If it's not going how you expected, here's what's worth knowing
A sale involves a lot of moving parts, and it is entirely reasonable to want regular updates rather than waiting to be told when something happens. These are the questions worth asking, and how often, whoever is handling your sale.
Ask your agent about viewing feedback
If your property has had viewings without an offer following, ask specifically what feedback was given. Vague comments such as "they liked it but are still looking" are not particularly useful on their own. Specific feedback about price, condition or layout gives you something you can actually act on, whether that means adjusting the price, addressing a recurring comment, or simply understanding that the property is doing its job and the right buyer has not come along yet.
Ask how many enquiries your listing is generating
This tells you whether the issue, if there is one, lies with the listing attracting interest in the first place, or with enquiries converting into actual viewings. These are genuinely different problems with different solutions, and it is worth knowing which one you are dealing with rather than guessing.
Ask your solicitor for a status update on searches
Once an offer is accepted, it is entirely reasonable to ask your solicitor for a brief update every couple of weeks on where things stand with searches and any enquiries raised, rather than waiting for them to contact you. Solicitors are often juggling many cases at once, and a sale that is not actively chased can quietly slip down the priority list.
Ask whether your buyer's position has changed
Chains can shift without warning. It is worth asking your agent periodically to confirm that your buyer's own sale, if they have one, is still progressing normally, since a stall further up or down the chain can affect your own timeline without you necessarily being told straight away.
Ask what happens if something goes wrong
Before you need this answer, it helps to know it. Ask your agent and solicitor what their process is if a buyer pulls out, or if a survey raises a significant issue, so you are not caught off guard trying to work it out for the first time under pressure.
Ask about the paperwork you are responsible for
It is worth asking early exactly what forms and information you personally need to provide, fixtures and fittings, property information forms, guarantees for any work carried out, since delays here are often on the seller's side rather than the buyer's, simply because nobody asked the question until it became urgent.
Keep a simple record of your own
A short note of who you spoke to, when, and what was agreed can be genuinely useful if a query ever needs chasing up later. It does not need to be formal, even a few lines after each call is enough to keep track of where things stand, and it gives you something concrete to refer back to if timelines are ever disputed.
A reasonable rhythm for updates
During the marketing stage, a weekly summary of activity is reasonable to expect. Once under offer, a fortnightly update from your solicitor and agent is a fair ask. You should never feel like you are the one chasing for basic information about your own sale.
Staying informed is not about being difficult, it is about catching small issues early, before they become bigger ones. A good agent, whoever you are with, should welcome these questions rather than treat them as a hassle.