Canopy Estate Agency
We’re delighted to announce an association with Canopy, a new estate agency dedicated to improving the house-moving process across Gloucestershire and Worcestershire.
Canopy aims to reduce frustrations with the home buying and selling process by only marketing ‘exchange ready’ properties. Its unique ‘exchange ready’ approach means carrying out a RICS home survey and starting to gather the detailed legal information that supports conveyancing before the property goes on the market.
Starting this work early helps to speed up the property transaction, reduce frustration and save time, money and stress for everyone involved.
Canopy is the brainchild of our Managing Director, James, and our Business Manager, Andrew, who are Codirectors of the new venture. Andrew and James bring extensive experience to the new business and have a proven track record in the property sector. James is a RICS Home Surveyor who has built GB Home Surveys into one of the UK’s leading residential property survey providers. And Andrew has more than 13 years’ industry experience, managing his own surveying business and leading operational teams in large corporations.
They came up with the idea after identifying the main pain points for home buyers and sellers and developing a unique way to address them by making the process as smooth and hassle-free as possible. Offering exchange ready homes leads to fewer delays and surprises during the process, reducing frustration and giving buyers and sellers more confidence.
What is 'exchange ready'?
‘Exchange ready’ is about streamlining the buying and selling process by understanding and tackling potential hurdles with the transaction upfront. Home sales often falter due to unforeseen issues like hidden defects or repairs, planning permission issues, boundary disputes, Japanese Knotweed or missing safety certificates.
Canopy aims to address these problems earlier in the process for a smoother transaction. The two main areas that enable a home to be ‘exchange ready’ are the sellers’ legal pack for conveyancing and the RICS Home Survey. Canopy’s team undertakes both before the home goes on the market.
It enables the seller to understand all the issues that could become stumbling blocks and address them or sell the property with them known upfront and clearly described to potential buyers. It means no bad news or nasty surprises for the buyer, as all the essential information is available to them before they decide to buy. The approach allows quicker progression from sale agreement to exchange of contracts, reducing the risk of the sale falling through.
Why sell ‘exchange ready’?
Getting a property ‘exchange ready’ before it hits the market helps reduce time, stress, hassle, frustration and unnecessary expense for all involved. On a typical house sale, once the sale is agreed, it can take up to three months for all the legal paperwork to go through before contracts are exchanged and the deal is completed.
Unfortunately, the longer it takes, the more chance there is for the buyer to change their mind, derailing the whole deal. In general, the more comprehensive the information provided about the property is, the easier it will be to conclude a quick sale. It gives the buyers’ solicitors most of the information they need, meaning fewer questions and chasing up missing paperwork.
Getting the home ‘exchange ready’ helps streamline the process by bringing any potential issues to light earlier in the process so they can be resolved or disclosed before agreeing the sale. In many cases, the buyer will commission a RICS home survey once they’ve agreed to buy. It means that any issues it uncovers can cause further delays and frustration, especially if they are repairs that need resolving before the sale completes.
‘Exchange ready’ means starting this work upfront. We complete a RICS home survey on behalf of Canopy before the property hits the market, while the Canopy team starts pulling together the pack of legal documents the seller’s conveyancers and the buyer’s solicitors need to draw up the contracts. Collating these essential documents and addressing any gaps and omissions early helps everyone involved. It gives buyers a clearer picture of what they’re buying and confidence that it’s priced fairly and has no nasty surprises lurking. It gives everyone involved in the legal process a head start on getting all the information they need to prepare the documentation to support the sale.
And it means less hassle and frustration for sellers, because they know exactly what they’re selling upfront, can address any repairs if necessary and can hold firm on the price.
So, if you’re looking to sell a home in Cheltenham, Gloucester or Worcester, why not give Canopy a try? Its friendly, expert team of home heroes will be by your side every step of the way to guide you through the process and bring your sale to a swift and successful conclusion. To find out more, visit www.canopyestateagency.co.uk.
