.png)
Which platform do you use, and why?
"We use SignWell. We originally chose it because it was inexpensive, straightforward and did exactly what we needed without lots of unnecessary features."
SignWell is a dedicated e-signature platform aimed at small businesses. It is less well known than DocuSign or Adobe Sign but covers the essentials: document sending, signing, an audit trail, and automatic delivery of the completed copy to both parties. For a small agency signing a predictable set of documents, the feature set is a reasonable fit.
What is one document your business now signs electronically that it did not before?
"The main document our clients sign electronically is our Terms of Business, which is normally completed right at the start once a client has decided to instruct us."
A Terms of Business agreement is an ordinary contract. It requires no witness and no particular level of signature under English law, which makes it straightforward to execute electronically. To understand more about document types and what each requires, see Can property documents be signed electronically in the UK?
What changed once you switched to digital, in time, cost or risk?
"We send the agreement over, they can review and sign it on their phone or computer and we receive the completed copy automatically. From there we can get on with the rest of the onboarding and start the property search. Before using e-signatures, the process was much more cumbersome. You would email the document, the client would print it, sign it, scan or photograph it and send it back. If they were travelling or did not have access to a printer or scanner, that could often delay things."
The before and after is clear. The old process depended on the client having access to a printer and scanner at the right moment. For a buying agency whose clients are frequently overseas or travelling, that dependency introduced delays that had nothing to do with the transaction itself.
What went wrong, or nearly did?
"We have had very few problems with e-signing. Occasionally a signing email might go into a junk folder, or someone who is less comfortable with technology may need a little guidance, but generally clients find it very easy. In many ways it is simpler for less technical clients because there is no scanning, attaching documents or creating PDFs. They just follow the link and sign."
The junk folder issue is common across platforms and worth planning for. Most e-signature platforms include automated reminder settings for exactly this reason. The observation about less technical clients is worth noting - removing the scanning and PDF steps reduces friction for people who are not comfortable with technology, not just those who are.
Has the speed of signing made a practical difference?
"A client can now sign from their phone within minutes, wherever they are, rather than waiting until they get back to a printer or scanner. That can be surprisingly important in property, where things can sometimes move very quickly. If an off-market opportunity comes up, or we need to arrange a viewing before other buyers, removing even a small admin delay can make a real difference."
This is the property-specific case for electronic signing that goes beyond convenience. In a market where off-market opportunities can close quickly, the ability to formalise an instruction within minutes rather than days is operationally significant.
What would you tell another agency considering it?
"It has made the onboarding process considerably quicker and easier. For a relatively small property business, it is one of those pieces of technology that has become indispensable."
Curetons Property Finders can be found at www.curetons.co.uk
