Establishing Your Current Value

When you decide to dip your toe into the property market, it is important to price your property at a realistic level; too cheap and you may not get the best value, too expensive and you will have little interest and subsequently may achieve a lesser price for your property.

Although you can get a general picture of your local marketplace through local newspaper adverts and property websites, there are many elements that affect the price of a property. Our years of experience and understanding of the current market will offer a more accurate value.

We will personally visit your home and meet with you at a time that is convenient. The appraisal will typically take 30 minutes to an hour and will include a full inspection of your home with any advice and recommendations to help you achieve the best value.

Your agent of choice

When you’re deciding which is the best agent to use, please watch out for those who suggest over-inflated prices.  Although achieving a higher price may seem attractive an unrealistic value can mean that your property receives little interest and sits on the market for a long period.

Watch out for lengthy agency contracts, some agents will contract you for 26 weeks/half a year, sometimes more. Always ask the agent how long their agreement is before you proceed.

It is important your chosen agent has a comprehensive marketing strategy with regular diarised reviews to keep your property up-to-date and to keep you updated at all times.

Buy first, then sell or sell first, then buy?

We would usually advise you to sell your home before you start house-hunting seriously. We know how frustrating it is to lose out on your dream home because you are not in a position to proceed. Don’t worry about being made homeless, we can make it clear to your buyers that you can’t move out until you’ve found a new home.

Preparing your home for sale

The Doorstep, often a part of the home which is forgotten! Your buyer will spend a considerable amount of time looking at this in your picture and standing around chatting about your home after they have finished a viewing. So it is important to ensure this area is clean and tidy, if you have flower beds or hanging baskets make sure they are at their best.

Cleaning and decluttering your property can be highly influential to the value your home achieves.  A well presented home creates a great first impressions. So take the time to make it spotless, if you don’t have the time, let us know and we can put you in touch with a local cleaning firm.

Should I finish off minor jobs?

The answer is always yes. Many of us put up with those little unfinished jobs on the DIY list, not completing these can cost thousands on your sale price.  Even replacing a light bulb can make a big difference!

Freshening up the paintwork can give the impression of a well maintained home. Re-grouting around the shower and polishing the taps, can give your bathroom a whole new fresh look.  We are happy to advise when we visit your home of any improvements that we believe will assist your sale.

Photography

Preparing your home for photography is one of the most important actions you can take to maximise your chances of attracting interest.

We are here to help before, we set your property to market. We will walk through your property with you room by room, taking time to work out the best furnishing layouts and features to capture.

Must do’s

• Remove any clutter and hide it out of sight, especially the kitchen and bathroom surfaces.
• Make sure all curtains and blinds are fully open.
• Ensure that your garden is free from any larger items that may get in the way, such as children’s toys and washing.
• Ideally, park your car out of the way while we take exterior shots.

Viewings

On your agreement to go ahead we will discuss with you a viewing plan, within this we will take into account your normal weekly routine and the best time of day to show the property.  We will consider parking availability in your street and traffic levels, children and pets, light levels and garden aspects. We will talk with you about all of these aspects prior to marketing your property. We will arrange all appointments with you directly before each viewing, unless otherwise agreed.

If you would like to be present during viewings, it is worth bearing these points in mind:

• Give the viewer time and space to look around at their leisure, but remaining available for any questions they may have.
• Say your hellos & goodbyes in the most impactful rooms, these will be what they remember.
• Don’t be tempted to oversell the property, sometimes this can have a negative impact.
• Don’t stand in front of windows this detracts from the light coming in.

Negotiation

As soon as we receive an offer we will carry out all necessary checks, i.e finances and chains.  It is very important at this point to discuss target exchange and completion dates, but do be aware these can change due to certain circumstances such as delays with the mortgage and conveyancing.

We will get straight in touch by phone and will discuss with you all the relevant details so that you can make an informed decision on the offer. Finally we will follow all offers up in writing.

If someone makes an offer to you directly please ask them to call us so we can check out their situation, this also means you’re not under pressure to make a decision.

Agreeing a sale

Once you have an offer that is acceptable it will be confirmed in writing, this will include any additional information, such as fixtures and fittings and the time frames agreed.

