House sale checklist: a practical step-by-step guide

Selling a house can feel overwhelming. The best way to get through it is to be prepared. Most problems don’t come from buyers changing their minds. They come from delays, missing information, or decisions made too late in the process.

This checklist walks through the entire house sale journey, in order, so you know what needs doing, when, and why it matters. It’s written for real sellers making real decisions. Not a perfect market, and not a perfect timeline.

House sale checklist: step by step

Decide whether selling is the right move
Get clear on your finances
Decide whether to buy straight away or rent next
Choose how you’ll sell (and who with)
Sort your Energy Performance Certificate (EPC)
Set a realistic asking price
Prepare the house for sale
Line up a conveyancing solicitor
Complete the seller paperwork
Accept an offer
Deal with surveys and contract queries
Exchange contracts
Move out
Complete the sale
Repay the mortgage
Settle final costs and paperwork

1. Decide whether you should sell at all

Before agents, photos or valuations, pause here.

If you’re moving for space, it’s worth comparing the cost of extending, converting, or reconfiguring your existing home. Selling and buying both come with friction: fees, tax, stress, and risk.If you’re downsizing, separating, selling a probate property, or relocating, the decision may already be made, but the timing still matters.

Market conditions, personal deadlines, and onward plans all shape how much pressure you’ll be under later.

2. Figure out your finances early

At this stage, accuracy matters less than scale.

You’re trying to understand the shape of the numbers, not lock them down.

Roughly what is the house worth in today’s market?
How much is left on the mortgage?
Are there any early repayment charges?
How much equity is likely to be released?

If you’re moving to a more expensive home or your current deal is ending, this is also when people start thinking about remortgaging or porting their mortgage.

Exact figures usually arrive much later, often once exchange and completion dates are fixed, but early estimates help avoid false assumptions.

An early conversation with a mortgage adviser can help you sanity-check your budget and understand what’s realistic. Initial meetings are typically free, and having that clarity early tends to make the rest of the process calmer and more deliberate.

Find a Mortgage Adviser

Find a broker

3. Decide whether to buy next, or rent

Selling and buying at the same time creates a chain. Chains aren’t bad by default, but they compress decision-making.

Selling first and renting temporarily:

Removes pressure on your sale price
Makes you a stronger buyer later
Reduces the risk of collapse

It does add cost, but for some sellers it buys flexibility and sleep.If you do plan to buy and sell together, being honest with yourself (and your agent) about time pressure matters more than optimism.

4. Decide how you’ll sell the house

There are three main routes:

Sell privately
Use a local estate agent
Use an online or hybrid agent

Local agents usually cost more, but they often handle viewings, negotiations, and chain management more actively. Online agents tend to be cheaper, but more of the work and risk sits with you.If you’re using an agent:

Compare recent local sale results, not just headline valuations
Make sure you understand the fee structure and contract length
Ask whether they’ll actively manage the sale once an offer is agreed

A high valuation is only helpful if it leads to a sale. If pricing is too optimistic, it can slow momentum or force reductions later. Recent sold prices and comparable local properties can help ground expectations before you commit to an asking price. Look up any address on Property Looker to find a valuation estimate.

5. Get an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC)

You need an EPC before marketing the property.It’s a legal requirement, but it’s also one of the first documents buyers and lenders see. If the EPC is weak, expect questions, not necessarily deal-breakers, but delays if it’s missing. Property Portals like Rightmove require a recent EPC to list properties on their platform.

6. Decide on an asking price

Pricing is less about optimism and more about signals.

Look at completed local sales, not just listings
Expect negotiation
Decide your real minimum before going live

Overpricing usually costs time first and money later.

7. Prepare the house for sale

Most sales are agreed within weeks if:

The price is right
The house is clearly presented
There are no obvious unanswered questions

You don’t need perfection. You do need:

Decluttered rooms
Obvious maintenance addressed
Clean, neutral presentation
Reasonable kerb appeal

Surveyors notice neglect faster than buyers do.

Some sellers choose to instruct their own surveyor so they understand any defects or limitations the property may have and can reflect them in the asking price from the outset. This can be particularly sensible for older, extended, or unusual properties, where surprises are more likely and expectations need managing early.

Book a Survey

Book a survey

8. Line up a conveyancing solicitor

Choose your solicitor before accepting an offer.Once an offer is agreed, speed matters. Delays often come from sellers scrambling to instruct, verify ID, or gather documents while buyers are already impatient.Ask upfront:

What’s included in the quote?
What triggers extra fees?
How they handle leasehold (if relevant)

We have partnered with conveyancers across the country.

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9. Complete the seller paperwork

This is where many sales start to slow down.

You’ll need to complete property information forms covering things like:

Boundaries and disputes
Alterations and permissions
Utilities and services
Fixtures and fittings

For leasehold properties, management information packs are also required and these can take weeks to arrive. Ordering them early avoids long stretches of dead time later in the process.

When delays happen at this stage, conveyancers often (and unfairly) get the blame. In reality, they rely on information from councils, managing agents, and third parties who all have their own workloads and timelines. Having paperwork ready early gives everyone the best chance of keeping things moving.

10. Accept an offer

All offers must be passed on to you.

When assessing one, price is only part of the picture:

Buyer’s position (chain-free or not)
Mortgage agreed or not
Proposed timescale

Accepting an offer isn’t legally binding, but changing your mind later has consequences, even if it’s allowed.

11. Surveys, enquiries and contract negotiation

After offer acceptance:

The buyer arranges surveys
Solicitors raise legal enquiries
Price or terms may be revisited

This is where preparation pays off. Missing paperwork, unclear boundaries, or historic issues often surface here.

Not all survey findings justify renegotiation, but how you respond affects momentum.

12. Exchange contracts

At exchange:

The sale becomes legally binding
A completion date is fixed
The buyer pays a deposit

From this point, pulling out is costly. You remain responsible for the property until completion, including insurance.

13. Move out

You can move earlier or on the completion day itself.

The property must be left:

In the agreed condition
With all included fixtures present
Cleared unless otherwise agreed

Final inspections are common.

14. Complete the sale

Completion day is when:

Money transfers
Keys are released
Ownership changes

It usually happens around midday but can drift. Once funds arrive, the sale is done.

15. Repay the mortgage

Your solicitor receives a final redemption figure from the lender and pays off the mortgage directly from the sale proceeds.You don’t need to manage this yourself, but errors here can delay completion if details don’t match.