Always get your own lawyer. Bank's lawyers usually don't service you that well cuz Bank is bigger customer to them.

I was unlucky enough to get an incompetent one who didn't file at the proper time, delayed the deal by 3 months (costing me 3 months of added costs) and f-ed up my life for a few months. Cost me much less then your fee for similar loan amount.

BTW, there is a law on how much the lawyer can charge you. first 100K got percent, then next 100K got another percent figure. Cannot change one, so better ask if the sodding lawyer is charging you 500 for phones calls and photostats. Maybe includes other fees such as caveat.

Perhaps it is because you go for the special rates that is why you have to go for higher lawyer fee. Wait till they send the evaluators around and charge you another few hundred bucks.

Aiya... everybody kena con wan lah when buying house or car. So many costs they force on you and you have no choice but to pay. You complain no action will be taken, you go court waste more time and money.

Just read your post again. I think you got penalty once the offer letter out and you don't take the offer. Very snake one... go read your offer letter properly. If you want to change lawyers, I can recommend the one I used. Quite fair lah the pricing.

My loan amount was similar to yours. I paid slightly less than 2K. About 1800 like that I think. Inclusive of a few hundred extra for caveat and some document running, fax and telephone calls.

But first, you have to check with your bank if you can use your own lawyer. I'm sure you can because it is unfair of the bank to insist that you use their lawyer as it does not look out for your rights. I think you can report that to the bar council if it happens.

Then your lawyer will contact the bank's lawyer and they will handle the things between them. You pay your lawyer, bank pays their own lawyer unless your offer letter says otherwise. Then you might have to pay both lawyers. Lagi worse. Again, check har before you sign anything.

Is yours a new or second-hand property?Get the previous S&P if you can. Get any land or strata titles too if you can. Get all the bills - water, letrik, bandaraya, see-hang charges too (Indah Water lah). Get all receipts of downpayment, bank offer letter, etc, etc ready. If you want to take EPF money better start checking procedure too.

Conclusion: First find out if you can appoint your own lawyer before you ask me to spend time and money calling my lawyer. I mean, lets be fair lah, I oso very busy.

Once confirm OK, PM me your full name and phone number and I will arrange for my lawyer to call you right back. You will have to go to both lawyers to sign some documents, but other than that everything else can be handled by despatch (you'll be charged in some instances)

---

Added on March 26, 2007, 7:42 pmActually ah... 3K is an OK price if you have to bear the lawyer cost for the bank as well. Best is to go for the package with no lawyer fee, but have to pay a bit higher interest.

If your package hv to pay lawyer, then you appoint another lawyer.. end up paying two sets of lawyers very mahal one.

This post has been edited by the65thsquare: Mar 26 2007, 07:42 PM

At least you have the patience to pursue the matter. I so fedup I just didn't bother to waste time chasing or writing complaints. Already stressed enough from all that crap.

Lawyers like small kids like that. Have to look over their shoulder, call them all the time and remind them what needs to be done... I oso wonder why we are paying them anything at all in the first place.