Selling your home? Why it pays to instruct your conveyancer early

If you're thinking about selling your home, you don't have to wait until you've found a buyer to instruct your solicitor.

In fact, getting the legal process underway while your property is on the market can help your sale progress more smoothly once an offer is accepted.

At Boys & Maughan, our dedicated pre-sale conveyancing service and Welcome Team help sellers get organised early, deal with initial paperwork and prepare for the legal work ahead.

The sooner you get started, the better prepared you'll be when a buyer comes along.

To find out more or get started, email our Welcome Team at welcome@boysandmaughan.co.uk or call 01843 234000. We'll be happy to explain how we can help.

Why instruct a conveyancer before finding a buyer?

Selling a property involves more than agreeing a price and signing a contract. Your conveyancer needs to gather information about your property, check important documents and prepare the legal paperwork that will eventually be supplied to the buyer's solicitor.

Some of this work can be completed before you have accepted an offer.

By instructing Boys & Maughan while your property is being marketed, you can get a head start on these initial stages rather than waiting until a buyer has been found.

This can be particularly helpful if documents are missing, information needs to be obtained from third parties or your property has features that require additional legal enquiries.

Although every transaction is different and delays cannot always be avoided, preparing early can help reduce the risk of preventable hold-ups later.

How our pre-sale service works

Our approach is designed to make getting started as straightforward as possible.

1. Contact our Welcome Team

Whether you are preparing to put your property on the market or have already instructed an estate agent, our Welcome Team can explain how to get started, answer your initial questions and help you instruct Boys & Maughan.

You can email welcome@boysandmaughan.co.uk or telephone 01843 234000.

2. Complete the initial paperwork

We will guide you through the forms and information needed to open your file. Our Welcome Team is available to assist if you have questions or are unsure how to complete something.

3. Gather the important documents

We can help you identify the documents relevant to your property and explain what to do if something is missing.

We can also begin the necessary initial checks, including verification of your identity and obtaining relevant property title information.

4. Prepare for the next stage

Once the initial instruction process is complete, your matter will be allocated to one of our conveyancers and you will be given their direct contact details.

With your file prepared and the preliminary information available, your conveyancer will be in a better position to progress the legal work when you accept an offer.

What information will you need to provide?

When selling a property, you will usually be asked to complete a Property Information Form and a Fittings and Contents Form.

These provide important details about your home and help the buyer understand what is included in the sale.

You may also need to provide supporting documents, where relevant, including:

• Planning permissions, building regulations approvals and completion certificates for alterations or extensions.

• Certificates for replacement windows and doors, electrical installations or gas-related work, where applicable.

• Guarantees and warranties for work carried out at the property, such as damp-proofing, roofing or timber treatments.

• Information about central heating systems, including relevant installation, servicing or maintenance documents.

• Documents relating to boundaries, access arrangements, shared facilities or rights affecting the property.

• Any other information or paperwork relevant to the questions in the property information forms.

Don't worry if you cannot immediately find everything. Our team can help you establish what is needed and advise on the next steps if documents are missing.

It is much better to identify potential issues early than to discover them when you are trying to agree a completion date.

Selling a leasehold property?

If you are selling a leasehold flat or house, getting organised early can be especially beneficial.

Leasehold transactions often involve additional information from the freeholder, management company or managing agent. Obtaining this information can take time and may involve additional charges.

Depending on your property, you may need details of ground rent and service charges, building insurance, management arrangements and any relevant correspondence with the freeholder or managing agent.

You may also need to provide a share certificate if you have an interest in a residents' management company.

Our conveyancing team can explain what is required and help you understand which documents and enquiries can be dealt with before a buyer is found.

A Welcome Team to help you get started

We appreciate that the amount of paperwork involved in selling a property can seem daunting, particularly if you have not moved home for several years.

That's why Boys & Maughan has a dedicated Welcome Team to help clients through the initial stages of the conveyancing process.

Rather than leaving you to work through everything on your own, the team can answer questions, explain what information is needed and provide assistance with completing your initial forms.

Once these stages are complete, you will be introduced to your conveyancer, who will take responsibility for progressing your transaction and providing the legal advice you need.

Our aim is to make the transition as smooth as possible, with friendly, practical assistance from the moment you first contact us.

What our clients say

We are proud of the feedback our Welcome Team receives from clients who appreciate having someone available to help them get started.

One client described the experience:

“The paperwork can be daunting but your assistance has taken the sting out of it and made it a much more human experience.”

We also encourage prospective clients to explore the independent feedback received by our conveyancing teams through ReviewSolicitors.

Read our residential conveyancing reviews on ReviewSolicitors.

Ready to get started?

If you're planning to sell your property, there's no need to wait until you've accepted an offer before contacting us.

Our Welcome Team will be pleased to explain how our pre-sale service works, answer your questions and help you get the process underway.

Email: welcome@boysandmaughan.co.uk

Telephone: 01843 234000

You can also obtain a conveyancing quotation online or find out more about our residential conveyancing services.

Getting the legal preparations underway early means there is one less thing to worry about when you're ready to move.