Wyatt Brothers Funeral Directors
25th April 2022
Plympton Community Magazine, May 2022
26th April 2022
Buying or selling a home can be equally as exciting as it can be daunting, but with the right Conveyancing team behind you, the process can be made straightforward and easy to understand, every step of the way. That’s why we spoke to Samantha Loveridge, Conveyancing Team Leader at the Plympton branch of Wolferstans Solicitors.
If you’ve ever required legal services, the chances are you will have heard of Wolferstans. The firm is one of Plymouth’s best known and largest legal firms and are leading the way in providing exceptional legal experiences to their clients. Based on their excellent client reviews, Wolferstans are ranked 1st locally for all of their services and rank highly nationally too. The conveyancing team are ranked 1st out of 25 housing and property solicitors in Plymouth and the firm ranks in Review Solicitors Top 10 Law Firms in the UK, out of over 23,000 law firms.
The branch based in Plympton’s Ridgeway incorporated Clark & Weeks around five years ago and offers the community bespoke services for all aspects of residential sales, purchases and related transactions, led by Samantha Loveridge. The Plymstock branch first opened its doors in the 60s and is the longest established solicitors in this area, they are led by their own Conveyancing Team Leader, property expert Pauline Anning.
Samantha spent many years working as a dispenser for the NHS before deciding to pursue her lifelong interest in law. On returning to study, Samantha completed her degree and went on to work alongside her mentor, the Head of Conveyancing at Wolferstans at the time, and completed her training to become a Chartered Legal Executive. Fast forward to today and Samantha is now a Senior Associate of the firm and a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Legal Executives. Samantha has immersed herself in property selling and purchases and is a true expert in this area of law.
Working with clients is Samantha’s favourite part of her job and this is reflected in her personal reviews, which all come with five stars. Samantha’s clients are in safe hands with her vast expertise being drawn on for each matter she works on. Her clients are delighted by her professional, friendly approach and regularly say that Samantha’s knowledge and efficiency are reasons they would recommend her to others.
Pauline Anning qualified as a Solicitor in 2001 and joined the residential conveyancing department at Wolferstans in July 2004. Pauline is also a Senior Associate of the firm and has specialised in non-litigious property work for many years, completing a caseload of more than 200 transactions each year.
Pauline’s clients return to her time and time again, with some clients having used Pauline’s services for over a decade. Her wealth of knowledge in Conveyancing means her client’s experience a seamless property transaction and feel well informed throughout the whole process.
“Wolferstans has been great to work with throughout the conveyancing process. Samantha Loveridge was always professional, fast to respond and did a great job at chasing everything up.” -HR
Wolferstans’ philosophy is to deliver a high-quality service in a friendly and personal manner, providing a service that is bespoke to each client, so their specific needs are met, and their expectations exceeded. Their supportive and knowledgeable expertise is particularly beneficial to first-time buyers. The housing market has never been so competitive so having the best advice from these highly experienced experts is crucial to getting young buyers onto the property ladder. Roughly 35% of their clients are first time buyers, so catering to these individuals is a high priority.
Buying your first home is incredibly exciting but can also feel quite nerve-wracking, thankfully the team at Wolferstans are on hand to ensure you feel confident in sailing through the process by keeping you well informed throughout, providing expert guidance and giving you all the information you need to make well-informed decisions along the way.
One of their most popular services for first-time buyers includes the Help to Buy Scheme, the popularity of which is at an all-time high. This scheme helps first-time buyers get onto the property ladder by providing a loan towards the cost of purchasing a new build, you can borrow a minimum of 5% and a maximum of 20% of the full price of a newly-built home. With house prices growing at the fastest rate in 17 years and hitting record-high costs, it is schemes like this that provide a lifeline to hopeful homeowners and Wolferstans can lead you through the process in a way that is easy to understand.
“Their friendly and immediate response was a breath of fresh air. We consider this company to provide an excellent service and charges to match.” -KB
Another beneficial scheme that can help first-time buyers get onto the property ladder is the Shared Ownership scheme. Also known as ‘part buy part rent’, this is a type of transaction that offers prospective homeowners the opportunity to purchase a share in a newly built home. The share you will own is usually between 25% and 75% and it is this part that you pay towards a mortgage, the remaining amount is paid as rent to a housing association. This is a great scheme for people who may not have a large deposit to go towards a full mortgage and it also provides the opportunity for your credit rating to improve over time as it shows that you can afford to pay a full mortgage when the time is right for you to move on. Because of this, it makes it a more beneficial alternative to renting.
These are only just a few ways that Wolferstans can assist in purchasing a property, but thanks to their extensive knowledge and experience in conveyancing you can feel secure in their ability to guide you through any property purchase or sale. To make the process as quick and smooth as possible, Samantha recommends prioritising your proof of funds so you’re ready to proceed. Wolferstans’ fees are competitive and affordable making their services accessible while still providing advice that is high quality for such an important purchase.
The demand for housing has never been so high so they strive to make the process as quick and smooth as possible. During lockdown, searches could take anywhere between 12 to 16 weeks, but this has thankfully reduced to 5 weeks. Currently, to complete the full transaction it is generally taking between 8 to 10 weeks. If you’re looking to downsize your property then it is a great time to sell, thanks to the housing prices being at an all-time high. Buyers are often offering well above the guide price to secure a property due to the vast numbers of people looking to buy a home, the competition is fierce, so you stand to see a great return on selling your home.
“They were very proactive in sending through all the documentation quickly and efficiently. We were able to telephone them at any time for help and advice.” -KB
We recommend Wolferstans for all your conveyancing needs, they are approachable from the get-go and their emphasis on providing a friendly and professional service has led to them being featured in The Times Best Law Firms 2022. Over 50% of their clients have already worked with them before, and they continue to return to the firm as they trust them to get the job done efficiently while continuing to be a pleasure to work with.
They are also very excited to announce that they are working to introduce a new app/portal in the near future which will be incredibly useful for streamlining the whole process of going through a property transaction.
Contacting Wolferstans is incredibly easy, feel free to walk into one of their branches to have a chat with one of their team, there is no need to make an appointment. You can also call their office to speak to one of their experts or contact them through their website, which is also full of fantastic information on all of the services they provide.
