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Selling

Whether you are selling your home or buying one, you are involved in one of the BIGGEST events in your life. Is it too much to ask for excellent service from the agent representing you?

Here at House Estate Agents, we make everything much less stressful. We have expert local market knowledge and are completely dedicated to you, our client.

First steps
You will want to know the value of your property. We can give you a free valuation following a visit to your property. We know the area's that we cover really well and understand the dynamics that affect property prices locally and seasonally.

We will take into account many factors, including, the market, current and anticipated demand, prices asked and achieved for similar property close to yours and the proximity to transport, shops and schools. To do this we will need to see your property we will be able to give you a minimum and maximum achievable prices.

Wouldn't it be cheaper to do this all myself?
Unless you're prepared to do your own valuation, pay for your own advertising, put up a home-made sale board, produce sales particulars with floor plans, answer telephone enquiries, check the buying position and security of people viewing your home, you'll need an Estate Agent you can trust.  We will value and market your property and advise on appointing a solicitor if you don't already have one, to handle the legal side of the sale.

The partners will have managed the problems that can occur with a sale time and time again, we will help with difficult negotiations, deal with chains and offer valuable advice.

How much is this going to cost me?
Well it may cost you nothing at all. We know the market well and may be able to achieve a higher asking price than you could do yourself directly with a purchaser.

The initial valuation of your property is free. You only pay commission when we successfully sell your property and you'll always have access to the partners who are dedicated to sales.

Another agent may inflate the value of your property. If you accept this, your property could remain unsold for many months and consequently you may find it difficult to move onto another property quickly.

Preparing your property for sale
Before putting your property on the market, take a cold hard look at it and check what decoration and cleaning needs to be taken care of before selling. If you are residing at the property, it can sometimes be difficult to see what needs to be done as you live within it every day, so it's worth getting a second opinion from a friend or from us.

Conducting a property viewing.
We can conduct viewings between 10-30am - 5pm Monday to Friday and 10am - 1pm on Saturdays. We will check that a time is suitable prior to confirming a time with a prospective buyer.

If you would like us to conduct the property viewings; you need not be present. We normally keep keys and can access the property to suit your instructions. Make sure all keys are available to open windows, fire escapes or a garage if you have one.

Before a viewing have a quick tidy final up, make sure the house is freshly aired and there are no nasty cooking smells or pet odours. Turn the Television off!

Give time for viewers to discuss the property alone before they leave.

Resist the temptation to ask viewers if they like your property. They may spontaneously tell you. Either way, it makes negotiating easier if we handle feedback until matters progress to an offer.

How long does it take to find a suitable buyer?
This depends on the housing market, demand and the desirability of your property,. At House Estate Agents we are able to maximise the speed of sale due to our computerised systems that match properties to potential buyers and inform them by email, SMS text messaging, post and most importantly by telephone.

We also undertake all the usual marketing to include:

Receiving an Offer
As soon as a prospective buyer has made an offer, we'll let you know, verbally and in writing. The offer will be subject to a contract being signed and there are no legal obligations on either side until this is done.

Sometimes there may be a process of further price negotiation. This can be difficult, but by working with House Estate Agents you'll benefit from our expertise in this area.

Accepting an Offer
If you are happy to accept an offer, you will need to appoint a solicitor to prepare a Contract of Sale. (House Estate Agents can arrange for quotes from 3 local solicitors, or click on our website to get the quotes on line.) This contract of sale will then be sent to the buyer's solicitor who will make the necessary enquiries, complete a satisfactory local search, etc. before proceeding to Exchange of Contracts.

Exchange of Contracts
To prepare your Contract of Sale, your solicitor will need certain documents from you. It can take a while to obtain these, so to help towards a swifter sale, take time to obtain these in advance.

If your property is freehold, you will require:

If your property is leasehold the documents will be as above, except:

The draft Contract of Sale, a copy of the title deeds (if the property is leasehold it will include a copy of the lease) will then be sent to the buyer's solicitor for their perusal. This checking process may involve many specific queries.

When the buyer's solicitor has obtained a satisfactory local search (not applicable if a Home Information Pack is available) and if applicable a copy of the buyers mortgage offer, the contract will be signed and a cheque for the deposit will be sent by the buyer to your solicitor. Exchange of contracts can then take place and the transaction becomes legally binding.

Don't forget to organise your building insurance at this point as technically the property is now owned by you.

Completion
The final stage of the sale normally happens within one to two weeks following Exchange (sometimes Exchange and completion happen on the same day).  The buyer's solicitor hands over the remainder of the purchase money to your solicitor who will pay your Building Society or Bank, if there has been a mortgage on the property. Legal fees and our fees are also paid at this time.

Matters to attend to after a Sale
Write instructions and find the manuals for the operation of appliances you may be leaving in your kitchen. Don't forget, central heating instructions.

Leave a note about the days for refuse and recycling collections. Arrange to redirect your post. Contact gas, electricity, phone suppliers and the council about new owners taking over accounts. Take meter readings before you vacate the property.