Selling Guide - How to sell my home
This guide will help assist you through the process of selling a property.
Lets go through the steps one by one of how to sell your home.
1 - Estate agent Options
When using an estate agent you have a few options.
The Traditional Estate agent will market your home in the shop window and use online portals such as Zoopla and Rightmove. They will arrange viewings and show potential buyers around your home. They will help in negotiations with any offers that are put forward and then send any relevant information to the solicitors involved in the transaction.
Most estate agents do not have any qualifications and the market place is not regulated by any independent institution such as the FSA. For this reason we feel it very hard to understand how a traditional estate agent is able to normally charge fee’s in the region of between 1 & 2.5%. A property of £200,000 on the latter basis would costs a seller an estate agents fee of £5,000 (plus possible VAT).
We appreciate this method may be more desirable to some members of the community such as an elderly person or somebody not confident using a computer or the internet, but the main advantage of using an estate agent to sell your home is the fact of how & where they market your property.
It is for this reason we recommend www.movingme.co.uk for anyone selling their home because they offer everything the traditional estate agent will offer, using all the necessary advertising and marketing strategies as a traditional estate, but at a fraction of the cost to the seller. They offer all the support of the traditional estate agent and even chuck in a few freebies as well.
Here is a breakdown of the process if you were to use an agent such as movingme.co.uk
2 – MovingMe Sales Process
Registration & Home visit:
You can provide your property details and make your one-off £399 payment securely online or over the phone.
A Qualified Home energy Assessor will visit your home and produce your EPC (Energy Performance Certificate) this is required by law to sell your home. A member of their team will also obtain photos and room measurements for creation of the floor plans of your home.
Welcome Pack - This will include:
A property valuation - (this is not a structural valuation but a marketing price). They will include with this valuation, details of similar properties in your area that have sold or are currently for sale. You can amend the marketing price at any point.
Your property advertisement – They will provide a proof of your property advert for you to view. You can amend the asking price, delete or add photos if you wish at any point.
Sales particulars – This is a document showing the description and features of your property in which you can print and hand to potential buyers upon arrival. This will include the EPC, Floor plans, and photos.
For Sale Board Erected - unless you request otherwise
Marketing - They will upload your property details as part of your campaign using many avenues utilising portals such as rightmove and local media along with that of our own site.
Viewings - Prospective buyers will contact MovingMe to arrange a viewing at a time of your convenience. You will be at the property to let them in.
Feedback and Updates - They will provide weekly feedback on how many people are viewing your advert and how much attention your property is receiving. This may help assist you in deciding on a change in the marketing price.
Offers - They will advise you of any offers we receive directly from prospective buyers. Once you agree an offer we will send a memorandum of sale to all parties including the solicitors on your behalf.
If you accept an offer directly from a buyer, you will inform MovingMe and they can ensure the relevant forms are sent to all parties and nothing holds up your sale.
As you can see they offer all the support and assistance that a traditional agent will, and advertise in all the same resources but at a fraction of the cost. They even offer a free will and the EPC is included with the £399 fee!
3 - Instruct solicitors
Solicitors will now be instructed (if not already) to deal with the sale of your home and (if applicable) the purchase of your new property. We at Right-Advice can arrange for the solicitors to be instructed for you.
Once you have accepted an offer, you have to start making payments to your solicitor to start the legal work. This will usually be around £200 and you normally won’t pay the remaining balance until you are ready to exchange contracts. Obtain a quotation from the solicitor before you instruct them to ensure you are happy and aware of all the fees payable.
Right-Advice recommends you use a local solicitor to assist you. Although you can search online and maybe find a solicitors firm for a few hundred pounds less expensive, they may be a few hundred miles away from you, and not having that local contact or local knowledge can often be a fundamental contribution to when things go wrong and when delays can start to happen. We recommend Kinglsey David Solicitors to Milton Keynes and Buckinghamshire buyers and sellers.
If you would like a quote, click this link and we will arrange that Kinglsey David provide you with a ‘no obligation’ quote for their service costs.
Just add ’Solicitors Quote’ to the notes section of your enquiry
(No Obligation Solicitors Quote).
