Selling a house

[Isanyonereallyanonymous]

Hello,
I bought my first house 2 years ago.
I'm now contemplating selling but have obviously not sold before.
How does the selling process work please?
From start to finish - how do I find an estate agent, how much do they charge, what if it doesn’t sell with them, what do the solicitors have to do from my side (no forward purchase from my side), what happens to my mortgage (2 years into a 5 year term), is there anything else I need to know?!

Thankyou and apologies if I sound like an idiot!

1. Contact 3 or 4 agents local to you. Whose boards do you see a lot of around you? They will come and value and you'll get an idea of who you get a good vibe from.

1. Fees around here are 1% + VAT. They will tell you when they come round.

1. Usually you're tied to that agent for a certain number of weeks and can then engage a new one if not sold yet. It will be in the ts & cs. Ours was 10 weeks (but sold in 2)

1. Your solicitor will prepare draft sale contracts, respond to enquiries and deal with the exchange of money/mortgage etc.

1. You'll need to check your mortgage documents or call your lender for a settlement figure. I expect there will be an early repayment fee only two years in.

If you’re only 2 years into a 5 year fixed rate then you will be charged an early redemption penalty, if you’re not porting the mortgage to another property.

Also, be realistic when considering what price to list your property at. In most areas, prices won’t have risen over the last 2 years (may have slightly fallen), so you can’t expect to sell it for more than you paid for it. Especially if it’s a new build as it’s no longer brand new.

Thanks both, that’s really helpful.
Lots to weigh up if it’s financially worth selling or if by the time I’ve paid fees etc it outweighs the benefits, but useful to have that info as a starting point.
Will give the mortgage company a ring as that seems like it might be the biggest issue.