How to accelerate the sale of your home

With the Stamp Duty Holiday deadline fast-approaching, it's beneficial to market your property to sell sooner rather than later. With the help of Home Buying and Selling Group, here are some top tips to help speed up the process:

Instructing and liaising with a property lawyer

• Don't wait to instruct your property lawyer. In fact, you should ideally organise this prior to your home going on the market, or at least at the same time to avoid any potential delays.
• Provide them with your identification so that they can carry out anti-money laundering (AML) checks. The sooner these cheks are completed, the sooner the selling process can begin.
• You will be asked to provide important information that may be relevant to a home buyer such as title information, plans, deeds, lease, rent and service charge statements. Consult your property lawyer, as they will be able to inform you of everything they will need.
• Discuss the cost and timing of obtaining searches and leasehold or managed freehold information.
• Ask them to review the sale information and to inform you of any potential issues that can be resolved early on.

Secure bank transfers

• If at any stage you need to transfer funds to your property lawyer, make sure to only accept bank details securely, such as through a secure portal or letterheaded paper. If in doubt, speak to them directly over the phone via a public office phone number or on a phone number you are certain is correct, to ensure that the bank details are accurate, safe and secure before transferring any funds.
• Start by sending a small amount and only you know that it has arrived safely, then follow up with the correct, larger sum.
• If you receive a warning from your bank regarding the bank account details, hold off on sending any money and speak to your property lawyer directly before proceeding with any bank transfers.

Speak to your selling agent

• Firstly, you will need to complete any property information forms.
• Your agent will let you know of the information they will need from you to comply with the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 (CPR).
• If you benefit from a Help to Buy loan, find out about the cost and timing of obtaining a valuation.
• Speak to your agent about their marketing strategy for your home to ensure you can find prospective buyers as soon as possible.
• Enquire about virtual solutions such as virtual viewings to potentially save time and minimise risk.