How to Sell a House
Selling your house can feel complicated. That complexity stems from one key factor: the legal process in England and Wales is non-binding until contracts are actually exchanged, making it slow and fragile. The stress mostly comes from not knowing what happens next, or when.
We have broken the entire sale down into seven clear steps. We show you exactly how to tackle the legal steps involved in selling a house, the biggest cause of delays, and provide you with proven tips on how to sell quickly to keep your chain moving.
Step 1: Check your finances and get a valuation
Before you even instruct an estate agent, you must understand your finances and get a realistic valuation. Addressing these two points early prevents delays and costly mistakes later in the process.
Your mortgage strategy
If you have a mortgage, your first call is to your lender or a mortgage broker. This is not about getting a new mortgage, but understanding the financial penalty of selling now.
- Early Repayment Charge (ERC): If you are on a fixed-rate or tracker mortgage deal, selling early means paying an ERC, which is typically 1% to 5% of the outstanding loan balance. This can run to thousands of pounds, so you must factor this into your budget.
- Porting: If you are buying another property, you may be able to port your current mortgage deal to the new home. This avoids the ERC. However, your lender must re-approve you based on your current income and the new property, and you often only have a short time (e.g., 90 to 180 days) between selling and buying to complete the port.
Action: Get a written redemption statement from your lender. This confirms your outstanding balance and any applicable ERC.
The valuation
Overpricing is the number one cause of slow sales and eventual failure. To set an accurate price that attracts serious buyers, rely on data, not emotion.
- The Comparative Method: This is the standard method used for residential property in England and Wales. It involves comparing your home's features, size, and condition against the recently sold prices of similar properties in your local area. An estate agent will use this, but you can check it yourself via the Land Registry data on property portals.
- The Valuation Myth: Many sellers list at the top end of the valuation to ‘test the market’. But this only results in the property sitting on the market, forcing a price drop later. Buyers see that the property is stale and assume there is a problem.
Action: Get a minimum of three valuations from different local estate agents. Do not simply choose the highest; choose the agent who provides the best comparable sold data to back up their figure.
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Step 2: Prepare your property
The Property Information Pack
A major source of delay comes from sellers not having the required legal documents ready when they accept an offer.
The moment your solicitor is instructed, you need to provide the following:
- Energy Performance Certificate (EPC): This is legally required before your property can be marketed. It shows your home's energy efficiency rating.
- Property Information Form (TA6): This is a detailed questionnaire about the property. It covers boundaries, disputes, notices, and services. Inaccurate or incomplete answers here are a frequent cause of buyer enquiries and delays.
- Fittings and Contents Form (TA10):This clarifies what you are including in the sale (fixtures) and what you are taking with you (fittings), reducing arguments over things like curtains, lights, and appliances.
- Planning and Building Control Documents: You must provide all certificates and consents for any structural changes, extensions, or major works (e.g., boiler installation, new windows). Missing these is one of the most common ways to derail a sale.
Presentation and Decluttering
While the legal pack is paramount, presentation dictates your sale price. You are preparing your house to be a product.
- Decluttering: Buyers are buying a lifestyle and space. Remove all non-essential items to make rooms look larger and allow buyers to imagine their own belongings in the space.
- Minor Repairs: Fix any small defects like dripping taps, loose door handles, or broken tiles. A surveyor will spot these, but a buyer sees them as leverage to demand a price reduction.
Step 3: Instruct your solicitor
This is the most critical step you take. Do not wait until you have an offer to hire a solicitor. The average conveyancing process takes three to six months. You can shave weeks off this by instructing your solicitor immediately.
Draft Contract Pack Preparation | As soon as you instruct them, your solicitor can begin drafting the initial contract and assembling the complete legal information pack using the documents you provided in Step 2. |
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Addressing Title Issues | The solicitor can check your registered title with the Land Registry early. If there are any missing deeds, covenants, or complex title issues, they can be dealt with immediately, instead of waiting for the buyer's solicitor to find them and raise delays. |
Leasehold Management | If the property is leasehold, the solicitor can request the Leasehold Management Pack (LPE1 form) from the freeholder or management company. This pack contains service charge history and ground rent details, and it notoriously takes weeks or even months to arrive, making it a major bottleneck. Getting this started now is non-negotiable for a fast sale. |
By the time a buyer walks through the door, your legal foundation is complete. When you accept an offer, your solicitor can send the full contract pack to the buyer's legal team the next day, which is what serious, prepared sellers do.
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Step 4: Find a buyer and accept an offer
This step is about strategic marketing, selecting the right agent, and, crucially, evaluating an offer based on a buyer's position, not just the price.
Choosing the correct estate agent
Do not choose the agent who gives you the highest valuation; choose the one who provides the most convincing data on their performance and local sales.
Ask these key questions:
- "What is your achieved price vs. asking price percentage?" A good agent should be achieving close to 95–100% of the initial asking price. A high valuation followed by a low achieved percentage is a sign of an agent who overprices just to win business.
- "What is your average time to sell properties like mine?" This gives you a performance benchmark. A quick sale indicates effective pricing and marketing.
- "Can you provide proof of three comparable sales they managed in the last six months?" They must back up their valuation with solid, recent local sales data, not just listings.
Once you have chosen an agent (or chosen to go ahead without one), ensure the contract's exclusive tie-in period is reasonable; ideally, no longer than eight weeks.
Evaluating offers for speed and security
- Cash Buyer - Risk: Low - No mortgage dependency or valuation risk. If they have a solicitor ready, they are the fastest option.
- First-Time Buyer - Risk: Medium - No chain, but the sale is dependent on securing a mortgage and a satisfactory survey.
- Buyer in a Chain - Risk: High - The sale is only as fast as the slowest link. Investigate the full length of the chain and ask for proof that the buyer's buyer is also ready.
