins the customer’s admiration. Establishing an empathetic connection with the clients we’re serving and drawing for our personal experiences will always reduce the stress and make the transaction easier – and this is something we should all remember to do.
Moving house and getting your dream home is one of the most exhilarating experiences in life. This is why we must all constantly pull together during the process to remember what our clients want at the end of it, and to make the journey an enjoyable one.
In the meantime, feel free to share 5 top moving tips – from a seasoned mover:
- Set time limits that you want to work to as early as you can – e.g. I would like to be in the new property by this date.
- Choose the right mortgage broker – it helps to shop around. Research as much as you can to find a broker that will put your interests first and will be prepared to go above and beyond to help you complete when you want to.
- Get clued up – by knowing the process inside and out, you’ll be prepared to ask the right questions and to know exactly what should be happening when.
- Drive the process – don’t leave anything to chance and help push things along as much as possible.
- Lastly, choose the right conveyancer – people underestimate the key role they play in the process – I have done in the past, so choose someone with experience, that offers transparency and has good communication.