Vendors' guide

Arrange a property valuation

Before selling your property, you will need to understand its current market value. A property valuation will provide a guide price for putting the property on the market.

Selecting and appointing an estate agent

Finding an experienced estate agent with expertise in your area will help you to sell your property. The right estate agent will be able to provide useful advice throughout the process. They will be skilled in negotiating and will have the means to market your property to the right audience. The selling process will require a lot of communication between you and your chosen estate agent. To best understand their knowledge of the market and determine rapport to be comfortable working with them, you will need to spend time speaking to agents in person. Asking friends for recommendations, looking in the windows of local estate agents and visiting their websites are also useful ways to get a feel for the quality of service that the agents provide.

Advertising your property

Our team of specialists will create your advert, take professional photographs and draw up floorplans in just one visit. Once you are satisfied, your property will be listed on our website and on all major UK portals, where the majority of buyers begin their search.

Viewings and offers

Sit back and let us take care of viewings where we can use our expertise to help sell your property. Receive feedback from potential buyers and notification of offers as soon as they are put forward.

Instructing a property solicitor

A property solicitor, or conveyancer, undertakes the necessary specialised, legal work required during the property selling process. Appointing a property solicitor at the point you put your property on the market can significantly speed up the process and reduce some of the stress.

What documents are required?

When selling a property there are a number of documents that will need to be in order. As the seller you will need to gather the following yourself:

• Proof of identity: you will need to show your solicitor a passport or driving licence and proof of address such as a utility bill or bank statement
• Property title deeds: if you do not have these, then the solicitor you instructed when you bought your current property or your mortgage lender might. Your solicitor will also need to obtain official copies of your title deeds from the Land Registry
• Fittings and contents form (TA10): this form clearly indicates what is included in the sale of the property. It’s broken down on a room by room basis, and includes items such as the fridge and shower curtain, for example. If relevant, it also covers any items in outdoor areas, such as greenhouses, sheds, trees and washing lines.
• Property information form (TA6): as the seller, you will be required to complete this form. The questions included in the form relate to:
  • Boundaries: this will include the position of the boundaries and who is responsible for the upkeep of a fence or hedge
  • Disputes and complaints: this could include any ongoing disputes with neighbours
  • Notices and proposals: this will include any letters from neighbours, or local authorities regarding proposed development in the vicinity
  • Alterations, planning and building control: this will include any major building work that has been carried out on the property, such as an extension or new windows. It will also include the building’s listed status, if relevant
  • Guarantees and warrantees: this may be for the building itself, if it is very new, or may be related to the new roof, for example
  • Insurance: this will give the prospective buyer an understanding of how much it is likely to cost to insure the property and whether there are any anomalies
  • Environmental matters: among other things this covers any flooding risks, the presence of Japanese knotweed and also refers to the EPC
  • Rights and informal arrangements: among other things, this may include shared access and chancel repair
  • Parking: this will inform the prospective buyer as to whether or not there is off road parking, or a garage etc.
  • Other charges: this might include lease expenses for leasehold properties, and maintenance costs for blocks of flats or gated communities
  • Occupiers: this lets the prospective buyer know whether anyone is living in the property and will continue to do so after completion
  • Services: this relates to the condition of the central heating and electrical wiring, among other things
  • Connection to utilities and services: this section specifically refers to the suppliers of gas, electricity and water to the property and the location of the relevant meters
  • Transaction information: this should include whether, as a seller, you are also looking to buy another property. It will also include any special requirements around moving dates
• Copies of documents referenced in the property information form, such as a Building Regulations sign off or FENSA certificates for replacement windows
• Leasehold / shared freehold documents: if the property is leasehold then a copy of the lease will be required. If the property retains a share of the freehold then the relevant documents will be required, such as the Share Certificate if there has been a company set up to manage the freehold
• Management Information Pack: this is obtained either by the seller or by the seller’s solicitor from the freeholder or managing agent, if the property is leasehold. The pack can take several weeks to arrive so it is vital it is paid for (by the seller) and ordered as early as possible in the selling process
• Energy Performance Certificate (EPC): an EPC needs to be included when a property is sold. These certificates assess the property’s energy use and CO2 impact. If you do not have an EPC, your estate agent should be able to recommend a qualified assessor

Agreeing the sale, exchanging contracts and completing

When a prospective buyer is ready to make an offer, they will contact your estate agent. Each offer is considered based on the amount offered and the buyer’s position.

When a prospective buyer is ready to make an offer, they will contact your estate agent. Each offer is considered based on the amount offered and the buyer’s position. A buyer may increase their offer more than once and negotiation may be required before an agreement is made.

It is important to remember that until contracts are exchanged, the agreement is not yet legally binding and either party can still pull out from the transaction up to this point.

When an offer is accepted a memorandum of sale is usually issued to set out the details of the transaction and to declare both parties’ intent to complete the transaction. This will usually require you to take the property off the market however this should be discussed with your agent.

The buyer will arrange for a surveyor to inspect the property. This is usually done on behalf of the mortgage lender when a mortgage is required or the buyer may appoint their own surveyor. If the survey shows that the property requires significant work, or there is a down valuation, renegotiation may be required. At this stage, you may need to obtain quotes for the required work and balance the cost effectiveness of paying for the work yourself against accepting a reduced offer.

During this period the buyer’s solicitor will carry out any necessary searches, and both solicitors will draft contracts. The contracts will reference the following:

• The agreed price
• Property boundaries
• Any fixtures and fittings which are included in the price
• Any planning restrictions
• Any legal restrictions placed on the property
• Any public thoroughfares that pass over the land
• The property’s services
• A date of completion
• The completion date included in the contract should be mutually agreed by all parties in the property chain.

Exchanging contracts

When both parties are satisfied with the contracts, they are signed and exchanged. It is at this point that you are bound by law to sell the property to the buyer and the buyer is legally obliged to proceed with the purchase.

The buyer’s solicitor will contact the Land Registry Office to arrange for the deeds to be transferred into the buyer’s name, and the deposit will be transferred to you solicitor.

Completing

On the date of completion the money will be transferred from buyer to seller up the chain via the solicitors.

Providing the buyer’s money has been transferred, this is the date they can access the property so you will need to vacate the property and arrange for the keys to be handed to the buyer. It is common to leave the keys with the estate agent for the new owner to collect. Once the estate agent has been advised by the solicitor that all necessary funds have been transferred, they are then instructed that the keys may be released.