There are many things that need to be done before exchange and completion, but we will be on hand to both progress the sale and to give you any advice throughout The Sales Process.

Financial services

If your buyers are using a mortgage provider for any part of the sale, they will need to submit a full mortgage application to begin the process.

Before their lender can guarantee to provide the funding required, they will insist on inspecting your property. Usually the lender will offer them two types of inspection, a Basic Valuation will check only briefly the condition of the property and its value or a Homebuyers report that will provide much more detail on the overall condition of the property, and may make recommendations to check certain areas more thoroughly.

In either instance, an appointment will normally be made for the surveyor to visit your property within three weeks of the sale being agreed. If this report recommends or requires further investigation of any specific issues, further access to your property will need to be arranged.

Once a purchaser has investigated any recommendations or requirements raised by their survey, they may attempt to renegotiate the agreed price.

There are no hard & fast rules with this scenario as each property is different. We will continue to advise you, but ultimately, we will act on your instruction. It is important in such a situation that neither party loses sight of the overall desire to move and get caught up on principle.

Conveyancing/Solicitors

The choice of who will act for you is entirely at your discretion. The only restriction is that you can’t use the same person as the buyer, the only exception to this is if you are both existing clients of the solicitor firm.

It’s important that you instruct a solicitor/conveyancer who will deal with the sale of your property promptly. They should be experienced in handling residential property sales, easily contacted and able to deal with your case speedily.

We have preferred solicitors with which we have had excellent service and communication, resulting in a prompt sales process.

You will have to make an initial payment to your solicitor to start the process.

We will remain in constant contact with you and your solicitor throughout the sale, to monitor progress and to assist with any issues. We would ask that you make us aware of any potential problems as soon as you are aware of them.

Your solicitor will liaise with all parties involved across the entire chain so it is important that you instruct a solicitor that is prepared to communicate with your agent directly.

During the transaction your solicitor will:

• Send out the draft contract of sale.
• Liaise with your mortgagee, if appropriate.
• Respond to any enquiries raised by the buyers solicitors.
• Arrange for you to sign the contract receive and allocated monies as applicable
• Carry out all Anti Money Laundering checks necessary to be in line with the 2017 Regulations

We work alongside reliable, trusted conveyancers and financial advisors. If you would like any local recommendations on these please let us know.

It’s here! Moving day.

The moving day itself can be stressful, but if you are organised in advance, the day will be a lot simpler.

To remove some of the stress, here are some of our top tips:

• Use a professional moving firm; do not try to move everything yourself in a rented van it’s often more work than you think and back breaking!. They are trained professionals, and will do all of the work for you. Ask us for our recommendations, or ask friends and family who they have used in the past.
• Try to avoid Friday’s, they are not only the most sought after, but also more expensive. (completions can’t take place on Saturdays, Sundays or public holidays)
• Always Take meter readings on both your sale and purchase (Don’t forget the water meter)
• Ensure that all of your post is redirected by the Royal Mail
• Leave a note of anything important for the new owners. This can include things like alarm codes, where meters are and any operation manuals, particularly for the central heating.
• Leave out the essentials from the removals van, tea, coffee, mugs, toilet roll, cleaning materials and of course some chilled bubbles, etc

Who do I need to tell I’m Moving – checklist

When you move it can be a daunting task informing everyone of your new address! We have built this checklist to help make sure nothing important goes to the wrong place, and that no one is forgotten!

Home Bills

• Electricity Company
• Gas Company
• Water Company
• Telephone Provider
• Mobile Phone Provider
•  Post office redirect
• Cable/satellite and internet service providers
• TV licensing

Finance

• Banks
• Credit card companies
• Council tax department
• National savings and premium bonds
• Your employer
• Insurance companies
• Pension companies
• Inland revenue
• Solicitor

Health

• Doctor
• Dentist
• Optician

Transport

• Travel
• DVLA
• Breakdown recovery company
• Vehicle registration
• Vehicle insurance

Other

• Friends and relatives
• Internet delivery companies
• Subscriptions
• Milk delivery
• Window Cleaner
• Newsagent
• Schools

Download your checklist here