Staying on top of your sale: questions worth asking your solicitor and agent regularly
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. Specific feedback about price, condition or layout gives you something to act on.
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. More often than not, a listing generating very few enquiries is a pricing problem.
Ask your solicitor for a status update on searches
Once an offer is accepted, it is reasonable to ask your solicitor for a brief update every couple of weeks on where things stand.
Ask whether your buyer's position has changed
Chains can shift. It is worth asking your agent periodically to confirm that your buyer's own sale, if they have one, is still progressing normally.
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.
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.
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.
Staying informed is not about being difficult, it is about catching small issues early, before they become bigger ones.