Rough estimates for conveyancing costs

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Hi

Just wondering if there was a general overall figure for conveyancing house purchase/sale? Inclusive of all the searches etc.

I am selling a flat with share of freehold for 190k and purchasing a bungalow for around £240k and definitely less than £250k.

My first quote has come in at nearly £1400 which seems ridiculous to me.
This comprises of
Fees for sale £525 + VAT
Fees for purchase £525 + VAT
Purchase disbursements £190 (what a "disbursement" is I know not)
Property registration £180-£280

would be grateful to hear others views on acceptable costs.

Regards

[Ankou]

i paid around £1,200 3 years ago

[Postdog]

I'm paying around 2K for sale and purchase

[danchip]

sounds about normal, ask them to waive the sale or purchase fee seen as your using them for both, i've known people who've played hardball with their agent and got the fee's reduced by quite a bit!

[madmaggot]

Shop around as the fees do vary but be careful, ask about the reputation of the firm that you decide to use. It's often cheaper to use solicitor's property shops as they have an all in price for the property sale and conveyancing together.
Be very cautious of conveyancing companies (as opposed to solicitors). I used one because I thought it would be cheaper but they ended up costing me a lot of money because they sent standard letters to the vendor of the property that we were buying without checking that they were correct. The letters were set up for the usual, purchase dependant on the sale of other property, when in fact it wasn't the case.
When the vendors received this letter they started to market the property again and got a buyer offering more, we had to up our offer to match it!

[buildersmate]

If you go to a High Street solicitor the fees will be similar across the country (I have proven this in the past) - the Law Society allegedly see to that - even in this day and age of competition).
Contact a licensed conveyancer and try there.
Paid £180 plus VAT for the sale of a property at £300k 12 months ago

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Cheers for the input guys (and gals)

Ive had 3 quotes now and the cheapest was £1800 ish so Im going with that. Ruddy ridiculous. Didnt know there were specialised conveyancers as such.

Stamp duty will be £2400 wherever or whoever I use so I dont include that in the figures.