Action: When accepting an offer, get proof of funds (for cash) or a Mortgage Agreement in Principle (for mortgage buyers) immediately.
Step 5: The legal work begins
Because you completed Step 3, your legal work starts with a clear advantage. The sale immediately moves to the buyer's side.
The buyer's solicitor takes over
- Contract Pack Sent: Your solicitor sends the full, pre-prepared draft contract pack (including the TA6, TA10, EPC, and any Leasehold Management Pack) to the buyer’s solicitor on day one.
- Buyer's Mortgage Valuation: The buyer's lender will instruct a surveyor to value the property. This is a critical point; if the valuation is less than the agreed sale price, the buyer may renegotiate, or their lender may refuse the full loan amount.
- Local Searches Ordered: The buyer’s solicitor immediately applies for local searches (Local Authority, Environmental, Water, and Drainage). These can take several weeks, but this stage is now the buyer's primary delay, not yours.
Step 6: Managing enquiries and the sale progression
Estate Agent's Role
Once the contract pack is sent, the estate agent’s role changes from finding a buyer to sales progression.
They are the link between all parties: you (the seller), the buyer, your solicitor, the buyer's solicitor, and the mortgage lender.
They must chase the following elements weekly:
- Searches: Tracking the buyer's searches (Local Authority, Environmental, etc.). These are notorious for delays in many areas of England and Wales, taking weeks or even months.
- Survey/Valuation: Confirming the buyer's mortgage valuation is booked and returned without any major issues that could lead to a price drop or "retention" of funds.
- Enquiries: When the buyer's solicitor receives the searches and your initial legal pack, they will raise 'Requisitions' or 'Enquiries'. These are questions about anything unclear. You must answer these truthfully and quickly. Delays here cause chains to collapse.
Mitigating Risk
Until contracts are exchanged, the sale is not legally binding. Either party can pull out without financial penalty (excluding legal fees).
- Gazumping (Seller's Risk): This is when a new buyer makes a higher offer, which you could accept. To maintain your integrity and secure the current, progressing sale, instruct your estate agent to immediately mark the property as 'Sold Subject to Contract' (STC) and remove it from general advertising.
- Gazundering (Buyer's Risk): This is when the buyer lowers their offer at the last minute, usually after the searches or survey flag a minor issue. To counter this, ensure your house is well-priced from the start and that your legal pack is meticulous. The less leverage the buyer has, the less likely they are to attempt this.
Step 7: Exchange and Completion
This is the most critical milestone: the sale becomes legally enforceable.
Conditions for exchange
Your solicitor will advise you when all checks are complete and you are ready. This requires:
- Mortgage Offer: The buyer has received their formal, unconditional mortgage offer.
- Enquiries Answered: All questions and requisitions from the buyer's solicitor have been answered and accepted.
- Completion Date Agreed: Both you and the buyer have agreed on the completion date, which is written into the contract.
On the day of exchange
Your solicitor and the buyer's solicitor confirm they hold the signed contracts and the buyer's deposit (usually 10% of the purchase price).
They read out the contract details over the phone to ensure they are identical, then physically swap (exchange) them.
The buyer's deposit is transferred to your solicitor. The sale is now legally binding. If you or the buyer pulls out after this point, the withdrawing party faces significant financial penalties (e.g., the buyer loses their deposit; the seller may be sued for breach of contract).
The time between exchange and completion is typically one to two weeks, but can be longer or shorter by agreement.
What happens on and after completion day?
On completion day, your solicitor handles the money transfers:
- Buyer's Solicitor: Receives the mortgage funds from the buyer's lender and the rest of the cash from the buyer.
- Funds Transfer: The buyer's solicitor transfers the final purchase price balance to your solicitor using the CHAPS electronic transfer system, which ensures same-day clearance.
- Completion Confirmed: Once the funds land in your solicitor's bank account, they immediately call the buyer's solicitor and the estate agent to confirm that Completion has taken place.
- Redemption & Transfer: Your solicitor pays off your existing mortgage (if you have one) and deducts their fees, the estate agent's commission, and any other costs. The remaining net proceeds are then transferred to your personal bank account, usually later that day or the next working day.
Seller's responsibilities
Your main job on completion day is ensuring the property is vacant and ready for the new owner.
- Vacate the Property: You must have completely moved out and ensured the property is empty. Standard contracts in England and Wales require the seller to give "vacant possession" by a specific time, often 1:00 PM (though this can vary, especially in a long chain).
- Keys: Leave all keys with the estate agent. They will only release them to the buyer once your solicitor confirms the funds have been received and the sale has been completed.
- Final Checks: Before you leave, take final meter readings (gas, electricity, water) for your utility accounts. Leave all appliance manuals, warranties, and information about the property for the new owner.
Once your solicitor confirms the sale is complete and the money is on its way to your account, you have officially sold your property.
When buying with a mortgage, your lender will appoint their own surveyor for a mortgage valuation.
This is done for the lender, but the borrower usually pays for it. An independent valuation report will allow you to compare results and give you an insight into the condition of the property from a buyer's perspective.
- Local, MRICS, and FRICS-accredited surveyors.
- Fixed, competitive fees.
- Availability from 31/10/2025(i).
- We can solve any property challenge.
Caragh is an excellent writer and copy editor of books, news articles and editorials. She has written extensively for SAM for a variety of conveyancing, survey, property law and mortgage-related articles.
Andrew started his career in 2000 working within conveyancing solicitor firms and grew hands-on knowledge of a wide variety of conveyancing challenges and solutions. After helping in excess of 50,000 clients in his career, he uses all this experience within his article writing for SAM, mainstream media and his self published book How to Buy a House Without Killing Anyone.
