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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

Great to deal with, quick replies to questions, would definitely recommend.
Megan
This team is really well organised, professional and thorough.My family have now used the Conveyancing service, both as Buyer and Seller, numerous times and have been extremely impressed and satisfied. They use simple and effective tools for great communication so you know the status at anytime and don't have to chase to find out. I would recommend Winston Solicitors without hesitation.
Marnie
I have just purchased my first property and used Winston Solicitors after being recommended by my Mortgage Advisor. I dealt with Samantha and Michelle who were amazing throughout the whole journey. They kept me informed of all steps throughout and responded to any queries in a timely manner. They also had an app where you could see progress and what the next steps would be which helped a lot for someone who didn’t know what to do. From putting my offer in to completed took around 8 weeks (no chain). Would highly recommend and I will definitely use them again in the future.
Mattheuw
Winston Solicitors were absolutely amazing! This was our second time moving house with Leasa and Julie and we genuinely cannot imagine the moving process without them! They were so friendly, kept us up to date throughout the whole process (without any legal jargon!) and kept communication open up and down the chain to ensure we had a quick and easy move (with 5 houses in the chain this was no mean feat!) Leasa and Julie went above and beyond, were always accessible via email and telephone, and there was never any need to “chase” because they were both so on top of everything! Words can’t express our gratitude for all the support they gave us in helping us move to our dream home. Thank you both so much!
Sophie
I'm really pleased with the work done so far,I'm proud and happy to use the Winston solicitors
Omonigho
Winston Solicitors have acted for me on many occasions for the conveyancing of property purchases and remortgages. I can't recommend Leasa Foster and her team enough. They make the transactions run very smoothly. They are clear with the information they provide to me, they are clear with the information they expect from me, and they are very thorough.
Sarah
Sidra is an exceptional solicitor who truly goes above and beyond! From the moment I instructed her, she was proactive, responsive, and incredibly knowledgeable. Her expertise and dedication ensured that my house purchase was handled with utmost care and efficiency. Sidra's professionalism, attention to detail, and friendly demeanor made a potentially stressful process remarkably smooth. I highly recommend Sidra to anyone in need of a reliable and skilled solicitor. Five stars isn't enough - she's truly outstanding!
Qasim
Your services is simply the best. I will always recommend you any day to my friends.
Omonigho
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