Tips for Selling

Preparing your home

Like most things in life it's all about the preparation, if you want to achieve the best price for your home you need to invest some time to get it looking its best!

De-clutter

You're planning to move anyway, so start to pack up some of your non-essential belongings (remember to label the box with the room and contents). The clearer the floors, work surfaces, window sills and rooms are, the bigger your home will appear to potential buyers.

Freshen up paintwork

Grab a paintbrush and your pot of paint and tackle one room at a time, touch up any marks, fill and paint holes - as they say in the trade 'make good'. Clean any skirting boards, door frames and banisters. The less work that your potential buyer sees as essential, the more likely they'll offer you closer to your asking price.

Spring Clean

It's the little things that make the difference. Wipe down light switches, door handles and plug sockets with a cloth (DRY cloth for electrics!) and dust the whole house - particularly lampshades, radiators, coving and skirting boards. Spend some time cleaning the area at the front of your home, first impressions count!

Fresh eyes

When we are used to seeing something frequently it becomes 'the norm' and almost invisible to us. Walk up to your home as if it was your first time, what can you see? Do a "viewing" of your home as if you've never been there before - what stands out? What would put you off making an offer? It's a hard thing to do, asking a friend or someone you trust will also help - just don't take their feedback personally!

Make a file

Now is a good time to get all paperwork relating to your home in one place, over the coming weeks and months you'll be asked questions about your home. You can also see if anything is missing and order duplicates ahead of time, reducing delays later on! Whether it's a simple file box with everything in, or an alphabetised filing system, having everything together will be a time saver.

Choosing on an Estate Agent

It's generally accepted that it's best to get three valuations of your home before choosing an estate agent. A good estate agent will compare your home to similar ones sold recently in the same location or nearby, here are some key points to consider:

• Initial impressions count - were they on time, smart, professional and friendly?
• Would you like to buy a house from them?
• Remember that your decision should not be based alone on the highest valuation -  ask yourself if their valuations are realistic?
• How much will it cost? You should ask about fees and make sure they verify whether it’s including VAT or if it needs to be added.
• How long would your contract with them be? 12 weeks should be more than enough time to sell any property that is priced correctly and marketed well, regardless of location and market conditions.

Once you have decided who to use then try your luck with getting a discount on the fee and reducing the contract length. You are in control, you are employing their services - if you don't ask now, you can't ask later! There's nothing wrong with testing the market by advertising your home at a slightly higher price first, but ensure you review it after two weeks and adjust accordingly based on the level of interest and any feedback from viewings.

How to do viewings

Viewings can be carried out to suit you, some people prefer the estate agent to do viewings when they are out, others like to be present when the agent is carrying out the viewing and some like to do their own viewings. There is no right or wrong way however here are some tips if you are doing the viewing yourself:

• Be positive, cast your mind back to when you bought your home and what attracted you to this particular property over others
• Build rapport, start with a friendly introduction and pay attention to everyone who attends the viewing. Listen to them and be genuinely interested in what they have to say
• Share useful information if they aren’t local i.e. schooling, clubs, local events, public transport etc
• Try to detach yourself emotionally if potential buyers discuss changing something that you have done
• Think of a positive phrase to enhance the conversation, my personal favourite is “can you see yourself living here?”
• Lead from the back, allow the viewers to enter the room ahead of you so they get the full impact as opposed to the back of you!
• Finish the viewing in your best room, then offer the viewers time to review your home on their own whilst you wait there
• Ask if they have any questions before they leave
• Thank them for coming to view your home and explain if they have any further questions to ask the Estate agent to contact you.

What to expect when negotiating offers

Once viewing your property possibly more than once, the potential buyers will make a decision on whether to make an offer and if so how much. They will take into consideration the following:

• Does the property need any work addressed immediately?
• What have similar properties sold for recently?
• Is there a complete upper chain in place or does someone still need to find somewhere?
• Are there any items they want to be included in the sale?
• Is the seller MoveReady and sharing the upfront property information required by Trading Standards?

When your agent calls with the offer, give yourself some time to consider the figure. Ask yourself these questions:

• How close is the offer to your asking price?
• If the offer is lower than you’d hoped, have they given a reason?
• Is the buyer MoveReady with everything in place to move?
• What is the buyers’ position? Is there a complete chain or does someone still need to sell?
• What figure would you be happy to accept?

The majority of the time buyers will try a little lower first to see if they can get a deal, don’t be afraid to stick to your guns but be realistic - if the buyer is in a good position and ready to get things moving this can be worth more in the long run. It’s a fine balance to find the middle ground between you and the potential buyers, your Estate Agent should be instrumental in this process, it’s their job at the end of the day!

You may get lucky and receive more than one offer at the same time, discuss with your agent what they would suggest. Some agents will speak individually to each party several times to get to the optimum offer for you, others will ask all the parties for their best and final figure (this gives the buyer the opportunity to make a final offer of what they are willing to offer for your home). Both of these approaches ensure you get the best possible price for your home. Once the final offers are in you can consider which offer is best for you, it may be the highest price, best chain position, best financial position or a combination of all three.