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Selling your home

What actually happens between deciding to sell and handing over the keys — and where we fit in.

Most people sell a home two or three times in their life, so there is no reason it should feel familiar. The steps below are what the process actually looks like, in order, with the parts people usually find surprising called out.

We are a small agency on purpose: the person who values your home is the person who markets it, shows it and negotiates on it. There is no handover to a different team once you have signed.

Edwardian bay-window semi-detached houses
North London homes, sold properly

How a sale works

01

Valuation

We visit, walk the property with you, and give you a figure in writing along with the evidence behind it. Free, no obligation, and usually within 48 hours of your call. If we think a property is worth less than another agent has told you, we will say so and explain why.

02

Preparing to market

Professional photography, a floorplan, and a valid EPC — legally required before a property can be marketed. This is also the point to deal with anything that would come up in a survey later, if you would rather handle it on your own terms.

03

Going to market

Instructions go to our own register of buyers first, then to Rightmove, Zoopla and the portals. Buyers already looking in your street sometimes make an offer before a property reaches the portals at all.

04

Viewings

Accompanied by us, at times that work around you. We give you feedback after each one — including the unflattering kind, because that is the feedback that tells you whether the price or the presentation needs adjusting.

05

Offers and negotiation

Every offer comes to you with what we know about the buyer behind it: their position in a chain, whether they have a mortgage in principle, and how quickly they need to move. A slightly lower offer from a chain-free buyer is often the better one.

06

Sale agreed to completion

Solicitors are instructed, searches go in, and the buyer commissions a survey. We chase the chain and keep you updated. Exchange makes it legally binding; completion is the day the keys change hands, usually a week or two later.

What you get from us

Small enough that you always deal with us directly.

  • One point of contact The same person from valuation to completion. No call centre, no being passed between departments.
  • An honest asking price Overpricing costs you weeks on the market and then costs you the reduction anyway. We would rather win your instruction on evidence than on flattery.
  • Sales that need care Probate, inherited property, and sales during a separation are handled discreetly and at a pace that suits the people involved.
  • A register that gets used Buyers on our list hear about instructions first — worth having when your street rarely comes up.

Common questions

How much does it cost to sell with you?

Our fee depends on the property and the level of service — we quote it in writing at the valuation, before you commit to anything, so there are no surprises later. You will also need a solicitor, and an EPC if the property does not already have a valid one.

How long does it take to sell a house?

It varies with the property, the price and the market, so any agent quoting you a guaranteed timeline is guessing. What we can tell you at the valuation is what comparable properties nearby actually took to sell, and what is realistic for yours.

Do I need an EPC before I can market my home?

Yes. A valid Energy Performance Certificate is legally required before a property can be marketed for sale, and it lasts ten years — so you may already have one from when you bought.

Can you sell a property that is empty or being let?

Yes to both. An empty property is usually the most straightforward. A tenanted property can be sold either with the tenancy in place, to an investor, or with vacant possession — which route makes sense depends on your tenancy and your timescale, and we will talk it through with you.

Worth reading next

Doing something else?

01 Letting your property From rental valuation to a tenant in place — and what the law expects of you along the way. 02 Buying a home How to hear about the right property first, and what happens once you have found it.