Selling your home

1. Choose your estate agent carefully. The cheapest fees quoted will not necessarily be the best agent for you, nor will the agent who has valued your property the highest. A good estate agent can assist greatly throughout your transaction by contacting other parties in the chain and arranging estimates etc.
2. You should collate and pass to us any relevant documents a Buyer may need as planning permissions, building regulation certificates, guarantees and warranties.
3. When selling a property the term ‘buyer beware’ applies. You are not obliged to inform the Buyer of any physical defects. However, if you are asked, you must be honest. If you misrepresent the condition of any appliance or electrical system or the state of the structure for example then the Buyer could sue you if what you have said turns out not to be true. If you know something does not work properly, please say so.
4. It is always best to be honest with your Buyer from the beginning about any disputes you have experienced or any problems you may have had with any neighbour for example. The Sellers Property Information Form will ask you for details. If you do not disclose these and they later come to light after the Buyer has completed then they could sue you for misrepresentation.
5. If you have made any alterations to the property (such as new windows or a new boiler) or built an extension provide copies of any plans, Planning Permissions or Building Regulations to us at the beginning of the process. Copies can always be obtained from the Local Authority but this may cost you money and could take a little time.
6. If you have had any significant structural problems with your property which have been repaired or rectified provide to us copies of all reports you have had and copies of any receipts for work done. It is likely that these repairs will be picked up on the Buyers’ survey in any event and it is better to be open about what you have had done from the beginning.
7. If you are selling a leasehold property then there is a lot more paperwork required by the Buyers’ solicitor. Please give us the contact details of your Landlord or Managing Agents so that we can obtain the Leasehold Information Pack for you. Your landlord and/or Managing Agent will usually charge a fee to produce this pack. Unfortunately, we will not know what this fee is until we have contacted them. Therefore, it is important we are given their details as soon as possible.
8. If you remove any shelves or other fixtures from the walls, make sure that you repair any damage done to the walls. You are contracted to sell your property in the state it was in at exchange of Contracts, so you will be responsible for repairing damage that occurs after this date and before completion takes place.
9. Always make sure you take all your belongings with you on the day of completion this includes removing any rubbish. If you leave things behind (including rubbish) then you are not giving vacant possession of the property and the Buyer can refuse to complete until you have removed any offending items or could sue you afterwards.
10. Never agree a completion date with the Buyer before you have spoken to us. Sometimes the whole process can be very quick but other times, because you are part of a chain or are selling a leasehold property for example, it can take longer.
11. Before you move out check the Fittings and Contents Form you completed and make sure that you leave any items you stated you were leaving. The Form is part of your Contract of sale and so the Buyer is entitled to those items you have stated you are leaving.
12. Always use the estate agent. They are there to sell your property and will help in any way they can to do this. They can chase the progress with the rest of the chain by calling the other agents or solicitors. Keys should be left with the agent.
13. Keep us informed of any specific queries or needs that you may have.

If we know that you have particular requirements, we will endeavour to ensure that they

14. Lastly remain calm, selling your home can be stressful but we are here to help as much as we can. Please call if you have any queries or concerns – don’t let them give you sleepless nights.