Most people will be aware that it is a good idea to contact a selection of agents before selling their property to get a good idea of what their home is worth.  Few people think of getting in touch with their solicitor at this stage.

We are here to help guide you through selling your home and if you contact us early we can help your sale proceed with a minimum amount of stress and fuss.

There is a lot of information to be gathered together in order to sell a property and provide everything that a buyer would want to see.  We are here to help make sure that your transaction proceeds smoothly.  In all transactions we will:

• Explain how the process works

• Tell you what documents to find to reduce delays during the transaction

• Give you advice on how to resolve any problems or enquiries which arise during the transaction.

• Identify whether the property is registered or if it is unregistered we can make sure we know the whereabouts of your title deeds so that there are no delays later on.

Where you contact us earlier in the transaction, for example before or at the time the property is placed on the market, we have the opportunity to step into the buyer’s solicitor’s shoes and review all of the information available before a sale is agreed.  By doing this we can identify any gaps, fill in any blanks and help obtain any additional useful documentation.  This helps avoid enquiries and requests for documents at a later stage which can cause delays to your sale.

If any problems are identified we can discuss with you how best to resolve them or at least be prepared to present a workable solution to a prospective buyer and their lender and causing you less worry later on.

What we will need from you:

• Your identity documents –  we have an obligation as part of the anti-money laundering legislation to check the identity of all clients instructing us in property transactions.   We use either an online company to assist securely with our checks or you can attend one of our offices in person with your documents for us to verify.

• An idea of your timescale for moving, we do try to work with your expectations for the timing of the transaction but it is important to bear in mind that parties enter the chain at different times and a chain can progress as fast or as slow as the slowest member in the chain or the last person to join it.

• We will send you some forms to complete which are standard for residential sales.  We would ask that you complete the forms as accurately as you can, we are here to help if there are any points you are unsure of.

• Copies of any planning permissions, building regulation certificates, guarantees and service details for heating systems.

Some further information on selling a home can be found here: https://www.lawsociety.org.uk/public/for-public-visitors/common-legal-issues/selling-a-home