If you haven’t already, it is now time to start looking for a new property of your own. If you have already found a new property and had your offer accepted, you will need to apply for the mortgage and arrange a valuation of the new property you are purchasing.
We do not charge a fee for acting on your behalf.
4 - Exchange of contracts
The solicitors will now prepare all the legal requirements’ for the sale (and purchase if you are buying a new home). They will ensure everything is in place and arrange a time for you to formally exchange contracts. They will also set a completion date for you. This is normally a week after exchange.
Completion - As agreed with the solicitors, they will arrange completion of the sale (and purchase of your new home, if applicable) They will arrange for the distribution of the keys to be handed over.
If you advise MovingMe of your completion date, they will send you a ‘Congratulations Box’ to thank you for using their services and welcome you in your new home.
Free will - As part of package and included within the £399 innovative contract ‘MovingMe’ are currently offering a free ‘will’ (or ‘mirror will for couples) with a qualified will writing specialist.
This will allow you to obtain or update your requirements for a will giving you peace of mind for the future in establishing your requests and arrangements.
They will pass on your details to a will writer to see if you would like to take advantage of this free offer and if so he/she will make the necessary arrangements with you.
You do not have to take advantage of this free offer.
5 - Tips on selling
Air property - Smell adds to a 1st impression and you will be surprised how many people have fed back after a viewing to say they were put off from the moment they walked because of an undesirable smell?
Remember that some buyers may be allergic to pets so make sure that all signs of animal smells and hair are removed.
Lemon fresheners give a fresh smell, or use scented candles.
A good tip – Drop some vanilla onto a baking sheet and pop into the oven for about 10 minutes, will leave your home smelling fantastic for hours. Or you could actually bake some cinnamon buns in the oven helps create a lovely home cooking smell. You could even offer them to the buyers as they come in.
Make sure front door is immaculate as we have already explained- first impressions count. Ensure the house number is prominently displayed.
You must let go of any emotional attachment wants you have made the decision to sell. We have to create a property where different people can visualise different things if they were to buy your home.
Focus on the fact you property will no longer be yours and start de-personalising the home. Buyers find it hard to see past personal artefacts and you do not want them to be distracted by family photos and family heirlooms. You want buyers to say ‘ I can see MYSELF living here’.
Make the property as neutral as possible. You don’t want a potential buyer to remember your home as the one with the purple and orange bathroom.
Most homes sell better with less furniture. As part of the de-clutter process you may wish to rent storage space and remove some of the larger items. Removing chairs from the dining room table (i.e. 4 leaves instead of 6) can make the room look larger. Remove any furniture blocking passage ways or hamper a pathway.
Cut lawns.
Complete any small DIY jobs such as painting, fixing leaky faucets, and fill in any wall holes. Replace non working light bulbs and fix broken doors or kitchen draws that may jam.
Clean and tidy home is an appealing home. Clean windows inside and out, Vacuum daily, remove any cobwebs, wax floors and dust furniture. Hang fresh towels (ribbon and bowed tied bathroom towels leave a great finish) and change the bed linen. Add some fresheners around the house.
Leave your driveway free for the person viewing to easily park will help alleviate any parking issues
Opens curtains and make the rooms as light as possible. Dark rooms make space look smaller
Some other useful tips for bathroom or kitchen areas if they are looking a little tired? Clean, re-grout any tiled areas that are going black.
It may even pay to have a new white bathroom or kitchen suite put in.
6 - Arranging a Mortgage
You may at this point (if not already) want to get your finances in order with respect to the new property you hope to buy. If you need a mortgage it would be worth having a conversation with an independent adviser to establish what you can afford and achieve in respect of a new mortgage.
We can provide you a 15 minute mortgage promise which will establish exactly what you can achieve in respect of a new mortgage even if you haven’t yet found a property.
We are a fully independent mortgage brokers and will not charge you a fee for their services.
We will search the whole of market for you and recommend the best deal on the market based on your personal circumstances.
We receive their fee directly from the lender once you complete and this is why you do not pay a fee for their advice. You are not charged a fee for any of their work even if you do not complete.
We can also assist with life insurance, critical illness and income protection along with home insurance.
To arrange a call back please click here.