Selling a property

There will be several reasons why you are selling a property; maybe you are ready for a larger house as you are planning a family, or maybe your last child has flown the nest and you wish to downsize.  Whatever the reason, we aim to keep your move as stress free as possible, and help you understand the process of selling your home.

The stages involved with a sale of a property are, to some extent, more straight forward than buying a property, and are as follows:-

Stage 1 - Information Gathering 

The first step is for us to understand the property you are looking to sell, and so we will take this opportunity to ask you details about your home. We will usually ask you to complete forms for us to collate all we need, and would ask you to return the information forms to us as quickly as possible so we may prepare and send the contract package to the buyer’s solicitor. For this reason it is often preferable to instruct us even before you have a buyer so we may have everything ready pending a buyer being found.

If we identify any unusual aspects as regards to the title details or the information that you have given to us, we would hope to identify and resolve those issues early on. Some properties do need additional information for example, if the property is leasehold we will need full details of rent payments, maintenance payments, insurance details etc.

To ensure that you are aware of the amount of any outstanding loans on the property, we will request provisional redemption figures from your lender and send copies to you to make sure that you agree with that information before we proceed to exchange contracts.

Once we hold the contract signed by you, we will be ready to exchange. We will need to wait for the buyer to obtain their searches and mortgage offer. Once they, and the rest of any chain are ready, we can then discuss the moving dates and move on to the exchange of contracts.

Stage 2 - Exchanging Contracts

Exchanging of contracts will be done over the telephone, and will legally bind both you and the other parties in the chain to the sale and purchase of the properties. 

Stage 3 – Completion

On the day of completion, you will need to make removal arrangements and contact all the relevant public utilities such as gas, water, electricity, telephone and post office etc.

We will prepare a financial statement showing the monies which ordinarily will be sent to you on the day of completion, or to your bank or building society whichever you prefer.  Remember not to forget to provide us with your forwarding address.  Also, if you have not already done so, we will arrange for you to sign the transfer document.

On the completion date you will vacate the property, generally by 1pm, and we deal with the repayment of any mortgage and the settlement of the estate agents fees on your behalf.

NOTE: The above is only a general guide, please feel free to ask us if you have any queries on the above. Our aim is to make the process of moving as hassle free as possible. It is after all a very stressful time, and paying attention to your concerns is one way of us helping to reduce that stress.

Understanding the process to selling your home is only part of the story; it is also important that you show your home to its best during viewings. You can find out more about these in our Top Tips for Securing a Buyer Guide.  

You can discuss your next move with our teams by contacting us on the phone numbers below, or to find out more about our fees you can use our estimate calculator.

Fareham: 01329 288121
Southampton: 023 8063 9311
Portsmouth:  023 9275 3575
Chandler’s Ford: 023 8071 7467
Waterlooville: 023 9277 6569
Email: conveyancingquote@warnergoodman.co.uk