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What Can I Do To Prepare My Property? |
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Make sure your property has an attractive frontage
with a tidy garden, clean exterior walls and a smart front door. This
will give potential viewers the best possible image of the property when
they see the 'For Sale' board or the photograph on the brochure.
A fresh lick of paint can make a world of difference for the internal
aspects of a property and can also be relatively inexpensive. Neutral
colours are usually best. Spring-cleaning the interior of the property
by tidying and removing clutter from each room can create a fresh
atmosphere for viewings and show off the space that exists. Ensuring
door handles, dripping taps and scuffed paint are fixed can be vitally
important in the sale of your home even though they may seem like small
jobs.
Although home improvements such as loft conversions and conservatories
add value to property, weigh up how much money you will actually make
before going ahead with a major home improvement in the run up to
selling your property. |
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What Can Help When Putting my Property on the Market?
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When putting your property on the market a "for sale"
board is essential, even if you live in the middle of nowhere. Nothing
sells homes like word of mouth!
Preparing a file for the estate agent and potential buyers can be a good
idea. This should include any guarantees for damp proofing or timber
preservation, planning permission and building control certificates for
the property or extensions which exist and any recent surveys or service
guarantees. |
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What Should I Do When Someone is Viewing My Property? |
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It is a good idea to give viewers plenty of room to
park. Internally you should make the property feel warm and inviting for
viewers with fresh flowers and good lighting.
Ensure pets are kept under control and children are well behaved when
viewings are taking place. It is also a good idea to remove posters off
children's bedroom walls when viewings are going to be taking place. |
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What If I Receive an Offer? |
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Always let your estate agent do the negotiating.
Estate agents are used to handling offers on a day-to-day basis and can
keep their cool under pressure. They are also not emotionally involved
so will not get offended by low offers or criticisms of the property.
They will also make sure that all negotiations are put in writing so
that there will be no room for confusion later.
If you receive an offer on your property don't be afraid to take a day
to consider it. It's an important decision and one, which shouldn't be
made in the spare of the moment. Before you can accept an offer you need
to find out how much 'baggage' your buyer has, i.e. do they have a
property to sell? What are their time scales? Has a mortgage been
offered? Is there a chain situation? Have offers been put on other
properties? Until all these questions have been answered adequately you
should still be open to other offers. Bear in mind that you may waste a
substantial amount of money in legal fees if you accept an offer from
the wrong buyer and the sale falls through.
Just as the buyer has to put forward a strong case for his position,
likewise you, as the seller, can emphasise your strengths. It could be
the fact that you can move out immediately or at very short notice or
the fact that you are not stuck in a chain because your new place is
ready for you to move into, or you have numerous offers from other
purchasers. It is amazing how many buyers who make low offers come back
with higher ones some time later. The old expression 'Be nice to people
on the way up, because you never know if you will meet them again on the
way down,' is certainly true when it comes to selling your home. So be
considerate and polite to everyone who makes an offer and leave the door
open for them to come back with a higher offer when they are good and
ready.
Don't take your home off the market for a buyer who has a property to
sell. The buyer may not be able to sell their property and you may miss
other potential purchasers. |
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How Should I Choose My Estate Agent? |
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People often make the mistake of choosing an estate
agent because they quote the highest selling price. Ask how many similar
properties they have actually sold in your area in that price range and
how long they think it will take to sell at that price. When choosing
your agent also consider the following:-
- Look at how many For Sale boards
the Agent has up in your area, and how many of them have sold or sale
agreed on them. Look at the agent's office / offices to see how many
properties are on the market and which properties are sale agreed. Try
to decipher whether these have been recent.
- Look at the area the agent
covers in terms of their offices and advertisement.
- The location of the agents
offices is key so that as many potential purchasers as possible get to
see your property in as wide an area as possible.
- Ensure your chosen estate agency
is IEASA (Instiute of Estate Agents) and EAB (Estate Agents Board).
This basically means the estate agency is legally obliged to act in
your best interest and in a professional manner.
- If the estate agency has an
effective and regularly updated website, it will mean there is another
facility available for potential purchasers to have a chance to see
your property.
- Check if the estate agency has a
mailing list to alert potential purchasers of your property coming on
the market.
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An estate agent is a professional whose job it is to
find a buyer for your home and help you sell it at the best possible
price. Here are some of the advantages to using one:-
- Estate agents can provide a
valuation of your home, based on their knowledge of the market and the
local area.
- An estate agent will produce a
professional detailed brochure with photographs and information on the
property.
- An estate agency will be able to
give you tips and ideas on how best to present your home for sale. ·
Estate agents can deal with all of the viewing arrangements.
- If you live alone and are
concerned about personal security, an estate agent can accompany
viewers on their visit to your home.
- An estate agent should have a
mailing list of people who are looking to buy and who are looking for
your type of property.
- More potential buyers are likely
to see your home if it is in an estate agency. Especially if their
offices are in prime locations in your 'catchment area' and they have
an effective and regularly updated website.
- Estate agents are practiced in
negotiating the best prices for their clients.
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Why Isn't My Property Selling? |
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If the property didn't sell within 12 weeks it may be
that the asking price is too high. So, ask to see other properties in
the same price bracket as yours and ask the agent how many properties
they have sold in that price range since you last had an update. Look at
similar properties to yours that have been advertised in the local paper
- how do they compare pricewise? If your property is at the higher end
of the market you should expect interest to be a little lower due to
less people being able to afford the property like first time buyers for
example. Also buyers such as investors will not be as interested.
Sometimes it helps if you prepare new particulars. If your property is
not very appealing from the outside then it may be an idea just to show
interior shots. A lot of people can be put off by certain descriptive
features of a property such as a 'through room' or 'bathroom with
toilet' (i.e. no separate toilet) so try rewriting the details to
emphasise the good points. At the same time avoid gross exaggerations
like using the word spacious to describe a poky second bedroom.
If these prove unsuccessful it may be a good idea to
advertise the property. This could be done in local or specialised
property papers. Your agent may well do weekly or monthly advertisements
in these, where your property could be featured. Time to change agents?
You may get a feeling that your agent has not been doing everything
within their power to sell your property. You need to find out how
effectively your property is being advertised both on the phone, during
a viewing and through particulars. Get a friend to phone up as a
prospective buyer and see what kind of service they receive. You could
even get your friend to go and view your property with the agent and get
some feedback on how well they sold the property. If you are still not
satisfied with your agent have a frank discussion with them about it. If
there is still no change in the service make sure you check the terms of
your agency agreement before disinstructing your agent. |
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What Should I Do When My Property is Sold?
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Once an offer has been agreed on your property, it is
important to ensure that all the details are confirmed in writing
straight away.
Notifying your existing attorney early can be a good idea to help speed
up the process later on.
Try to meet up with the buyer again once all the negotiations are over.
If the buyer and seller have good feelings towards each other then the
sale will be more likely to succeed. |
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