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Selling your home

Top tips to sell your home

Selling your home can be stressful. But there are ways to reduce the stress and to pave the way for a smooth journey.

The right estate agent can make the world of difference to how quickly you sell your property and even during the conveyancing process.

Search online, on websites such as www.rightmove.co.uk and www.zoopla.co.uk, to give yourself an idea of which estate agents are popular in your area. Look at similar properties in your area and you’ll see a realistic asking price. Discuss the asking price with the estate agent when they come to value your house. It’s worth making appointments with two or three local agents to decide who you prefer to leave in charge of your property sale.

If any of your friends and colleagues have moved recently or are thinking of moving, have a chat with them. They may be able to point you in the direction of a good estate agent. Look for estate agents’ sale boards in the area, as these may help you to choose a good estate agent.

REMEMBER: A good estate agent will manage your expectations and advise you on a realistic asking price.

Leasehold or freehold?

This is an important distinction that remains confusing, even after having already bought a property. The difference between a freehold and leasehold has a significant impact on what you are actually selling. Our experienced team are on hand to take you through the entire conveyancing process, from instruction to completion and beyond.

A freehold sale means that you pass ownership of the building and the land it is built upon to your buyer on completion.

Here is how a typical freehold sale might proceed with us once you have instructed:

  • Preparing and issuing draft contracts plus all supporting documentation to your buyer’s solicitors.
  • Receiving and dealing with the buyer’s solicitor’s legal enquiries with your assistance.
  • Obtaining mortgage redemption figures, if required.
  • Carrying out the exchange of contracts.
  • Redeeming any mortgages in situ.
  • Sending any balance monies, in accordance with your instructions.

A leasehold sale means that your buyer only owns the building itself (rather than the land it is on) or a specific part of it and is only the owner for a set period. It is up to the buyer to familiarise themselves with this process. 

Here is how a typical leasehold sale might proceed with us once you have instructed:

  1. Preparing draft contracts and issuing these, plus all supporting documentation to your buyer's solicitors.
  2. Receiving and dealing with the buyer’s solicitors legal enquiries with your assistance.
  3. Obtaining mortgage redemption figures if required.
  4. Liaising with you and the landlord/management company with regards to the apportionments of service charge and ground rent that may be owed.
  5. Carrying out the exchange of contracts.
  6. Redeeming any mortgages in situ.
  7. Sending any balance monies in accordance with your instructions.

Please note, when selling a Leasehold property, you will be responsible for paying for the Management/Landlord pack.

To obtain the completed LPE1 pack you will need to contact the Landlord/Management Company. The pack will include all the information related to the management of a building.

Planning ahead is essential if you’re looking for a smooth house sale. You will need to prepare for your move in a number of ways, including:

  1. Obtaining your mortgage account number. This will be on your last annual statement.
  2. Locating your deeds, particularly if the property is not yet registered at HM Land Registry. Please see our advice regarding an unregistered property
  3. Making sure that you have all relevant papers, including:

    • covenant consents
    • planning permission
    • building regulation approval
    • Guarantees
    • FENSA certificates
    • Gas Safe Certificates
    • HETAS certificates
    • electrical certificates, and
    • accounts relating to amenity charges or service charges.

    These documents will help you to complete the Property Information Form accurately when your conveyancer sends it to you.

    REMEMBER: If you can’t find all the documents, stay calm! Even if you did not realise that covenant consent, planning permission or building regulation approval was required for any works carried out, conveyancers acting for buyers will often accept indemnity insurance.

  4. Contact any managing agents to see how much they charge for issuing management packs.
  5. Decide which items are included in the sale, which are not, and which you would be prepared to sell for an additional price. This will help you to complete the Fittings and Contents Form. These include any contents in the property including white goods, curtains and carpets.

Budget for all the costs and fees relating to your sale, and not just your legal fees. The costs and fees will include the mortgage repayment (including any early repayment charge), estate agents’ fees, any fees payable for management packs, the costs of obtaining duplicate documents, indemnity insurance premiums, conveyancing fees and removal costs.

Get a recommended conveyancer to help you sell your property.

Speak to friends, family and colleagues, to see if they can recommend a good conveyancer. You need to have confidence in your conveyancer. A good conveyancer will ensure that your property sale goes as smoothly as possible. The process will involve form filling, information gathering, telephone calls and emails. You will be speaking to your conveyancer a lot during the process. Your conveyancer will be able to reassure you and address any concerns that you have.

When selling your home it is important to ensure your will is up to date so your assets would be distributed as you wish should anything happen to you.

Ask for a free conveyancing quote by calling our conveyancing team on 0113 320 5000.

See here to find out what other services we offer at our Leeds solicitors.

Client feedback

I would definitely highly recommend the efficiency & good communication thry have & have had several properties successfully completed with
Mr H
Excellent local solicitors would recommend. You can call in the office car parking available and receptionists very helpful if you need help. Dealt with them before, excellent.
Ian
Winston Solicitors was recommended to me, as this was my first time buying a house and didn’t know what to expect. They made the process very easy and I did not have to worry about any of the process as I got to track it every step of the way. Samantha also kept me updated and any queries were replied to promptly. I will definitely be using again in the future and recommend everyone I know.
Mr Michel
I can’t speak highly enough of Sidraa at Winston Solicitors for her exceptional support throughout my house purchase. From start to finish, she has been absolutely brilliant. Her prompt responses, attention to detail, and professionalism made a stressful process feel manageable and smooth. This is actually the second time I’ve used Winston Solicitors, and once again, they have been great. Consistent, reliable, and professional and Sidraa in particular truly went above and beyond. She was always kind, polite, and incredibly approachable, nothing ever felt like too much trouble. Even when dealing with a particularly difficult chain and the added pressure of a new stamp duty deadline, she worked tirelessly to get everything done on time. She responded to queries even out of hours, always called back when she said she would, and genuinely made me feel like a priority. What really stood out to me was her dedication — despite having preplanned annual leave for Eid, she still tried to keep things moving, which shows how committed she is to her clients. Her communication was clear and consistent, and she made a complex process feel a lot less daunting. I felt fully supported and in safe hands throughout. If you're looking for a solicitor who is professional, caring, and truly exceptional at what she does, Sidraa at Winston Solicitors is the one to go to. I’m incredibly grateful for everything she did and wouldn’t hesitate to work with her again or recommend her to others. - April 2025
I Younas, Leeds
I would really like to thank both Amr and his assistant Joe. Throughout the whole process they kept me informed, nothing was ever too much. I am a first time buyer, this was a very stressful time but both members of staff made me feel at ease that it would get sorted. Thank you so much both!
Y Hinton, Leeds
Leasa and Julie were fantastic at helping us buy and sell our house. They were punctual, and kept us up to date with what was going on. Their online platform was clear to follow. Leasa's email response time was rapid, this was incredibly valuable. - March 2025
J Salthouse, Leeds
Superb service from a knowledgeable and professional team.The sale of my property was as far from straight forward as you could get, yet they handled everything perfectly. This made the process less stressful as i had the confidence in them to get it sorted!
Amy
2nd time using Winstons. 1st time was for a purchase and 2nd time was for a Sale. Sidra and Tom kept me updated at each stage of the process. We're very prompt in their responses and completed both times in a timely manner. Would highly recommend for conveyancing services
Farhana
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