Conveyancing | Sell house solicitors East Yorkshire and York area 

If you are wondering, how do I find solicitors to sell my house, we can help. We specialise in property sales and purchases and are known for our expertise and high levels of service.  

It is always recommended that you use experienced solicitors for selling a house because they will be able to deal quickly and efficiently with any issues that arise. At Lockings, our in-depth understanding of both property law and the conveyancing process means that we know how to tackle problems and avoid the delays that could cause a sale to fall through. 

We deal with a full range of property transactions and we can handle all aspects of your sale and any related purchase, including liaising with your mortgage lender to redeem your mortgage or to ensure the finances are in place ready for completion of a purchase. 

Our firm holds the Law Society’s Conveyancing Quality Scheme standard acknowledging that we have the expertise to deliver quality residential conveyancing advice and that we use standardised processes to recognise and reduce any risk. 

The standard also means that we have greater access to mortgage lenders, so that we can represent your lender as well as you in a property transaction, reducing potential costs. 

We offer a FREE initial chat so that you can ask us any questions you may have. Call us on 01482 300 200, email us at welcome@lockings.co.uk or fill in our Free Online Enquiry and we will call you back promptly. We have offices in Beverley, Hull and York and deal with conveyancing in East Yorkshire, the York area and beyond. 

The house sale process 

If you are considering selling your home, you will need to instruct a solicitor to deal with the transaction your behalf. If you ask us to represent you, we will start by letting you have some forms to fill in. 

We will verify your identity, as required by law, and obtain your title deeds. In the meantime, you can put the property on the market. Once you accept an offer, we will be ready to send out the contract papers to your buyer’s solicitor straightaway. 

These will include a copy of the legal title to your property as well as copies of any documents referred to in the title, a copy plan of the property, property information forms, a fixtures and fittings form and copies of any other relevant paperwork such as planning consents, building regulations approvals and guarantees.  

By sending these out promptly as soon as a sale is agreed, your buyer’s solicitor will be able to start work at once and use the plan to apply for the searches that they will need. 

Once they have been through the contract papers, they will come back to us with a number of enquiries. We will liaise with you to respond to these. 

The buyer will also generally have a survey carried out and request a mortgage offer at this point. Once they have all of the necessary responses, they will be ready to exchange contracts. 

We will discuss dates with you and you will need to check availability with a removals firm to ensure you can meet any proposed date. 

Once a date is agreed upon, contracts can be exchanged. The date for completion will be written into the contract and your sale will be legally binding. The buyer will pay a deposit on exchange, usually 10% of the purchase price.  

Between exchange and completion, we will request an up to date redemption statement from your mortgage lender if you have one. 

On the day of completion, you should make sure that you read the meters before you leave. The keys can be dropped into the estate agent and once we have confirmation from the bank that the buyer’s money has been received, we will let the estate agent know that the keys can be released to the buyer. 

House sale FAQs 

If you have any questions, we will be happy to answer them if you would like to give us a call. Below are our replies to some of the points that we are mostly commonly asked. 

How long does it take to sell a house? 

The length of time taken to sell depends on several factors including how many other parties are in a chain with you. You will not be able to exchange or complete until everyone is ready, so if someone is waiting for search results or a mortgage offer, there could be a delay. 

On average, the conveyancing process for a house sale takes around eight to twelve weeks to complete. 

How much are house sale fees? 

We can go through our costs with you if you would like to call us. Alternatively, you can download a copy of our free Conveyancing Fees Guide. We will also provide you with a copy of your mortgage redemption statement as soon as this is available so that you can see exactly how much you will have from your sale. 

Can I pull out of selling my house? 

You can pull out of a sale any time prior to exchange of contracts. Once contracts are exchanged, you are legally bound to complete or you would face legal penalties for breach of contract. 

What happens if an issue is revealed on the buyer’s survey? 

If the buyer’s survey reveals that there is a problem with the property or some maintenance work is likely to be needed in the near future, they may want to renegotiate the sale price. 

It is open to you to pull out if you wish, or you could decide to reduce the price to take into account the cost of remedial work. If you decide not to go ahead, you should bear in mind that a new buyer may come across the same issue. 

How do I get an EPC certificate? 

You need an energy performance certificate (EPC) to sell your home. This is an assessment of the energy efficiency of the property and you will be given a rating, from A-G, with an A-rating the most efficient. The certificate will also provide suggestions on how to reduce energy consumption.  

You will need an EPC before your property goes on the market. It must be prepared by a domestic energy assessor. Your estate agent may be able to arrange this for you or you can contact one yourself. 

An EPC is valid for 10 years, so if you bought your property within the past decade, you may still have a valid EPC which you can reuse, provided that the rating is above an F. If you have made any improvements that are likely to affect your energy rating you may want to consider having a new certificate as a higher rating will be more attractive to potential purchasers. 

Contact our East Yorkshire and York area house selling solicitors 

If you are thinking of selling a property, we will be happy to hear from you. 

Please feel free to ring us for a FREE initial chat on 01482 300 200, email us at welcome@lockings.co.uk or complete a Free Online Enquiry and we will call you back promptly. We have offices in Beverley, Hull and York and deal with conveyancing in East Yorkshire, the York area and beyond.