Four Key Tips to help with Preparing to Sell Your Property

Looking to sell your property?
There are some things you can do, before you put your property on the market which will help the process run as smoothly as possible.

1. Deeds – Nowadays most properties are registered but there are some that are still unregistered. If your property has not been registered at Land Registry and you hold the deeds to the property, or you know that a solicitor or bank holds them for you it is worth finding out exactly where they are and retrieving them so that you are prepared and there is no delay when you do find a buyer.  

2. Certificates and Warranties – if you have had works done to the property, or were passed documentation for works that previous owners carried out whether it be a replacement boiler, windows or a new conservatory then the best thing to do is to collate this information together ready to give to your solicitor as soon as you instruct them. Gathering all of these certificates together at an early stage should help minimise the enquiries raised regarding the works and therefore speed up the transaction.

3. Property Information Form, Leasehold Information Form, and Fixtures, Fittings and Contents Form – there are standard forms that need to be completed when selling a property depending on whether it is freehold or leasehold. These forms are known to take time so it may be worthwhile asking your solicitor for a copy of them in advance. Though this would speed the transaction up, it is always important to update any changes so if there are any, let you solicitor know asap.

4. Completion dates – Ultimately, your sale or purchase may be linked to a whole chain of transactions and no matter how many properties are within the chain, they must all agree to the same date for completion. If you are having surgery, on a long holiday, have a deadline to complete or know about dates in advance that you will not be able to carry out; it would be worthwhile letting any estate agent involved know as well as your solicitor. This will pre-determine everyone’s circumstances early on which will avoid unnecessary disappointment.

The above matters can often help impact the speed of the conveyancing process and encourage a prompt and timely completion with the rest of the chain.

The Thompson Smith and Puxon Residential Property team are here to help with all of your property matters. They can be contacted at the Colchester office on 01206 574431 or the Clacton office on 01255 221919. Alternatively you can send an email to movinghome@tsplegal.com