This can be done immediately after you put your property on the market or after you have received an offer. Your solicitor will draft a contract based on the information that you provided in your forms. This will include fixtures, fittings, whether these are included in the sale price or not and a provisional date of completion.

If the survey highlights any expensive work that is required on the building, the buyer make want to renegotiate the price or request the repairs are done prior to exchange. The solicitor may also have further questions relating to property searches, such as condition, planning permissions, drainage and environmental issues that were not already answered.

When everyone else in the chain is ready to proceed, the formal exchange of contracts will take place. This is normally done on a recorded telephone call between the legal representatives of the buyer and seller. At this point, your legal representation will receive the buyer’s deposit and the contract is legally binding.

On this day, you first want to confirm your solicitor is ‘in funds’ this means that they have received the balance from the buyer’s conveyancer. They can then transfer the legal documents of ownership to the buyer, organise redemption of your mortgage and all other fees and monies. You will receive a completion statement including all the monies settled and outstanding.

It is a good idea to read your meter just before you vacate the property. You must vacate the property by the time the transfer is completed, hand the keys over to the estate agent and leave any spares inside the property. This is typically by 1pm on moving day, so you will most likely need to be packed up and ready to move the previous day.