Selling a home is a lot of small steps that add up to one big one. Here’s how it works with us, in the order it happens, so you know what’s coming and what you can get ready early.
Find out what your home is worth
Everything starts with a valuation. One of our valuers will come round, look at the size, condition and layout of your home, and compare it with what has actually sold nearby, not just what’s on the market. You’ll get a recommended asking price in writing, and an honest view of how quickly homes like yours are selling.
If you’d like a rough figure first, our instant valuation gives you an estimate in a couple of minutes. It’s a useful starting point, but it can’t see your new kitchen or the view from the garden, so a visit always gives the truer picture. When you’re ready, book a free valuation. There’s no obligation to sell.
Get your paperwork together
Doing this before you go on the market saves weeks later. You’ll need:
- An Energy Performance Certificate (EPC). It’s a legal requirement before your home can be advertised. Certificates last ten years, so check whether you already have a valid one. If not, we can arrange it.
- Proof of ID and address. Agents and solicitors must check who they’re acting for under the anti money laundering rules, so have your passport or driving licence and a recent bill to hand.
- Your property’s details. Tenure (freehold or leasehold), council tax band, and for a leasehold home, the lease length, ground rent and service charge. These now have to appear in the listing itself.
- Certificates and guarantees. Window certificates, boiler service records, electrical certificates, and any planning permission or building regulations sign off for extensions or loft conversions.
Get your home ready for photos
Your photos do most of the work online, so it pays to spend an afternoon on them. Clear the worktops, put away the clutter, open the curtains and fix the small jobs you’ve been meaning to get round to. A dripping tap or a broken handle won’t stop a sale, but buyers notice them, and they make a home feel less cared for than it is.
We take the photos and draw up the floorplan, then your home goes live on our website and the major property portals. Anyone registered with us for property alerts who is looking for a home like yours hears about it straight away.
Viewings
We’ll arrange the viewings around you. Whoever shows buyers round, a few things help:
- Keep the heating comfortable and the lights on, even in the day.
- Let some fresh air in before people arrive.
- Give buyers space to talk. They’ll tell us what they really think, and that feedback is useful to you.
After each viewing we’ll come back to you with what the buyer said, good or bad.
Offers
When an offer comes in, we pass it on to you promptly and in writing, which is something every agent must do. We’ll also tell you what sits behind it, because the highest number isn’t always the strongest offer. We check:
- Whether the buyer has a mortgage agreed in principle, or proof they can pay in cash.
- Whether they have a home to sell first, and how far along that sale is.
- How soon they’re hoping to move.
You decide whether to accept, decline or come back with a counter offer. We’ll give you our honest view, but the decision is always yours.
Sale agreed
Once you accept an offer, your home is marked Sold STC (subject to contract) and we send a memorandum of sale to both solicitors. That’s the point the legal work, called conveyancing, begins. If you haven’t chosen a solicitor yet, now is the time. Ask us if you’d like a recommendation.
During this stage:
- Your solicitor sends the buyer’s solicitor a draft contract and the property information forms you fill in.
- The buyer’s solicitor carries out searches with the council and others, and raises any questions.
- The buyer’s lender values the property, and the buyer may arrange their own survey.
- We keep in touch with everyone in the chain and chase anything that stalls, so you’re not left wondering what’s happening.
Exchange of contracts
When both sides are happy, the solicitors exchange contracts. This is the moment the sale becomes legally binding. The buyer pays their deposit, and the completion date is fixed. Until exchange, either side can still walk away, which is why keeping things moving matters.
Completion and moving day
On completion day, the buyer’s money reaches your solicitor, your solicitor confirms it, and we hand the keys over. It’s usually done by early afternoon. Our moving day checklist covers the last couple of weeks before you go.
