If you’re buying another property, it’s also worth talking to your current mortgage lender to check if you will have to pay any early repayment charges or ‘porting’ fees for transferring it to a new property.

Other costs to consider include the following:

• Stamp duty
• EPC fees
• Conveyancing charges
• Removal costs
• Agent fees

Prepare your property for sale

To make the right impression with potential buyers and to add extra value to the property, you should ensure everything looks as good as possible.

Starting inside, clean up as much as possible and remove anything unnecessary that makes the place look messy or uninviting. When buyers organise a viewing, they will want to project their own vision onto the space, so to leave the best impression, it must look as clean and inviting as possible.

Fix any issues around the home, like broken switches, light fixings, cracks, and holes – also, consider redecorating with neutral colours to make the place more appealing to a broader audience of buyers.

If the property has a garden, this should be cleared and decluttered. Gardens are a great selling feature that can add value to the final sale price, so clear pathways, pull out weeds and repair any broken fences or gates.

We offer full marketing of your property via our website, property portals, Facebook, in-house displays and more. We also have an extensive database of buyers which we can search for suitable buyers.

Property viewings

Interested buyers will want to visit and view your property in person to determine if it’s right for them. The agent we assign to your property sale will handle all your viewings at the prospective buyer’s convenience.

You can choose to attend the viewing as well or just let us handle the process. If you decide to attend, we will ensure all viewings take place at a time most suitable to both you and the buyers.

If you decide not to participate, we will keep you updated on any developments or feedback throughout the viewing process.

Instruct a conveyancer or solicitor

Every property sale requires the involvement of either a conveyancer or solicitor to deal with the legal aspects of the process.

Make sure to compare a few different quotes and investigate their reviews before deciding on whom to entrust to handle the legal process. They should provide an overview of how much the entire process will cost. However, sometimes they may only be able to offer an estimate as charges tend to be based on the amount of work required, which can only be adequately assessed as the sale progresses.

We work alongside some highly reputable conveyancers and can connect you with them if required.

Review and accept an offer

Once viewings start to take place, you will also begin receiving offers. All offers will be made in writing from the buyer and passed over to you. Sometimes, we may request proof of funds from the buyer and proof of an agreement in principle from the buyers’ mortgage lender. We will also establish if there is a chain in place with the buyer.

You may be lucky and receive the offer you are looking for quickly, or you may want to hold on to see if you can achieve a little more. Some offers may come in low in an attempt to negotiate, and we will advise on the right approach for these offers. To avoid a long, drawn-out process, the safest buyers tend to be those outside a property chain (not dependent on selling their own property before they can buy yours). First-time buyers will also be chain-free; anyone who has sold subject to a contract and is waiting for an exchange is also a good option.

This is also an excellent time to ask us for any advice, as we can help you get the best possible price from the available offers. Of course, you always have the option not to sell and wait until you receive an offer you are happy with, but the property market is constantly changing, so there is no guarantee that waiting for longer will see overall prices increase.

Once all negotiations are complete and the sale has been agreed upon, we will send out a memorandum of sale to your solicitor and the buyer’s solicitor.

Draw up the draft contract

Your conveyancer will be able to put together a draft contract between you and the buyer based on any terms you have agreed to.

This will include things like the period between the exchange of contracts and the completion date (typically 7-28 days after the exchange).

If any fixtures or fittings are included in the sale, these will also have to be put into the contract, along with any reductions that have been offered as a result of issues flagged during the survey conducted by the buyer.

Exchange contracts and move out

Once the contracts have been drawn up, reviewed, agreed to, and signed by both parties, the contracts can now be exchanged.

At this point. the sale becomes legally binding, and the buyer is committed to the property purchase. If, for any reason, you decide not to sell, you must return the deposit to the buyer, and they could also take you to court.

You can start to organise your possessions and prepare to move out, with the completion date being the final day you can leave. You must also ensure the property is left in the condition agreed to in the contract.

Complete your property sale

The final stage occurs when the funds are transferred to your account via the conveyancers. and the keys are handed over to the new owners.

Property deeds are also transferred between conveyancers, and they will finalise the change in ownership with the Land Registry.

They will then be able to settle the final bill, which could also involve a refund if the process was more straightforward than anticipated, and less work was required as a result. You will also settle the final transaction amount with us too. Congratulations, your property sales process is complete!

If you are looking to sell property in North West London, our Willesden based property sales agents have over two decades of experience in helping clients successfully sell their properties.