What can I do to speed up my house sale?

5th November 2017

What can I do to speed up my house sale?

Have you accepted an offer on your property?  Is the sale of your property moving slowly?  What can I do to speed up the sale of my house?  Is there anything I can do to help move my house sale forward?  Why is my house sale progressing slowly?

We have been in this business for long enough to understand just how frustrating it can be when a house sale starts to lose momentum.  It’s one of those situations that can turn your house sale from a smooth operation to a stressful and unnerving experience.  We believe one of the main reasons why people find a ‘slowing’ house sale stressful is because they often feel as if they are unable to control the situation they are in.

On that basis, we have come up with a list of proactive suggestions that you may wish to try.

Here is a list of the main culprits that can slow down your house sale, and what you can do about it: –

1. The conveyancing process (the legal formalities)

This can either be a smooth process (if the sale and purchase are both fairly straight-forward with no complications), or it can be a lengthy, drawn-out process which can cause you to feel as if you are on an emotional rollercoaster.

If your sale is turning into the latter, there are some things you can do to try and move things forward.

Firstly, keep in regular contact with your solicitor or conveyancer; this will show them that you mean business and are not going to be pushed to the back-burner.  Remember, they will be dealing with a number of properties, not just yours, so be sure to show them you are ‘on the ball’.

Secondly, you should ensure you complete and return any official forms immediately, for example, the ‘fixtures and fittings’ form.  Don’t put it down and leave it sitting on your kitchen worktop…. complete it straight away and drop it off at the solicitor’s office personally (if possible).

Lastly, seek out and ‘have to hand’ any official documents that your solicitor may need, for example, receipts of work done on the house, any guarantees or certificates, building permissions and so on.

2. The mortgage application process

Some mortgages require various credit checks and a valuation survey, so the sooner you apply for your onward mortgage, the better.  Don’t let this be something that delays your sale.  Apply as soon as your offer has been accepted.  Make sure you check the situation with your deposit too, particularly if you are a first-time buyer.  Some banks and building societies need notice to withdraw or transfer large amounts of money.

3. Surveys

If you choose to have a survey done on your next purchase, book it in the diary as soon as your offer has been accepted.  Take guidance from your estate agent on a time scale for this, but most surveyors will have busy diaries and so might your vendors, so get it sorted as soon as practicably possible.

4. Chain communication issues/ solicitor delays

Excellent communication is the key to a smooth and successful sale completion, so be sure to keep the communication lines open.  Keep in regular contact with your estate agent and your solicitor.  Your estate agent will be proactive and ensure they have a good overview of how the sale is progressing and where each party stand in the process.  They should also have details of people further up or down the chain so they can keep things moving.

5. Awkward clients further up or down the chain

If there are problems further up or down the chain, let your estate agent do some detective work to find out where the problem lies.  Sometimes it only takes a phone call to the right person to keep things ticking along.

We have listed the main culprits for slowing down a sale, but there are clearly others that may crop up.  The important advice is to try and remain calm and stay positive – most sales complete!

Have you ever had problems with a slow sale?  What was causing the delay?  What was the outcome?  Do you have any of your own tips which may help others?  We would love to hear from you.

Send us an email at annabellejardine-jones@onthemove.net or give us a call on 0161 871 7071

We are always happy to help.