The Selling Process

Our step-by-step guide to selling your home

Step 1: An accurate valuation – Sound advice

If you are thinking of selling your home, it’s important that you get reliable advice from experts who know the local market. Such advice should include not only a valuation, but also suggestions on how your property should be marketed and presented in the best possible way. David A Wood & Associates makes no charge for this service, which includes a free market appraisal of your property. You can instruct David A Wood & Associates to sell your property here

Step 2: Choosing an agent

When choosing an agent, consider their opening hours, when they will be available to conduct viewings and what kind of marketing your property will receive. These are critical to obtaining the maximum price for your property.

Viewings

Wherever possible, we will speak to prospective buyers who have viewed your property, and give feed back to you.

You should also be aware that if your agent is not organising the government-required Home Information Pack (HIP) for you, this must be ordered before your property is placed on the market.

Step 3: Instruct a solicitor

It is advisable to instruct your solicitor at the same time as choosing your agent. This will help to avoid delays and allow time for the collection of necessary documentation involved in transferring ownership of your property to the new buyer (known as conveyancing) Many of these documents should already be included in the HIP. For a list of conveyancing solicitors in Barnsley and Sheffield please click here.

Step 4: Getting your property on the market

When you instruct David A Wood & Associates to sell your property you will automatically benefit from our unrivalled, comprehensive marketing package. In order to get your property on the market as quickly as possible, we need to gather as much information about your property – and your own plans – in order to start looking for interested buyers. We will measure up, take digital photographs, discuss what items you intend to leave in the house etc. Once you have approved the proof copy of the printed details of your property, we will arrange the marketing and internet advertising, including the delivery of one of our eye catching ‘for sale’ boards to attract local interest, we will also start to contact active buyers who are looking for a property like yours.

In order to comply with the law, we also have to ask you to show us your photo-identification – passport or driving license in order to comply with the current money laundering laws.

Step 5: Selling your home in today’s market place

It’s a well known fact that estate agency is a very different business now from what it was even 5 years ago with less than 5% of buyers actually visiting high street agencies, yet over 86% now source their next home on the internet. Every month thousands of potential buyers visit our properties on rightmove.co.uk as well as our own web site and search for properties; they can view and download individual details, including photographs, and can contact us to request viewings. We communicate with active applicants by mail, e-mail and telephone. We advertise on local radio stations and in the local press as well as all the major search engines like Google, Yahoo, MSN property and over 20 of the UK’s major property portals. All these activities ensure the widest promotion of your property and our company.

Step 6: Negotiating a sale.

Our aim, as your agent, is to ensure all customers receive a competent, speedy and efficient service. Therefore we will handle all the negotiations with prospective buyers, including checking on their financial arrangements and whether they have a house to sell – a buyer is not a buyer if they are not in a position to proceed. Although the final decision rests with you, our helpful and experienced sales staff will advise and guide you throughout. Once all the details have been agreed, we will issue instructions to both your and the buyer’s solicitor – we can also offer you access to a choice of approved local conveyancing solicitors. We will deal with any queries that may arise during the process and assist our valued customers all the way.

Step 7: Receiving an offer

As soon as an offer is received for your property we will notify you both verbally and in writing.

Step 8: Agreeing to sell your property

Once you have accepted an offer it is important that the following details are agreed:

We will advise you and negotiate on your behalf throughout this process, keeping you informed every step of the way. Once an offer has been agreed, your solicitor will send out a draft contract and the HIP for your property to the purchaser's solicitor who in turn carries out preliminary enquiries. Your solicitor should collate all the supporting paperwork (where applicable) ie: title deeds, copy of lease, fixtures and fittings list, seller's questionnaire, planning consent, guarantees, copy of building regulations and share of freehold certificate (most of this information should already be contained in the HIP).

Service charge accounts & building insurance

In general this is not applicable to freehold properties. We recommend that you forward copies of your service charge accounts over the last three years, estimates for the forthcoming year and building insurance certificates to your solicitor the moment you instruct us to market your property. These also need to be added to your HIP.

Alternatively, in the case of apartment blocks, you can ask your solicitor to collect these documents from the Managing Agent.

Step 9: Progressing the sale

If you are a first time seller, we will guide you through the selling process and one of our trained and experienced staff will be responsible for monitoring progress as part of smoothing the transaction for you. This includes liaising with solicitors and, if we are helping to arrange the mortgage for your buyer, we will track that too.

Step 10: Exchange of contracts

When the buyer’s solicitors have received all the information they need, including searches, title documents etc., they will ask you to sign a sale contract. Your solicitor and the buyer’s solicitor will then exchange contracts; from that moment, both you and your buyer are committed to completing the transaction.

Step 11: Completion Stage

Completion usually follows a few days or weeks after exchange of contracts. The balance of the purchase price is transferred from the purchaser’s solicitor to the vendor’s solicitor and the keys are released.

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