Selling a property well is mostly about sequencing: the paperwork you gather before listing, the way you present the property, and the order in which you handle offers and legal steps. Here’s the process we walk sellers through.
Get your paperwork in order before you list
You’ll need the property title, an updated topographic diagram where applicable, proof of any building permits, and — critically — a valid Energy Performance Certificate (PEA), which is legally required before you can advertise or sign a sale contract.
Price it against real comparable sales
Pull recent, genuinely comparable sales in the same neighborhood, not just similar listings still on the market. Asking prices tell you what sellers hope for; closed sales tell you what buyers actually paid.
Prepare the property before the first viewing
Small fixes — a fresh coat of paint, decluttered rooms, good lighting in photos — consistently shorten time on market. Buyers form an impression in the first thirty seconds of a viewing, and it’s hard to undo a bad first one.
Vet offers before you take a property off the market
A higher offer isn’t automatically the best one. Check the buyer’s financing situation, especially if a mortgage is involved, before agreeing to remove the listing — a financing fall-through weeks later costs you the time you thought you’d saved.
The notary stage
Once terms are agreed, your lawyer and the buyer’s lawyer handle the title search, tax clearance, and drafting of the final contract, which is signed in front of a notary. Budget several weeks for this stage, longer if there are any title irregularities to resolve.
Sellers who prepare the paperwork before listing move through the notary stage in weeks. Sellers who scramble for it after an offer arrives often lose that buyer to the delay.
Key takeaways
- A valid Energy Performance Certificate is required before you can legally advertise or sell.
- Price against closed comparable sales, not competing asking prices.
- Presentation and first impressions genuinely shorten time on market.
- Vet a buyer’s financing before taking your property off the market for them.
