What is the Holy Grail of home moving

It is widely believed that the one thing that estate agents have at the top of their wish list is quicker exchanges, thereby providing less time for transactions to fall through. I, and no doubt many others, would like to know if that widely held belief is true or if there is more to it than that

Assuming that it is true, then how do we go about that Are there solicitors/conveyancers who regularly beat other conveyancers to the exchange finish line If so, how do they keep doing that, do they simply work more efficiently and longer hours or do they provide more information up-front, or are there other reasons that the slower conveyancers could replicate

Many conveyancers that I talk to now claim that they prepare and send out some kind of pre-sale pack (PSP) as early as possible. I am told that the PSP usually contains:

Draft Contract

Copies of the Title

File Plan

Details of any covenants and restrictions etc

Completed Property Information Form

Copy guarantees, planning permissions and building regulation approvals etc

The Holy Grail of home moving seems to be speeding the process up and making it more transparent, which one would assume leads to less stress and a happier home mover. Is it really that simple Would more PSPs equate to more speed and transparency and make the lives of conveyancers, estate agents and then home buying and selling public that much easier and better If so, then surely more conveyancers should adopt that practice

Alternatively, the new Law Society conveyancing portal, Veyo, due to be launched in a matter of weeks, could be the answer. In an article in the Sunday Times this week Veyo, and/or the Law Society, said firms handling about 75% of sales are likely to be updating the portal within a few weeks of it going live.' A very bold statement.

You have probably received an email this week from this very magazine containing the words:

Estate agents will also be able to access the system through the chain view feature, enabling them to check how the property sale or purchase along the whole chain is progressing, reducing time spent keeping buyers or sellers up-to-date and alleviating stress and worry.

Is it true what Jonathan Smithers, vice-president of the Law Society, says:

Even if the portal is used by only one buyer in a chain, it will still save a lot of time.

So what should it be, PSPs, Veyo or other

*Rob Hailstone is Founder of the Bold Legal Group