Article written by Hamish McLay.

IPSA Kind Of Magic – Wednesday 7th May at 1pm

Episode title: “Beyond the Buyer’s Pack: There’s More Than You Think”

Behind every successful property transaction is a solicitor juggling client expectations, lender deadlines, paperwork piles, and a calendar that never seems to have enough hours in the day. While the Buyer’s Pack is a critical piece of the puzzle, it’s far from the only one that needs attention.

This week on IPSA Kind Of Magic, we’re talking about everything that sits around the search report. The episode, titled “Beyond the Buyer’s Pack: There’s More Than You Think,” explores how IPSA members don’t just supply searches – they support the people who rely on them.

Gareth Wax is in the chair as always, joined by Jackie Dyson and Ryan Hobson – two experienced voices from within the IPSA community. Jackie has been a guiding presence over the last two episodes, helping us explore the content and structure of Buyer’s Packs. Ryan, co-founder of Elan Technology, brings practical insight into the service side of search provision and how a small shift in support can have a big impact on case progress.

Over the last two weeks, we’ve looked at what’s inside a Buyer’s Pack – and how its contents can vary depending on where the property is, who the lender is, and what kind of risks are associated with the transaction. In some areas, a mining report is standard. Elsewhere, it’s all about flood risk or planning constraints. IPSA members are often the ones helping solicitors spot those regional differences early on and recommending the most relevant reports.

This week, though, we’re taking the conversation a step further.

Now, the spotlight shifts to what happens around the search – the kind of work that doesn’t always make it into the report but makes a huge difference to the solicitor’s workflow. “More than you think” doesn’t mean throwing in extras for the sake of it. It means thoughtful, time-saving actions that reduce delays and support clearer communication.

We’re not conveyancers, and we don’t see the end client – yet we’re often able to help our solicitor clients access the right tools at the right moment. That includes things like AML and Source of Funds checks. While IPSA members don’t carry out these checks themselves, many of us have longstanding partnerships with trusted providers. That means we can help solicitors get set up with a reliable, compliant solution quickly – often saving them the trouble of researching platforms or navigating unfamiliar portals.

And then there’s the supporting paperwork that isn’t always part of a regulated search but still needs to be found. Council-held documents like service charge statements, insurance summaries, or planning histories can slow down a file if no one knows how to obtain them. We can’t always produce these ourselves, but we can often guide solicitors to the right route or take on the task of chasing them down.

It’s also worth saying that one of the most valuable things IPSA members offer is clarity. Sometimes, instructions come through incomplete or imprecise. Sometimes a buyer doesn’t realise what’s missing until a lender flags it. Sometimes there’s just no time to go back and forth. Being able to speak to someone who understands the process and can help refine the request is a genuine time-saver – and we hear from clients all the time that this is where the human touch really counts.

None of this is flashy. Yet it’s the kind of additional support that gets remembered.

In a market where timelines shift suddenly and cases are stacked back to back, a responsive, service-minded search provider can be the difference between a transaction that coasts forward and one that stalls on a missing document or misunderstood requirement. That’s why IPSA members value relationships – not just efficiency. We want our solicitor clients to feel like they have someone in their corner.

The lengths we go to are, as ever, measured. This is the UK, after all – no grandstanding required. We like to think of it as UsubtleK service. Just solid, professional support that keeps things ticking along. There’s real reassurance in knowing your search provider has your back, keeps the records clean, answers the phone, and understands that every delay has a knock-on effect.

This episode of IPSA Kind Of Magic goes out live on Wednesday 7th May at 1pm, and the full recording will be available shortly afterward on YouTube and across the usual podcast platforms.

If you’ve ever wondered what a great search provider does beyond the paperwork – this is a good place to start.

PS:
For content enquiries: hm@searchandconveysolutions.co.uk
For podcast/media info: gareth@mphats.com