Monday
Leaving the house this morning, I marvelled at how glorious the weather was – it was sunny but with a chill in the air. There was no traffic due to the schools being closed and it felt like a day in the holidays. And then I switched on my computer to find two emails, both sent before 8 am, in which the sellers’ solicitor was advising me that the sellers had decided not to proceed with the sale , and another from a doctor advising me that he had made the difficult decision not to proceed with his purchase . Three lost transactions before eight o’clock. And then , the same as last week, no phone calls asking for costs . I did however have one phone call from an old client to say that she had just put her house on the market and would I act for her? #
Absolutely, I said, but followed that up by saying, well it will depend on how far we get before we can go no further due to external influences.
There were none of the usual Monday morning calls from clients who had moved on Friday to say that the loft was full of the seller’s belongings or that the boiler did not work, but only because I just had one purchase completing and we knew the boiler was ok as we had it checked prior to exchange and it was a flat, so there was no loft to empty!
What a difference two weeks can make to how we work. Most firms are now working remotely and on one call, I heard children in the background. A very different way of working in a very different world. But still some people want to move…..
And in the words of Raymond Lindquist – courage is the power to let go of the familiar
Monday evening – update……
The Prime Minister has made his announcement – lockdown – conveyancing is going to become trickier and what do we say to those who have exchanged with completion later this week?
Tomorrow will be an interesting day – it will be tiring and I don’t have the answers to the questions my clients will ask me….
I shall now spend the rest of this evening thinking about what it is likely I will be asked and how I intend to answer. This is something which the College of Law did not prepare me for – it would make a very interesting exam question though….
And back to Charles Dickens at this difficult time – no one is useless in this world who lightens the burdens of others.
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This is written by a real high street conveyancer who wishes to remain anonymous.
