BestFSBOGuide.com team
Eleanor Whitfield
United Kingdom contributor
Covers private home sales in England and Wales from primary sources: HM Land Registry price-paid data and transfer process, the role a conveyancer plays in the legal transfer, the Energy Performance Certificate requirement before marketing, and the gap between an accepted offer and exchange of contracts where chains tend to break. The desk works from the documents and statutory rules rather than anecdote.
In an England and Wales sale, the first thing worth getting straight is a distinction most advice glosses over. You can do without an estate agent, but the legal transfer at HM Land Registry runs through a conveyancer no matter how a buyer is found. One role is optional. The other is not, and this page says so plainly.
A handful of snags recur often enough to be worth flagging up front. The Energy Performance Certificate has to exist before the property goes on the market, not after. An accepted offer means little until exchange of contracts, and either side can still walk in the meantime. Leasehold paperwork, including the management pack from the freeholder or managing agent, adds weeks if it is left late, so it is worth requesting early.
When a guide on BestFSBOGuide.com tells you to do something, the reason should be that the rules require it, never that it reads more neatly that way.
Areas of focus
- Tracks HM Land Registry transfer process and price-paid data
- Follows England and Wales conveyancing requirements, including EPC and leasehold paperwork
Join the team
Want to write or fact-check for us?
We are always glad to hear from experienced writers, editors, and local property experts who care about getting the facts right. If you would like to contribute to or review for BestFSBOGuide.com, send a note about your background and the markets you know to editors@bestfsboguide.com.