Selling Information

Selling Your Home

An estate agent’s primary role is to facilitate the sale of your property. They provide regular communication, guidance and support through the more complicated and stressful stages of the transaction.

They are responsible for:

• An accurate valuation of your property, taking into account the economic issues affecting the market.
• The marketing of your property, including the EPC (Energy Performance Certificate), floorplan, photography, brochure and video.
• How your property is presented, how widely it is promoted and attracting the right buyers. There is nothing worse than having the wrong buyer for your property; it can only delay the transaction for months and worse, waste time, money and effort for everyone.

In essence the agent will manage all stages of the transaction from valuation and marketing, to the management of the chain, and the conveyancing; all the way through to final completion.

At this point if you live in a flat it is always worth checking the length of your lease, as it can have an impact on the purchase price and lending criteria for your buyer.

Presentation of Your Property

Preparing your home for sale doesn’t need to be expensive and you certainly do not need to redecorate.

The exterior of your home is the first view buyers have of your property; a freshly cut lawn, well-kept plants and an inviting entrance will definitely impress and set the level of expectation for the rest of the property. This will also help your photos look appealing.

The opposite of this will clearly have a negative effect on buyers.

It can be hard to do but decluttering your home will help buyers to visualise themselves living there instead of you. Creating a calm and neutral atmosphere also helps give you the best chance of selling your home quickly.

Here are a few tips we have picked up over the years:

• If you are repainting try to use neutral colours, this provides a blank canvass for buyers to make their own mark on the property.
• Using lighter colours will reflect more sunlight making rooms feel airy and spacious.
• Remove excess clutter and unnecessary personal items from the floor, shelves and work surfaces.
• Try to arrange viewings when children are at school, too many people in a house can make it appear small and crowded.
• Using props and furnishings such as candles, flowers and paintings to stage rooms will help to show them off to their best potential.

It may be useful at this point to find somewhere to store some of your furniture and belongings to create more space and also help you prepare for your move.

Selling your Home

Now it’s time to hand over to your Estate Agent to manage the rest. They will launch the property on the portals, arrange the viewings and give you regular feedback. Viewing times should be agreed prior to the launch of the property so that you can arrange your timings and schedule, especially if you have young children or work shifts.

Once an offer is received, your agent will require you to instruct solicitors and they will generate ‘Sales Memorandum’ which is sent to both the sellers and buyers solicitors giving them all the required information to start the sale process.

Your buyer will usually require a survey even if the purchase is cash.
Once the survey has been conducted a report will be generated and as long as there are no onerous items in the survey, a mortgage offer will be generated.

If you live in a flat, you will be required to obtain a Management Pack, which should be sent to your solicitor as soon as possible. You will also have to fill in a Fixtures and Fittings Form and a Property Information Form for your solicitors which should also be completed at the earliest opportunity to ensure a speedy transaction.

Constant communication between the agent, yourselves and solicitors will be ongoing and once all the legal requirements are completed you will be ready to exchange. This must be done on a business day. On the day of exchange, a completion date must be agreed by both the sellers and buyers solicitors (also a working day).

On the day of completion you need to be packed and ready to move to your new home. Timings for this vary but generally you have to have left your old property by midday and the new owners will either collect the keys from the agent or whatever other arrangements have been agreed.