What to Expect When You Sell With Us
The selling process in Bristol, step by step
Selling a house is one of those things most people do a handful of times in their life, and the process has enough moving parts to feel opaque while you are in it. This page sets out what actually happens, in order, and roughly how long each stage takes.
From valuation to keys
Below you will find the step-by-step process of selling a house with us.
1. The valuation
One of our team visits, looks round properly and gives you an honest figure with the comparable sales behind it. You will also get our fees and marketing plan in writing. Half an hour to 45 minutes, and free with no obligation.
2. Instructing us
If you want to go ahead, we get the paperwork sorted, agree the asking price and book the photography. We will also ask you to instruct a conveyancer at this point rather than waiting for an offer, because it saves weeks later on.
3. Marketing
Professional photography, a video tour, a floorplan and a brochure, then live on Rightmove, Zoopla, OnTheMarket and PrimeLocation, plus a For Sale board and our own registered buyer list. Registered buyers often see a property before the portals do. Usually within a week of instructing us.
4. Viewings
We handle every viewing ourselves, six days a week, including evenings and Saturdays. You get honest feedback after each one, including the things buyers said that you might not want to hear, because that is what tells us whether the price or the presentation needs a look.
5. Offers
Every offer comes to you, whatever we think of it. We check the buyer’s position before we advise: whether they have sold, whether they are in a chain, whether their mortgage is agreed in principle. A slightly lower offer from a buyer with nothing to sell is often the safer one.
6. Sale agreed
We issue the memorandum of sale to both solicitors, and the legal work starts. Searches, enquiries and the mortgage valuation all run in parallel. This is the longest stage, typically eight to twelve weeks, and the one where a sale is most likely to stall.
7. Exchange
Contracts are exchanged and the completion date is fixed. At this point the sale is legally binding and the buyer pays their deposit. Most people relax considerably at this stage.
8. Completion
The money moves, the keys are handed over, and the property is theirs. We check in afterwards to make sure everything went smoothly at both ends.
How long does selling take?
From going on the market to completion, most sales take three to five months. It splits roughly into two halves: finding a buyer, and then getting the legal work done.
- Finding a buyer: a few days to a few weeks for a well priced home in a popular street, longer for anything unusual or overpriced.
- Sale agreed to exchange: usually eight to twelve weeks, driven by searches, enquiries and the chain.
- Exchange to completion: often one to two weeks, and occasionally the same day if everyone is ready.
Chains are what stretch the timeline, because the whole chain moves at the speed of its slowest link. Part of our job is knowing where that link is and leaning on it politely.
Sales progression, which is most of the work
Agreeing a sale is the visible part. What decides whether it completes is the twelve weeks afterwards, and that is mostly phone calls: chasing searches, unblocking enquiries, checking the buyer’s mortgage offer has actually been issued, and finding out what is really happening three properties up the chain.
We do that ourselves rather than leaving it to the solicitors, and you get an update whether or not there is news. A quiet week is still worth a phone call, if only so you know nothing has gone wrong.
What we will ask you for
- A conveyancer: instructed early, so the legal pack is ready when a buyer appears.
- Proof of identity: we are legally required to verify it before marketing.
- Your paperwork: guarantees, building regulations certificates, planning permissions and the EPC.
- Flexibility on viewings: evenings and Saturdays are when most buyers can come.
- An honest steer: your timescales, your minimum, and anything about the property we should know up front.
Common questions about the process
Some of the most common questions we get. If you still have questions, feel free to contact us below.
Do I need a solicitor before I have a buyer?
You do not have to, but it is the single cheapest way to save time. Having the legal pack ready when an offer comes in can take weeks off the process.
Can I accept an offer and keep marketing?
You can, though we would usually advise against it once a sale is agreed in good faith. If a buyer is dragging their feet without good reason, that is a different conversation and we will have it with you.
What happens if the sale falls through?
It is not the disaster it feels like. We go back to the buyers who viewed and missed out, and properties that fall through often resell quickly because they are already prepared and the legal pack is done.
When do I pay your fee?
On completion, out of the sale proceeds. There is nothing to pay up front and nothing to pay if your home does not sell.
Do I have to be there for viewings?
No, and it usually goes better if you are not. Buyers ask more honest questions when the owner is not in the room.
What Our Clients Say
Hundreds of five-star reviews on Google and AllAgents, from sellers, landlords and tenants across Bristol.
Start with a valuation
Everything above starts with someone coming to look at your home and telling you honestly what it is worth. That part is free, and there is no obligation attached to it.