When selling your home, you undoubtedly would prefer the sale to go ahead as smoothly and speedily as possible – especially if you need the funds unlocked by the sale to purchase your new home.
Any delay in the sale can cost you money and stress, as well as potentially putting the purchase of your new home in jeopardy. The key to avoiding delays is having the right support and planning in place, including being aware of the most common issues which can delay your sale and what you need to do to avoid them.
Not choosing a conveyancer fast enough
Many people make the mistake of waiting until they have an offer on their home before instructing a conveyancing solicitor. If you instead choose a conveyancer as soon as you decide to sell your home, they can begin preparing for the sale process before you have an offer in place e.g. preparing all of the key documents you will need.
This means that as soon you have an offer, your conveyancer can get the ball rolling on the sale straightaway, saving valuable time and allowing you to complete the sale faster.
Failing to sort out documents properly
During the process of selling your home, there are various documents you will need to supply to the buyer, including a questionnaire covering issues such the property boundaries, noisy neighbours and any proposed developments, and a draft contract of sale. Getting these documents sorted out and sent to the buyer as quickly as possible will help to keep the sale moving forward quickly.
It is also important to make sure they are produced as accurately as possible and that any potential issues the buyer or their solicitor might spot are anticipated and accounted for. If you or your solicitor make a mistake or miss something that the buyer or their conveyancer spot, sorting this out can significantly delay the sale.
Disagreement over what is included in the sale
The contract of sale should make clear everything that is included in the sale so the buyer knows exactly what they are getting. It is not uncommon for a seller to remove something from the property in the time between exchange of contracts and completion that the buyer assumed was included in the sale e.g. fixtures and fittings, valuable plants from the garden etc.
If the buyer becomes aware that items have been removed from the property that they believed they were buying as part of the sale, they may not be willing to complete the purchase until this is resolved.
To avoid such confusion, if there is anything in the property you intend to take with you that the buyer might reasonably assume is included in the sale, it may be a good idea to specify this in the contract. Your conveyancer should be able to advise you on these matters, helping to avoid any negative impact on the sale process.
Choose a reliable conveyancing firm for a fast, stress-free sale
Bird & Co Solicitors is a long-established law firm offering conveyancing services for properties across England and Wales from our 3 East Midlands offices. Our highly experienced residential property team can make selling your home as fast, straightforward and stress-free as possible.
We are accredited by the Law Society’s Conveyancing Quality Scheme, meaning you can be sure that we operate to the highest possible standards and can provide fast, efficient and cost-effective conveyancing for selling any property.
To find out more about our conveyancing services, call us today on 01476 591711 or use our contact page to find details of your nearest Bird & Co office.
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