There are a variety of reasons for putting your property on the market, but it’s good to know how to sell your house quickly. No-one wants a long drawn-out process.
You might want to move to a new property or location. Or perhaps you just want to cash in an investment property. In my practice, I do a substantial amount of work for families who are selling their existing home.
Growing families may wish to move to larger properties with gardens and amenities for children. Or older retired couples may wish to downsize and utilise any equity in their home for their retirement.
Whatever the reason behind people selling their home, there is one common desire – speed of sale. Once an offer is received by the auctioneer, every single seller wants their solicitor to issue contracts as swiftly as possible to secure the agreement.
Steps to Take to Sell Your House Quickly
As a seller (vendor) there are a number of steps you can take before you place your house on the market. The more you get done, the faster your solicitor can act once an offer is accepted. Check out our handy 8-step list to sell your house quickly:
- Finding the Title Deeds: Do you know where your Title deeds are? For example, are they at home, with the bank or with a previous solicitor? We can secure the title deeds for you. You can sign an Authority authorising our office to lift the title deeds from the bank or solicitor’s office. Just make sure you have the name of the bank holding your deeds.
- Have key information to hand, such as your P.P.S. number and tax type, and your ID such as a passport or driving licence
- You will need to provide a utility bill or bank statement dated within the last 6 months
- If you are married, you need a copy of your marriage certificate. Or if you are separated or divorced, a copy of your divorce decree/separation agreement.
- Have a receipt to confirm your septic tank is registered with the County Council: registration
- If it’s an Unregistered Property, then we will require a land registry compliant map.
- Make sure you have your Planning Documents, Architects Certificate of Compliance with Building Regulations, Planning Permission and Identification Certificate
- If contents are included in the sale, please give inventory of same.
Other issues to consider include:
Structural Changes to your Home
If you have made any changes to your home since the purchase, you should advise your solicitor of all such changes. You need to gather together all relevant planning documentation -if any- and provide this to your solicitor. When issuing contracts your solicitor needs to include the planning history of the property. Therefore, you need to provide your buyer with all relevant certificates of compliance. If in doubt about the planning requirements, talk to your solicitor, who will advise you what is needed.
Apply for Clearance Certificates
There are several additional certificates which must be provided to the buyer when selling your property. Some of these certificates can take a little bit of time to obtain. So, it’s best if you apply as early as possible, or give your solicitor the information early to follow up your behalf.
BER Certificate and Advisory Report
This is the document which sets out the energy rating of the property. It is a standard requirement for all properties. An inspection of your property is required to prepare it, and this must be done by a qualified BER Assessor. Most auctioneers can organise this for you, as this certificate is needed to advertise the property for sale.
NPPR Certificate
NPPR (Non-Principal Private Residential) Tax was relevant for the years 2009 – 2013 inclusive. It was payable in the amount of €200 per year if you owned a second home. However, even if you were not liable for the tax, a certificate is required if you are selling your home. If the property you are selling is your main home, you will need to apply to your Local Authority for a Certificate of Exemption in respect of NPPR. This will state that it was not payable. If you are selling an investment property, you will require a Certificate of Discharge of NPPR. This will confirm the tax was paid.
LPT and Household Charge Clearance Certificate
Your buyer must be provided with proof that the Household Charge (2012) and all LPT payments on the property are paid and up to date. You will need to provide your solicitor with details of the LPT p4roperty ID & Pin Number and your solicitor can investigate this matter. It is also important that your property has been registered with the Revenue Commissioners in the correct Valuation Band for LPT. You should enquire about this before the sale, to ensure the correct documentation is available at the time of contracts.
Taking time to give some attention to these matters will greatly assist a smooth sale, in the shortest time possible. Of course, there are lots of tips on making your house more attractive to buyers to speed up a sale. Check some of them out here.
Find out more about our Property Services here. For information or to book an appointment, please call us on 0749164906 or email info@crawfordgallaghersolicitors.ie
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