Are You Thinking of Selling Your House but Don’t Know Where to Start?
Selling your house? It’s a fresh new year and for many that will mean a fresh new start in a new home! Selling your house can be stressful and it feels like getting everything together can be a never-ending process! With appointing estate agents and solicitors, getting the house ready for viewings, and collecting boxes for packing, it can be easy to forget the basic paperwork!
We Buy Any House Liverpool have put together a list of the basic paperwork that you will want to prepare prior to selling your home.
What Documents / Paperwork are Needed When Selling My House?
There are several documents you will need to prepare when selling your home. Firstly, you will need a copy of your Government-Issued Identification and proof of your current address. You will need the Property Title Deeds to the house that you are selling, you will need to have a current Energy Performance Certificate and Electrical and Gas Certificates. It is advisable to have any receipts for any work carried out on the property, and if available, a management information pack.
1. ID & Proof of Address
It may sound obvious, but we have put this in as a reminder so that you’re not hunting around at the last minute for your Passport which you put in a now elusive ‘safe place’ after the last trip abroad! Solicitors will need to see photographic ID and proof of address; this is to prove that the property you are selling is yours to sell! If the property is in joint names, then you will need to provide this for both people!
2. Property Title Deeds
Don’t panic if you don’t have these as a physical document! Gone are the days when people had to produce the deeds to the house, now that the world has gone digital, these documents are stored online at Land Registry. It’s worth asking your Mortgage Company if they still hold copies of the original documents but is likely that they will have been digitalised by now. The most important thing is for you or your solicitor to check is that that you and your property are registered on Land Registry.
3. Management Information Pack.
You may not have the finances to carry out huge repairs and improvements prior to selling. One way to improve the look of the property is to paint the walls and ceilings in a neutral, it can give your home a fresh new look. It is much easier for prospective buyers to envisage the house as their home, when they have been given a blank canvas to look at.
4. Energy Performance Certificate (EPC).
All properties in the UK that are being sold or let, must have a current EPC. This tells the future buyer or tenant how energy efficient the property is. It is important to acquire this prior to listing your home, as new regulations can mean that you may need to carry out improvement works on your home before you can sell. An EPC lasts for 10 years, so it is worth checking whether yours is still valid on the Gov website.
5. Gas & Electrical Certificates.
Firstly, it is not a legal requirement to provide Gas & Electrical Certificates when selling your house. It is, however, a good thing to have to hand though if you already have them! These certificates can prove that the property is safe in the aspect of gas and electrics, and it could help the sale go smoothly.
6. Receipts of Work Carried Out.
It is important to keep any receipts for work that has been carried out on the house, especially works such as a new boiler installation. This gives any prospective buyers a peace of mind that the works have been carried out by reputable and regulated companies. If the work carried out has been on the larger scale such as a house extension, then proof of the planning permission prior to the building works is a must!
We hope this list helps relieve some of the stress of selling your home.
If you are looking to sell your home fast, then We Buy Any House Liverpool can help! Cut out the middleman and save yourself money on estate agents fees.
