How to sell your house: The step-by-step guide

Selling your home can be daunting – all the more so if you are looking for another property to buy at the same time. The decisions you make when selling a property could save you – or cost you - many thousands of pounds. Here’s our selling checklist with everything you need to know about the process of selling a house.

Angela Kerr Director, Editor

How to sell your house

Our step-by-step guide outlines how to sell your house. We briefly explain each step you are likely to take during the process of selling your home.  You can find more details by following the links within each section.

1. Decide if you should sell

• If you’re considering selling your home and buying another because you need more space, it could be worth comparing the cost of building an extension, converting the attic, or digging out the basement. The costs of selling and costs of buying can be significant (particularly with stamp duty) that it might even save you money to expand your existing home rather than move.
• Perhaps you are thinking about downsizing? See the pros, cons, options and what you need to consider in our guide Should I Downsize?
• Or perhaps you are considering selling a house after divorce or you are selling a probate property.
• Depending upon your circumstances, you might be better off renting your home out rather than selling.
• And consider the current market conditions when deciding Should I sell my house now?

2. Figure out your finances

• Before you sell your house, you’ll want to get a rough idea of how much it is worth. This will also help you calculate how much money will be left if you have a mortgage to pay off. Try our instant free valuation tool.
• If you are selling a house with a mortgage, dig out your mortgage paperwork or speak to your lender to check if you will have to pay any early repayment charges for switching your mortgage to another lender or whether it is possible to take it with you to a new property – a process known as porting
• If you’re planning to move to a more expensive property or your mortgage deal is coming to an end, this is a great opportunity to remortgage to a better deal. Speak to our fee-free mortgage partners to see how much you can borrow and which lender will offer you the best deal.
• At the early stages, figures will be approximate.  You don’t know how much you will sell for and you will only get a precise redemption (amount outstanding) figure for your mortgage once you have an agreed completion date when you have exchanged contracts (see below).
• Plan every step to avoid being held up. Read our guide How long does it take to get a mortgage.
• To give you an idea of the costs involved when selling and to help you budget, read our guide What is the cost of selling? You can also use our cost of moving calculator.

3. Decide if you should rent a house next, rather than buy

• If you sell your house and rent for a while, it can add to the overall expense, but it will reduce the critical time pressures in buying a new home.
• You also won’t have to compromise on your sale price, and potentially sell your home for less or buy a less than perfect new home, as you won’t be under pressure to complete on your onward purchase.
• Selling your property and then renting before buying will break the housing chain which means you will be a more attractive buyer.
• See our guide Should I sell my home before I buy a new one? for more information.
• If you do decide to buy and sell at the same time, take a look at How to buy and sell at the same time.

 4. Choose an estate agent to sell your house

• You can sell your home yourself, use a local estate agent or an online estate agent.
• If you use a local estate agent, you will need to research which one to choose. See: How to find the best estate agent?
• Find the best local estate agents based on how quickly they sell, success rate and likelihood of achieving asking price. Find the best estate agent for you with our free local estate agent comparison tool.
• You will need to agree a fee with the estate agent: aim for 1% plus VAT for sole agent. See: How much should I pay the estate agent?
• Online estate agents are a cheaper option when selling a house. Review what they can offer and for how much. Compare Online Estate Agents
• When it comes time to appointing an estate agent, read your contract carefully  — Estate agent contracts what to watch for.
• If you have time and are organised and willing to work hard, then axing the estate agent and selling your home yourself can save you money. But it’s not for the fainthearted – or inexperienced.
• When you instruct an estate agent to sell your property you will need to help them identify the relevant information which they are obliged to give to potential buyers. You can instruct your conveyancer to help and it can save time later when you accept an offer.
• If you need a quick sale, selling your house at auction may be an option to consider.

5. Get an Energy Performance Certificate

• An energy performance certificate (EPC) is a standardised document which ranks properties in terms of energy efficiency.  Homeowners need to provide an EPC to potential buyers when they sell their home.
• You have to have at least applied for an Energy Performance Certificate before you put your home on the market – find out why, how much an EPC should cost and get quotes form an EPC surveyor today.

6. Decide how much to sell your home for

• One of the most difficult decisions when you sell your house is what price to put it on for
• Do your research and get to know the local market inside out
• Get a number of estate agents to do valuations, but don’t necessarily go for the highest. Get a free instant online valuation first
• Remember buyers will probably try to negotiate a discount, so add 5% to 10% to what you are prepared to accept
• See our guide What price should I sell my house for?

