It maybe that you are considering selling your home to gain more space by upsizing to a larger property. It could also be that you are thinking about downsizing? A change in circumstance, such as your children having flown the nest, or maybe you are simply choosing to downsize during retirement.

An experienced local estate agent will be able to discuss the local market conditions with you, the expected value of your home, costs and timescales involved in moving.

Before you sell your house, you’ll want to get a rough idea of how much it is worth? This will also help you calculate how much money will be left if you have a current mortgage to repay. Review your current mortgage paperwork or speak to your lender, check if you will have to pay any early repayment charges for switching your mortgage to another lender. It is sometimes possible to take your current mortgage deal with you to a new property, this process is known as porting.

If you’re planning to move to a more expensive property or your mortgage deal is coming to an end, there may be an opportunity to remortgage to a better deal. We can put you in touch with an independent mortgage broker, they will be able to assist and answer any questions you may have. At these early stages, any figures quoted will be approximate only. You won’t know how much you will sell for at this point. A precise redemption, (the amount outstanding) regarding your existing mortgage will only become available once a completion date is agreed and you have exchanged contracts.

This can be dependent on market conditions and can have an element of risk. It may also offer a potential gain dependent on market conditions. If you choose to sell and initially move into rental accommodation it will reduce the critical time pressure on buying a new home. It will however add further expense whilst you rent and look for your next home.

If you do rent it will mean you will have more time to find your next home, you will therefore not feel the pressure of buying a home that may not suit you entirely. The decision to move into rental accommodation will also make you more attractive to a potential buyer as you will be able to offer a{' '} No Chain Sale.

Our advice here is to use a Local Estate Agent who knows the area, can express the features and benefits of not just your home but also your home’s location. If you do choose to use a local estate agent, research which one to choose. Decide what you want from an agent? Is it a personal service where you are communicated with on a regular basis? Or are you happy being one of many properties an agent is trying to sell, inevitably this may lead to a lesser level of communication.

Consider an agents experience in your area, what is their specialised area of business? Do they just specialise in property sales? If the answer is{' '} YES then they can focus solely on the sale of properties with no other areas of focus.

What have they sold previously close to your home? How quickly do they sell homes in your area? What are their service standards? Do they escort the viewings? Do they provide feedback? If so in what form and how soon? Will they qualify all buyers prior to viewing your home? How consistent are they in their approach to handling an offer when received? It is critical that the correct staff member deals with any offer, this will improve the chances of agreeing a sale price at a figure you are happy with. Will they assist with progressing the sale and update you accordingly? This is a skilled role; It requires a staff member with many year's experience to become fully competent in this area. If experienced then they will be able to deal with any issue that may arise during your sale. You will need to agree a fee with the estate agent: Estate Agents Fee’s vary and may or may not include all elements of marketing. Ask the agent to confirm what is included and what is payable as an extra.

When it comes time to appointing an estate agent, read any contract carefully, consider any additional charges, the length of the contract and how long are you tied to an agent for? We believe in being open and transparent regarding contracts. We are also happy to offer any advice needed. It maybe you are currently on the market with another agent and have already signed a contract and are unsure of any terms, if this is the case then we are happy to review this with you.

An energy performance certificate (EPC) is a document that rates properties in terms of their energy efficiency. Homeowners need to provide an EPC to potential buyers when they are selling their home. There is a small cost in obtaining this report. Before you place a property for sale you will need to have at least applied for an Energy Performance Certificate. You can order your own Energy Performance Certificate should you wish? We can also order this on your behalf.

By preparing your home for viewings, it may help you sell faster and make it more valuable to a potential buyer. Tidy up, get rid of excess clutter and try to keep the house clean and tidy whilst the house is on the market. A potential buyer could request a viewing at short notice, you will want your home looking it’s best.

Don’t forget how important kerb appeal is, many buyers may do a cursory drive past the property, prior to requesting a viewing. Having great kerb appeal is critically important to the success of any marketing.

You need to choose a conveyancing solicitor to handle the legal work involved in selling a property. This can be done either before or after you accept an offer, we recommend this is done beforehand, it will save time once you have accepted an offer.

There are options with conveyancers, there are both local, out of county and online conveyancing firms. Our own advice would be to use a local conveyancer, they will have local knowledge and may well have dealt with other properties in your immediate area. We are happy to offer advice regarding this and can put you in touch with some local firms, they will be able to provide you with quotations for your sale and potential onward purchase.

You receive an offer on your home. Your estate agent is legally required to report all offers to you, regardless of the amount. A good agent will re qualify your potential buyer at this stage, and carry out any further checks required to confirm the buyers position, negotiations then begin, your agent will handle this and discuss with you. Once you are happy with an offer, you need to formally accept it and confirm this with your agent.

Remember that even once an offer has been accepted it is not legally binding, you or your buyer can change your minds during the legal transaction up to the point of exchange of contracts. A skilled agent will now help you through the sales process and assist in sorting out any issues that may arise, liaising with all parties.

When you exchange contracts with a buyer, you become legally committed to selling the property, likewise your buyer is legally committed to buying it from you. Even though you have legally exchanged and sold your home you are responsible for looking after it until the sale has completed. It is recommended that you ensure that the buildings and contents insurance is still in place until completion.

Completion is the day all parties have been waiting for, the property changes ownership, payment is made, and the keys are handed over. The agent normally handles this handover of keys. This day can be a little stressful, it takes place on a previously agreed date and usually around midday, however this can happen sooner or later dependent on several factors.

On completion day, the completion monies are transferred, any deeds for the property are transferred between the solicitors or conveyancers who have dealt with the legal transaction. Your solicitor or conveyancer will then register the transfer of ownership with Land Registry.

Prior to completion, your solicitor or conveyancer will send you a final account. This account will show their costs and disbursements, the sale price of the house, any associated estate agency fees and any redemption fee for the mortgage.

If you are buying and selling and this happens simultaneously the conveyancing solicitor will finalise both transactions at the same time, including paying any stamp duty that may be due for the house you are buying.