Help with how to buy or sell a home

Selling a home can be a big undertaking, and the process is often unfamiliar as, on average, we only move every 15 to 20 years. It is important you can get advice from the right people at the right time.

Guides are now available to help you avoid stress and speed up the process by knowing which questions to ask, what your rights are, and what responsibilities you have as either a home buyer or a home seller.

There are separate guides for buying and selling.

The buying guide is for people who are thinking of purchasing a home. First-time buyers may find it particularly useful, but as the buying process can change, even more experienced buyers can benefit from understanding the latest key steps.

Information is also provided on buying a property which is currently rented out, but only if you plan to live in it yourself. There are links to finding more information on buying to let.

The selling guide is for people who are thinking of selling a home. First-time sellers may find it particularly useful, but even more experienced sellers need to know what processes or requirements have changed since their last sale.

Both guides focus on freehold properties and provide short overviews of how to buy or sell leasehold properties, with links to where you can find more information about leasehold.

The guides have been prepared by the government working together with several organisations including CILEx Regulation. The guides are intended for people buying or selling a home in England or Wales. More information on buying or selling a property in Scotland or Northern Ireland is available through links.

If you are a conveyancer, you might like to think about how you might use these guides to assist your clients. You could consider linking to the guides from your website to:

• help answer basic questions clients have about the conveyancing process
• support clients throughout their transaction
• help you with providing transparency information

Alternatively, you may wish to add them as part of any initial information you provide when you receive enquiries.