I am not now surprised by the number of people who say when I am dealing with the sale or purchase of their new home “you will have to help me with this it is all very different from how it was 30 years ago”. It is different for me too. 30 years ago when I was training to be a solicitor in Bristol many of the homes people were purchasing had a title that was not registered at the Land Registry. I spent hours looking at bundles of musty old title deeds in order to check that the seller of a home had a chain of title from previous owners to enable him to sell the property. On the moving day it was common for solicitors to complete a purchase of a home by going to the sellers’ solicitors’ offices and handing over a bankers draft for the purchase price in return for the original bundle of musty old deeds. Times have changed and some of it is for the better. Most titles to homes are now registered with the Land Registry and they send copies of titles to you by e mail in a flash. Solicitors send most of their paperwork to each other electronically. On the moving date money is sent electronically and you may even receive a text letting you know that you can collect the keys to your new home. Yet still there are long delays between selling your home or agreeing to buy one and the moving date. A large percentage of adults feel dabbling in the property market ranks as one of modern life’s most unpleasant experiences. To-ing and fro-ing with solicitors over paperwork for weeks on end amid fears all could collapse at any time, constantly chasing estate agents for updates and keeping your home clean and tidy for viewings is all very stressful.

There are some things you can do to make it easier. If you are selling your home then try and see it through a potential buyer’s eyes. You will want to make your home as attractive as you can so look at what improvements you can make to help you get the best price you can for your home. Choose your estate agent wisely. Local estate agents have expert knowledge of the local property market and will be well placed to gauge how much your property can sell for. An agent may suggest you market your house at a higher rate so that you have room to negotiate or he may under estimate in order to get a quick sale so do your own research too. You can check on the internet now for prices of homes similar to yours that have sold recently or you can collect details of properties similar to yours that are on the market. Choose your solicitor wisely. Costs vary so do ask for a quotation. Check if the quote is fixed or will alter depending on the work required. Make sure you check that it includes all expenses and VAT. Remember if you are selling and buying your solicitor will be carrying out this work for you and so the costs will be higher. If you are selling your home then collect together all the paperwork that you have in relation to your home and deliver it to your chosen solicitor so that they are able to proceed with the issuing of a Contract as soon as a buyer is found. These days that paperwork includes not only the title deeds but any copy planning permissions, building regulation consents for works at your home including new windows and electrical works, guarantees and certificates for anything that has been installed in your home.

At Dixon Stewart we can deal with your move quickly and efficiently in order to reduce the stress so if you are thinking of moving call us for a quotation or e mail us on enquiry@dixonstewart.com