7. Prepare your home for sale

• Home staging may help you sell your house faster and make it more valuable too
• Tidy up, get rid of excess clutter; give it a fresh lick of light coloured paint; fix those little snagging things; keep it clean
• Check out our guide on Tips to make your home more valuable and sell faster
• Don’t forget how important your home’s kerb appeal is. According to our HomeOwner Survey, more than 68% of homeowners say kerb appeal was important in their choice of home. The most important factors were windows being in good condition, a well maintained roof and a tidy front garden and driveway/path.

 8. Hire a conveyancing solicitor 

• You need to choose a conveyancing solicitor to handle the legal work involved in selling a property. Find the right conveyancing solicitor for you – compare quotes & ratings instantly.
• To ensure the sale progresses, you should decide which firm you want to use before you agree to the sale of your house. You can obviously only formally instruct after you have agreed an offer.
• Get an overview of conveyancing solicitor fees for selling a house and see our list of questions to ask your conveyancer.
• With 1 in 3 property sales falling through, you may want to consider Home Sellers Protection Insurance which provides some cover for your legal fees.

9. Fill out the relevant questionnaires

• You will have a variety of forms, questionnaires and documents to give the buyer all the information about the property, and about the sale. See: Conveyancing process explained: For Sellers.
• If you are selling a leasehold property, you’ll need a copy of your lease and you will complete a leasehold information pack alongside the usual seller’s pack from your conveyancer. 

10. Accept an offer

• You’ve received an offer – hooray! The estate agent is legally required to pass all offers on to you.
• Before you accept an offer, look at the different types of buyers and how to deal with their offers.
• If you are not happy with the offer, you can either reject it outright, wait to see if a better offer comes along, or tell the estate agent to try to negotiate it upwards.
• Once you are happy with an offer, you need to formally accept it.
• Remember that accepting an offer is not legally binding, and you can legally change your mind or accept a higher offer later (gazumping) – but remember, this can be pretty distressing to the buyer.
• See our guide to accepting an offer for everything to consider at this point.

11. Negotiate the draft contract

You and the buyer will have to decide:

• The length of time between exchange and completion (usually 7-28 days after the exchange of contracts).
• What fixtures and fittings will be included – and how much will they pay for them.
• Any discounts due to problems flagged up by the survey.

12. Exchange contracts

• When you exchange contracts with the buyer, you become legally committed to selling the property – and they are legally committed to buying it from you.
• If you pull out after this without due reason, the buyer’s deposit will be returned to them and you may be sued.
• For more information and to find out about the details of the process, read our guide How do I exchange contracts?
• If you sell a house, you are responsible for looking after it until the sale is completed so you should make sure you have buildings and contents insurance cover until then.

 13. Move out

• You can move out whenever you like, including on the day of completion.
• It is less stressful to move out beforehand, if that is possible (if you have somewhere to move to).
• At the time of completion, the property has to be in the condition agreed in the contract including all the fixtures and fittings.
• The buyer and estate agent may come round between your moving out and completion to ensure that everything is in place.
• Find the right removals company for your move and get removals quotes.
• Plan your move with our Moving House Checklist.

14. Complete the sale

• Completion is when the property changes ownership, you accept payment, and hand over the keys.
• A little like a duel, it takes place on a previously agreed date and usually at midday.
• On the day of completion, the money is transferred and any deeds for the property are transferred between each side’s solicitor or conveyancer.
• Your solicitor/conveyancer will register the transfer of ownership with the Land Registry.
• Learn more about what to expect on the day of completion.

15. Pay off the mortgage

• The mortgage company will have given you and your conveyancing solicitor a precise redemption figure (outstanding amount) for your mortgage for the day of completion.
• Now the buyer has transferred the money to your conveyancing solicitor, they will pay off the mortgage for you.

16. Settle up with the conveyancing solicitor and estate agent

• After completion, your conveyancing solicitor will send you an account, covering all their costs and disbursements, as well as the sale price of the house and redemption of the mortgage.
• If you are buying and selling at the same time, the conveyancing solicitor can settle up for both transactions at the same time, including paying stamp duty for the house you are buying.
• Your conveyancing solicitor will ensure that the change of ownership is registered with the Land Registry.
• There is sometimes a small discrepancy and you might even get a small refund.
• Here is a list of the documents you should keep from your house sale and get ready for your buyer.

Frequently Asked Questions