Two new upfront information packs aim to reduce transaction times and fall-throughs ahead of government changes to the home buying and selling process, with providers saying the industry “can’t afford to wait” for reform before taking action.
Sales Pack Ready Surveys from Landmark Information Group are available to property professionals including conveyancers, while Eden Conveyancing’s Sale Ready service is aimed helping sellers begin the legal preparation without waiting for an offer.
Landmark’s Sales Pack Ready Survey is a RICS-standard assessment of a property’s physical condition carried out at the point of instruction. The surveys provide an independent assessment of a property’s physical condition, highlighting visible defects, maintenance concerns and areas that may require further investigation.
Nick Dyoss, group business development and relationships director at Landmark Information Group, explained: “The future of home moving is about helping buyers and sellers make informed decisions before they commit, rather than uncovering issues once a transaction is already underway.
“Property condition information is a practical example of where estate agents, conveyancers, brokers and lenders can begin making that shift today. By giving the industry the tools to start changing established ways of working, we can start changing processes, learn what works for customers and build towards a transaction that is better prepared from the very beginning.”
Digital conveyancing firm Eden shares a similar goal. Through its Sale Ready service, sellers can instruct the firm at the time of listing so legal preparation can get underway before a sale has been agreed.
Eden will also prepare a free report for estate agents flagging any issues with the property so they can be addressed with potential buyers in advance of an offer – reducing the risk of fall-throughs further into the process.
Katrina Lamont is the director of legal operations at Eden. She explained: “The traditional home-selling process is designed around waiting. You list your property, wait for a buyer, accept an offer and then start the legal work – even though much of that preparation could have started weeks earlier. Sale Ready is about changing that.
“By getting the legal preparation underway before or when a property comes to market, sellers can be ready to progress as soon as an offer comes in, rather than starting from scratch.
“At a time when the wider industry is, rightly, focused on making transactions faster, more reliable and less prone to falling through, we believe Sale Ready is a practical change that can support this.”
Dyoss agrees: “The property industry can’t afford to wait for reform to take effect before it starts changing how transactions work”, he said.
“We know the direction the market is heading, and the businesses that start adapting now will be in a much stronger position as those changes become embedded across the home buying and selling process”
Landmark Sales Pack Ready Surveys are available now to conveyancers and other property professionals in England and Wales. Eden’s Sale Ready service can be requested by vendors directly from the firm or via its network of partner estate agents.
